The food cooked in earthen pots are high in iron, calcium, magnesium and sulfur which plays an important role for the well being of a human body. Cooking in earthen pots is a slow process and involves the use of a minimum amount of oil thereby helping in retaining food’s natural oil and moisture.
The actual aroma of the food is retained when cooked in an earthen or clay pot. This happens because of the porous nature of the clay pots and also because it uses a slow cooking process.
Snake gourd curd curry
An unglazed pure clay pot is a cooking pot made from all-natural clay and contains no contaminants or glazes.
It’s believed that food is at its best in taste and nutritional value when cooked in these pots because the heat cooking the food is non-destructive, it’s food friendly and does not destroy nutrition bearing cells in the food.
What’s more, the pot itself is inert and does not leach metals or chemicals into your food. Depending on which brand you’re using, an unglazed pure-clay pot can be used on gas, electric and convection stove tops and in the oven.
Oil free fish curry recipe
CooKing in earthern pots enhances health benefits and taste of food.
Clay pots are readily available in almost all parts of the country. They come in different shapes and sizes, so you can pick the one best suited to your requirements.
Ayurveda suggests cooking in clay pots, as it involves the slow cooking process that improves the quality and taste of food and also balances the nutrients
Fish curry made with freshly ground masala
RED CLAY OR BLAK CLAY POTS
The black clay pot is also called as burnt claypot or karichatty
Compared to red clay kadais this deep burned black clay pots are made using a very old traditional pottery technique. A normal red clay pot is kilned once, and are not exposed to naked flame. But deep burned pots are kilned two times, for the second time, potters literally burn the pots stacked together with wood and hay at a temperature nearly 1200 degree Celsius.
2. Chow chow coconut gravy recipe
SEASONING THE NEW POTS – Pots need to be seasoned well before use. Don’t use a new pot directly .
Scrub the pot well with a scrubber [ no detergent ] .
Wash it well .
Now soak it in a tub of water . Leave it untouched for minimum 24 HRS or upto 3 to 4 days .
Wash it ,
Fill it with kanji / starch water / rice washed water. OR you can use 3 tbsp of any flour like rice / maida / wheat / millet flours etc , mix it with water and allow to boil .
Keep on medium flame .
Allow it to boil for 5 mins and off the flame.
Leave it overnight .
Next day again scrub it well .
Dry it in sun or with a kitchen towel .
Apply oil all over with hands.
Keep on medium flame .
Add 2 or 3 tbsp grated coconut .
Stir fry on medium flame for 10 mins till the coconut is well roasted.
Allow it to cool , discard the coconut .
Scrub and wash it .
Pot is ready to use .
Follow the same steps for the lid also .
Ridge gourd egg poriyal / turai ande ki sabji
Get rid of non-stick kadai and pans, anything that has any kind of toxic surface in terms of cooking and bring in natural and healthy terracotta cookware!
NOTES
These pots become stronger as you keep using them .Also the colour changes on regular use.
Never use any detergents .
A clay pot willcontinue to cook and stay warm for longer than a steel pot , because it retains heat,
After the seasoning process, use the pot often at least 3 to 4 times. This helps the pot to shrink slightly and will prevent it from holding moisture.
Don’t use steel tongs to lift the pot while cooking use cloth.
Use wooden spoons.They go well with the pots.
Unglazed pure clay pots become completely non-stick in a few uses so cleaning them is very easy. Also, since most of the steam rising from the food is locked inside, food seldom burns or sticks to the bottom
No need to marinate meats before cooking in clay pot. If you don’t have the time don’t worry, the pots do a fantastic job in cooking meat, they turn out tender and moist without even marinating. Meat prepared in clay potsremains juicy and tender.
Rice, quinoa and other grains turn out exceptionally well in these pots. Since the pot is breathable it lets just the excess moisture in the food to evaporate letting the rice or grains turn out soft and fluffy, each grain separate from the other.
Brown rice turns out soft and pleasant, does not have the chewiness like when cooked in other pots.
Pure clay pots are also the best to make homemade yogurt. Yogurt turns out thick and creamy without using additives because the pot allows just water to evaporate thickening the yogurt naturally.
Do not use soap or detergent to cleanas the soap will soak into the pores of the clay and then leach into your food the next time you use it. Instead, use scalding hot water and a stiff brush to clean the pot. Baking soda or salt may be used as a cleanser with a scrub sponge.
Clay pots are made of clay, which is alkaline in nature. This property enables it to interact with the acids in the food while cooking, thus balancing its ph. Not only do they make the food healthier but also lend a nice aroma to it. The food cooked in clay pots becomes rich in various minerals such as iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium etc.
A mixture of baking soda and water can be applied to the pot for removing the strong smell of certain ingredients.
If any kind of mould gets formed, put salt or baking soda on a scrub pad and gently remove the mould.
it is recommended to pick up unglazed pots. Because no matter what claims the manufacturers may make, the glazed pots would contain harmful chemicals. These pots emit harmful toxins when they are heated up or during the process of cooking.
Before each time you plan to cook with the clay pot, you need to soak it in water.
Clay pots are sensitive to temperature change and will easily crack, so it is important that you don’t expose to extreme temperature differences.
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