Shrikhand

Tantalizing taste & aroma ~ Shrikhand

Elaichi

So, I am back a little sooner than I had anticipated. So that gives me some more time to try out all my family’s favorite recipes. When it comes to spices, nothing can beat the aroma of elaichi, don’t you agree? These spindle-shaped seedpod is packed with highly aromatic seeds plays a huge role in Indian cooking. Be it a dinner or dessert, elaichi can flavor up your food and release aromatic fragrance.
Today, I will show you one such recipe that makes use of this spice and everyone will love it. As usual, my dessert recipes comes with a certain level easiness.

Recipe: (For 4 people)

Dahi 16 oz ( I use Taaza brand because it is Gelatin free and it comes in Organic too)
4 - 6 pods of elaichi
A couple of pinches of kesar
1 tbsp of warm milk
2 - 3 tbsp sugar

Add the kesar to milk and keep it aside so that the milk can start to absorb the color of kesar and turn into that beautiful bright yellowish orange. Place the dahi in a cheese cloth and either tie it to something for the excess water from dahi to be released or place the cheese cloth in a strainer placed over a bowl and let it rest for at least 7 - 8 hours till no more water comes out of dahi. Do not squeeze or press the cheese cloth to remove water.

Dahi after releasing water

Then, place a bowl underneath the cheese cloth, add sugar to the dahi & using the same cheese cloth, try to mash the dahi against it as though the cheese cloth acts like a sieve. You will see that a creamy dahi comes out. This is what gives the shrikhand it’s creamy texture. To this, add the kesar mixture until the desired color of shrikhand is reached and the elaichi powder. Chill it in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving. It is best enjoyed when served cool. Garnish with kesar and pista before serving.

Creamy Shrikhand ~ A perfect dessert for a hot summer day & my entry to Think Spice … Think Cardamom

I also want to thank easycrafts of Simple Indian Food for giving me the You Make My Day Award

and Mona of Modern Hyderabadi Cuisine for giving me the Yummy Blog Award. Thanks so much both of you. Through blogging I have made many new friends and have learned a lot from fellow bloggers. This experience is very empowering.

I would like to pass on this award to
Madhuram of Eggless Cooking. Her eggless baking recipes (which is hard to find) makes me to refer to site often.
Divya of Dil se…. Very very good recipes. I have passed on the recipes to my family too.
Pooja of My Creative Ideas She can cook recipes from any part of the world. Very creative.
Vaishali of Holy Cow. Very creative vegan recipes that she makes me feel being vegan is easy!

Sooji Dhokla

Sooji Dhokla

Dhokla is a fast food in India, especially in the state of Gujarat. It could be made from besan or sooji. My Mom made more of the besan version while my Mom-in-law made the sooji version and both are yummy. They are super soft and just melt in your mouth. With a side of dhania chutney, every bite of it tastes heavenly. I never feel guilty eating these dhokla’s because they are healthy; the main ingredient being channa dal or sooji and they are steamed. It is always a crowd pleaser and a wonderful light tea-time snack although my family enjoys it anytime. Because of it’s light & fluffy texture it’s a hit in a potluck among my friends and everyone relishes it, I could tell from their face.

A cup of sooji

Recipe:

1 cup sooji or ready made packet
3 - 4 tbsp dahi
Green chillies finely chopped (optional)
2 tsp Ginger paste (optional)
2 tbsp oil
10 fl.oz water
3 tsp rye
1 - 2 tsp red mirchi powder
A few green chilies slit lengthwise for garnish
Dhania finely chopped for garnish
1 teaspoon of Eno fruit salt or baking soda
Salt as per taste

Mix sooji, oil, water, dahi, ginger paste, chopped green chilies and keep aside for about 20 minutes. Pour some water in a vessel preferably a pressure cooker and heat it. Grease another vessel that will fit inside the cooker. Just before pouring the mixture, add the eno, mix and pour. Cover with a lid and let it steam. If you are using a pressure cooker, it’s easier to let the steam out. Else, use a lid which has a hole in it so as to let the steam escape. Cook for about 20 minutes. Check by inserting a knife or a tooth pick to see if the mixture sticks to it. If it doesn’t, then the dhokla has cooked through. Sprinkle some mirchi powder while they are hot so that they can stick to the dhokla. Heat oil in a small pan, add rye, let it splutter, then add the green chilies. Pour this mix over the top of the dhokla. Let it cool a few minutes and then cut it first lengthwise, then perpendicular to get that diamond shape. Garnish with chopped dhania.

Sooji Dhokla garnished with green chili, dhania and rye

TIP: Instead of using oil to grease, you can use PAM non-stick spray. This makes the dhokla’s come out easily without sticking. Also, if you do not prefer making this dish from scratch, you can always use the ready made Gits pack and they come out very well too. But just make sure to buy the Sooji Dhokla (White in color) and not the Khaman Dhokla (Yellow in color).

