How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

Lifestyle Parenting, Household Affairs and Cuisine corner
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Right, so this is a bit of an issue with some of us , I guess specially with working ladies here, it can become a hassle if salan isnt cooked in enough quantity to last all family members for two or three days ..

So, please share your tips on how you maintain the quantity of the salan so that it doesnt fall short right when you need it ..

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

1 serving in desii terms is one plate [quarter plate that we use for roTii] which amounts to about 4-5 pieces of meat with about 3/4 cup of shorba [sauce]. i think that's the ideal serving size in desi terms.

India men aaj bhii puraane zamaane ke hotels [restaurants] men order plate ke Hisaab se kiyaa jaataa hai...half plate yaa ful plate...the famous Ne'mat Kada restaurant in chandni chow in old Delhi serves by saalans by plates!

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

Here are my tips that I used excessively when I was working.
Nearly at the end of the cooking process of the salan , using the stir spoon, make rough salan divisions in the pot to check how many servings its gonna give you .. for example you need four servings for two people for two days ..

Ensure you have at least five servings roughly. If not , then do one of the following:

  • add half a cup of water and let it cook covered on low heat so that the water thins out the salan density and that will give you that extra serving.
  • or add 3 tablespoons whisked yoghurt into the salan, leave it on low heat so that it mixes well into the salan ..
  • or chop a potato or two finely and add them into the salan and usually takes a few extra minutes of cooking time and potatoes get done in no time .. that conveniently adds more than a single serving sometimes .. For example when cooking vegies , I add potatoes or peas or simla what ever suits your taste

For dry salans like karahi and vegetable etc its easier to calculate this way .. but for thin consistency salans calculation can become a hassle .. so what you can do is before you start cooking pour in 5 cups of water in the pot ( you are aiming to get 5 servings ) .. and make a mental note of the level of the water on the pot.... your cooked salan should be close to that level on the pot , if its really less it means you are definitely falling short of your servings ...

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

KKF, serving size can really depend on each family member .. usually who ever is cooking at home knows the food requirement and can calculate as per that requirement.

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..


oh...i gave that measurement for someone who didn't know how to calculate salan serving size...:) in general terms! :)

i learned something from your post #3...thank you! :)

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

one more thing, if you feel that you are consistently falling short of servings you need, then at the start of the cooking process add an extra onion .. Onion adds volume to the salan ...

If you are already using enough onion , then may be use an extra two tomatoes coz that too gives volume to the salan .

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

how about adding more water and and a little bit of corn starch to thicken it? just a thought!

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

4-5 pieces of meat for one person? i suppose it depends on the size of meat. CB, if i cook salan w/ 2 pieces ofchicken breast,we are mostly able to get 4 dinner portions and 1 or 2 lunch, depending on the consistency of the gravy, if the chicken is cooked by itself or with vegetables. similarly 2 cup rice last us 4 dinner servings and 2 lunch.

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Re: How to calculate the servings in a salan while cooking ..

we r 4 family members .....my mother knows very well what quantity of meat vege or pulses is needed...i means to say it depends on how many members are u n how much all of u eat ..so its not a big deal for those who cooks regularly : )