How to make tasty sauces with delicious ingredients

 First, what is a sauce?

Sauce is a generic term and comprises a host of possibilities and options. While pureed sauce made with tomato-and-vinegar is called ketchup, other sauce combinations may contain pieces of fruits and/or vegetables, but in up-pureed form.

It should be known that the words chutney and sauce can be used interchangeably. If at all there is technical difference between the two, it is that chutney is usually made thick and as such it may be called thick sauce.

Sauce is used in various forms and combinations that set the mood for taste buds and provide what may be called sidekicks to the eaters.

Sauce provides variety to the food menu, enhances taste, colour, flavour and can transform any dish into a smacking delicacy. Sauce can be sweet, chunky, tangy or sour. Here are recipes for two kinds of sauce. Everest Foods suggests some tips to make tasty sauces with delicious ingredients. Take your pick and enjoy.

Tomato sauce

Probably the most made sauce variety across the world, tomato sauce is equally loved by people all ages. It is used to enhance the taste of a large range  of Indian and western foods including noodles- Maggie noodles, samosas, pakoras, idlis, vadas, dosas and a variety  of salads and sandwiches because of its hand-licking flavour.

Ingredients

10 chopped tomatoes, one teaspoonful of mustard seeds, one teaspoonful of chopped ginger, half teaspoonful of mustard seeds, two crushed garlic cloves, one teaspoonful of oil, 10-15 curry leaves, one tsp of vinegar, 1-2 tsp of sugar, half tsp of chilli powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Method of making

Take a wok or a frying pan large enough for the ingredients and add oil, mustard seeds, ginger, curry leaves and crushed garlic.

Turn on the heat. Add tomatoes after the mixture of these ingredients is cooked and let them remain on the fire flame for about five minutes.

Now add sugar, salt and chilli powder to taste, vinegar and pepper.Keep cooking the whole mixture until it becomes squishy and soft.Wait until it cools down. Serve it or save it.

Coriander- mint-curd sauce

As the name suggests, coriander-mint-curd sauce is made of three basic ingredients, curd, mint and coriander. This combination makes an immensely delicious, tangy and lip-smacking sauce.

The coriander-mint-curd mixture can accompany any snack. It can be used as a dip, chutney or spread.All its ingredients are replete with powerful nutrients.  Its first main ingredient coriander leaves are packed with vitamin A, C and K and some dietary minerals in moderate quantities.

Mint is infused with antioxidants and phytonutrients that can act miraculously in restoring energy to your stomach.

Menthol in mint assists the enzymes in catalysing the digestive process. The also energize the stomach muscles and help them to digest the food efficiently.

Ingredients:

I cup of coriander leaves, ¾ cup of curd/yogurt or simple dahi, half cup of mint leaves, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 2 tsp of green chilli, 2 tsp of lemon juice and salt to taste.

Method of making sauce

Clean and wash coriander and mint leaves and put them in the grinder along with green chillies. Also add salt, lemon juice, cumin seeds. Add a little water and blend the mixture into a smooth paste.

Whisk the curd and add the paste to it and mix them well.Your coriander, mint and curd sauce is now ready to cater to your taste buds. You can take it with idli, dosa or any other snack.

We hope these easy to follow tips from Everest Foods will help add zing to your cooking.

The Importance of pickle and sauce in Indian cooking

Pickles and sauces have been an integral accompaniment of the Indian cuisine since ancient times. Their presence in the daily food of both the rich and the poor has been ensured because theylend taste, flavour and variety to the Indian palate. Everest Foods provides you some interesting insights into the importance of pickles and sauces in Indian cooking.

It should be noted that almost all the ingredients which make pickle and sauce have health and medicinal values.While fruits and vegetables are the base products for making pickles, other accompaniments include oils, salts, spices and herbs, which have invaluable medicinal properties.

Some of these additives include salt- white and black/brown-sendhanamak or gypsum salt- fenugreek seeds/methi, fennel seeds/saunf, mustard seeds/sarson, nigella seeds/kalonji, vinegar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, asafoetida, garlic, sesame oil, refined groundnut oil and   mustard oil, to mention only a few.

The most popular fruits and vegetables used for making pickles include raw mangoes, lemons, green chillies, carrots, gooseberry and several others depending upon the region and season.

Similarly sauces too are made with vegetables, salts, spices and herbs. The most popular vegetable for sauce especially in India is tomato. Sauce also adds taste, colour, flavour, zing and variety to the food.

Sauce is also used as marinate before cooking veggies and especially a variety of meats. Often meal is not considered complete without sauce.  Sauce is known to add visual appeal to the food. It said that we first eat the meals with our eyes. The very sight of pickle and sauce whets our appetite for food.

Why is sauce and pickle found in every home?

In fact the most important reason whey sauce and pickle are found almost in every home is their shelf life.  Well-prepared pickles can last for months and their taste and tanginess remains as fresh as when they are made on the first day.

Making pickles and sauces is one way of preserving a host of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices for months together without storing them in refrigerators. Remember our old, old forefathers did not have freezing machines in their times.

This explains why sauces and pickles are quite often used as the only ‘dish’ with the chappattis or even bread slices especially when the housewife is not in a mood to cook vegetables or during emergencies.

As mentioned above, the ingredients of sauce and pickle have immense medicinal value. The Indian rulers- rajas, maharajas, sultans and nawabs- all ate them regularly not only for their taste but also for their health and nutritional benefits.

Here are the medicinal benefits of some of spices and herbs used in the pickles and sauces by Everest Foods:

Turmeric

 One of the most nutritional supplements in the world, its main ingredient curcumin is known for its powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and brain-derived neurotrophic properties. It strengthens the functions of brain and lowers the risk of brain and heart related diseases.

Fennel seeds- methi

Fennel is one of the most popular ingredients in pickles. It is useful for curing anaemia, respiratory disorders, indigestion, diarrhoea, flatulence, mental disorders colic and visual problems.

Vinegar

Vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, is rich in acetic acid which has strong biological benefits. It is a powerful antimicrobial agent, which means it kills a variety of harmful bacteria. It reduces blood sugar levels in diabetes patients and also helps in weight loss.