Contest| "Tools to Spark Culinary Inspiration #10"

I'm pleased to take part in this amazing contest organized by our dear friend @ninapenda. As ladies, anything related to the kitchen fascinates us, and we love to share our thoughts and ideas. Thanks to the wonderful community and @ninapenda for coming up with unique topics each week.

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• What is the difference between a saucepan and a pot? What 5 examples can you basically do with each of them?

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A saucepan is a kitchenware that is used to cook liquids such as curries and soups. It looks similar to the saute pan that we use, but it has steep sides to hold liquids and to make whisking easy.

A Pot is a larger version of the saucepan to hold larger quantities of fluids - for example, a large pot of Soup.

I will share five examples of how we use each of these kitchenware.

With a saucepan:

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1. Making freshly brewed tea - We use a saucepan to boil the water and add the tea leaves followed by milk and sugar to make a wonderful cup of Sri Lankan Milk tea.

2. To make curries - A saucepan is great when cooking any sort of Sri Lankan curries. Since we use Coconut milk mostly in our curries a saucepan is ideal kitchenware as it has a lid to trap the heat and also needs space to stir until the curry is cooked.

3. To Boil pasta - A saucepan makes the task of boiling pasta so much easier.

4. When making mixed herbs - A nonstick saucepan is great when making mixed herbs because it instantly absorbs its liquid maintaining the beautiful green color of the herbs.

5. When making desserts - A saucepan is essential to melt some jaggery, or butter, or even to boil some milk.

With a Pot:

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1. It is great when cooking rice because it needs space when boiling. Especially when making milk rice a pot is very useful.

2. A pot is useful when making meat items in large quantities.

3. We use a pot when boiling cassava because it also needs space when boiling and shouldn't be covered with a lid.

4. We also make young jackfruit slow-cooked in a pot with all spices. The space makes it easier to stir without any hassle.

5. A pot can also be used to deep fry cutlets, fish rolls, and vada.

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• Over the week, you must have prepared some nice dishes, can you share with us some of these meals and their recipes?

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Yes, I made a delicious meal for my family recently. I usually make rice and curry for us and the baby. It was simple but tasted amazing. I used all fresh ingredients and made it as clean and healthy as possible. It's always satisfying to make meals for our family with love and care.

Here is a quick rundown of what I made:

Ingredients for yellow rice:

2 Cups of Rice
1 Small Onion, cubed
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp Cumin seeds
A hand full of Green peas
A pinch of turmeric
Water (enough to cook the rice)
Salt, to taste
Ghee or Butter

Preparation method:

Heat some Ghee or butter in a pot and Saute ginger-garlic paste, cubed onions, and cumin seeds until the onions turn translucent.

Stir well and add a handful of green peas, turmeric, and salt to the sauteed mixture.

Add the rice to the mixture and stir to coat the rice with spices evenly.

Pour in the water, enough to cook the rice, and bring it to a boil

Then reduce the heat cover the lid and let the rice cook for about 12 mins (until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft and fluffy)

Fluff the rice with a chopstick to avoid getting sticky.

Ingredients for Vegetable Curry:

1 cauliflower well washed and cut into small pieces

2 medium-sized carrots -cubed

2 small potatoes - cubed

1 onion. diced

2 cloves of Garlic, chopped

2 Green chilies

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 Small Cinimon stick

Salt, to taste

Pandan and curry leaves

Thick and light coconut milk.

Preparation method:

Add the vegetables in a pot and add in the diced onion, chopped garlic, and green chilies.

Next, is the spices: Fenugreek seeds, Cinamon stick, Curry powder, turmeric powder, and salt

Add in the leaves, and mix all ingredients well.

Pour in some light coconut milk. (enough to boil the vegetables)

Cook the curry over medium heat, covering with a lid.

After about 15 minutes, check if the vegetables are soft and mushy, and then add in the thick coconut milk.

Bring it to a boil and your curry is ready to serve hot

Lastly, I had some marinated chicken, and I fried it. My delicious homemade meal was ready to be served hot.

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• Hot or cold food which do you prefer? Share your reasons.

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I always prefer hot food. It tends to increase my appetite and makes meals more enjoyable for me. Even if I'm tired or not in the mood for food, the sight of a steaming hot meal on my plate can instantly change that. It makes my food experience more satisfying and comforting.

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• Are there any kind of food that you prefer not to eat? Tell us about it.

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I try to avoid processed and instant food as much as possible. I only consume them when I have no other choice. Since they are quite harmful to our health, I always keep that in mind and make an effort to prevent using processed or instant foods with lots of preservatives. I always believe if we care about what we consume, we can live a healthy life. Let's move on from junk food.

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I would like to invite my friend @meehu @asiahaiss and @inudi to join the contest. Thanks for being with me and supporting me with your upvotes.

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