It is important to weigh or measure all ingredients accurately, especially for beginners. There are cooks and chefs who seem to be able to produce good results by guesswork and intuition, but they are generally people who have long experienced in cooking and have learned by bitter experience and many failures.
Most ingredients don’t need to be packed into the measuring cup. Granulated sugar does it for you. Flour should actually be aerated of fluffed up before measuring. Brown sugar is the one exception; this you want to pack down while measuring in order to get the proper amount.
Measure liquids at eye level. In other words, place the cup on a flat surface and crouch down so your eyes are at the same level as the cup in order to check the accuracy of the amount in the cup.
To measure solid fats (shortening, butter, etc.): Most butter has measurements listed on the wrapper, so you can simply cut off the amount you need. If that information is not available, to measure fats accurately, pack them down in the cup to get rid of air pockets. It’s easier to pack fats at room temperature. Another method that works well for butter and especially shortening is water displacement (this works for any fraction of a cup measurement). For instance, if you need 1/2 C shortening to fill a 1 cup measure 1/2 full of water. Carefully add shortening to the cup until the water reaches the top of the cup. Drain the water and use the shortening.
Standard measurements followed by us:
1 tsp = 5 ml
1 tbsp = 15 ml
1 cup (liquid) = 180 ml
1 cup (dry) = 132 gm
Abbreviation Long
C cup
gal gallon
gm gram
kg kilogram
lb pound
ml milliliter
oz ounce
pt pint
qt quart
tbsp tablespoon
tsp teaspoon
fl. oz. fluid ounce
Common Indian Ingredients Solid Measures
CEREAL Grams
1 cup rice 200
1 cup ragi 200
1 cup soaked chana dal 180
1 cup soaked rice 200
1 cup soaked urad dal 160
1 cup whole wheat 180
1 cup jowar 200
1 cup roasted coffee seeds 90
1 cup maize 200
1 cup moong dal 200
1 cup chana dal 190
1 cup soy beans 200
SPICES Grams
1 cup pepper 150
1 cup curry masala 100
1 cup cumin seeds 100
1 cup coriander seeds 100
1 cup fenugreek 140
HERBS Grams
1 cup chopped ginger 120
1 cup garlic flakes 140
1 cup sambar onions 140
GENERAL ITEMS Grams
1 cup butter 150
1 cup bread crumbs 70
1 cup minced meat 200
1 cup granulated sugar 160
1 cup roasted coffee seeds 90
1 cup curd 200
1 tsp sugar 5
1 tbsp flour 25
1 tbsp salt 10
OILSEEDS / NUTS Grams
1 tbsp mustard 5
1 cup coconut pieces 120
1 cup cashew nuts 130
1 cup almonds 140
1 cup poppy seeds (khus khus) 130
1 cup peanuts 100
1 cup gingelly seeds 130
1 cup pomegranate seeds 120
1 cup mustard 150
POWDERS Grams
1 cup flour 150
1 cup atta 120
1 cup red chili powder 100
1 cup besan 100