Rava Idly

Everyday food ~ Rava Idly

Vegetables for rava idly

The idli or idly, is a savory dish popular throughout southern India. They are round in shape and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented lentils and rice. The variation of rava idly comes from using semolina and it is a much healthier version because it is made from wheat and/or vegetables. Most often rava idly’s are eaten at breakfast or evening tiffin, served with chutney or other accompaniments. Steamed and made with rava and vegetables - what could be more tastier and healthier? I doubt it. They are so easy to make than regular plain idly’s because plain one’s need soaking, fermenting and grinding before cooking them. But these humble rava one’s make use of basic pantry ingredients and takes very less time before it is ready to be served on the table.

Recipe: (Makes about 12 idly’s)
2 cups of rava
2 small aloo finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
peas (optional)
1 tsp finely minced or grated ginger
1/2 cup dahi
2 tsp rye (mustard seeds)
2 tsp urad dal
2 tsp channa dal
some dhania finely chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
salt to taste
Oil

Use a couple of tbsp of oil to the rava and mix well. When you take a handful of the mixture in your hand and squeeze them, you should be able to hold the shape of the rava some what. If not, add a little bit more oil. This makes the idly’s come out soft. Keep it aside for about 10 -15 minutes. Add some water to the dahi and make it a butter milk. Heat 1 tbsp oil and add rye, let it splutter. Then add the urad dal, channa dal and until the color turns golden brown. Add this to the rava mixture. Add all the vegetables, ginger, chili and dahi as well and mix it well to get a little thicker than a pouring consistency.

Batter for rava idly

Pour into idli plates and steam it for about 15 - 20 minutes until cooked. Serve hot with coconut chutney or savor as is.

Rava Idly

Lauki Channa Dal

Exotic Squash ~ Lauki

Lauki and Channa dal

Lauki or Doodhi is also known as bottle gourd. These gourds contain some amounts of Vitamins C and B complex and also a few protein varieties. They contain a lot of water and hence makes them cooling and lubricating. Lauki generally has a very pale green smooth skin and it’s flesh is white. The size and thickness can vary widely. When buying lauki, choose young, light, firm and even in color without many blemishes. Scrape and discard harder portions of skin, and discard seeds if hard or too mature before cooking.

Lauki cooks in no time and since it does not have a predominant taste or smell by itself, it can very well marry the flavors and aroma of other vegetables and spices cooked with it. It is widely used in Ayurveda. My Mom-in-law extracts juice out of lauki every morning with some ginger and honey/brown sugar and drinks it in an empty stomach. It is supposedly very good for health.

Recipe:
1 medium size Lauki
1/2 cup channa dal (split yellow chickpeas)
1 medium size onion chopped
1 green chili chopped
2 - 3 tbsp dahi or curd(yogurt) beaten smooth
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp dhania or coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
Salt to taste
2 tsp Oil

Pressure cook the channa dal until soft. Remove the skin of lauki and cut into small cubes. You can either pressure cook lauki until soft or place it in a vessel with some water, cover it with a lid and cook until soft. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, let it splutter. Now add the urad dal and wait until it turn golden brown. Now add the chopped onions, green chilies and saute well. Add the chili powder, dhania powder, turmeric, salt to the dahi and mix well. I know, I have never used dahi, but my mom-in-law made it once and it tasted great. So try it out with dahi. Add this mixture to the onions. Let it cook for sometime until oil separates. Now add the channa dal and lauki and bring it to a boil. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or Paratha’s or Chappatis or Rotis or Naan bread or Tortillas.

Simple & Satisfying Lauki Channa Dal

Pearl Onions in Dahi Gravy

Onions Onions ~ Pearl Onions in Dahi Gravy

Pearl Onions in Dahi Gravy

Onions - What can I say about them? Or where do I start saying about them? Because it is such a versatile vegetable that I doubt I can ever live without it’s presence in most of my dishes. With the varieties ranging from pearl onions, shallots, white, red, yellow and the abundance use of it in various cuisines and cultures, the list just can go on. It has a pungent aroma and some people tend to not enjoy it in cooking. Nevertheless, it is a very humble bulb that has been in use since ancient times and has some important medicinal properties too. Today, I wanted to remember and honor this multifarious bulb and prepare a dish to submit for JFI February event’s theme “Onion“.

Recipe: (Serves for 4 people)

2 small bags of red pearl onions
1/4 cup yogurt or curd beaten
1 tsp haldi or turmeric
2 - 3 tsp red chili powder (or as per your taste)
1 tbsp dhania or coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
2 -3 cloves, 1/2 cinnamon stick
2 - 3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Peel the skin of the onion and soak it in water for about 10 minutes.

Pearl onions peeled

Then, drain the water, slit the center crosswise halves without cutting the joint end so that the onion is still in tact. Mix the above mentioned masala including salt. If time permits and you have the patience, you can fill each slit end with the masala; also make sure to double the quantity of masala ingredients in case you decide to stuff the onions. Below is a sample stuffing that I did for a better understanding.

Onions stuffed with masala

But I did not stuff as the onions were small enough to absorb the sauce that will be made shortly. Mix the curd with the masala, add water if needed and set aside. You don’t want too much curd but just enough to coat the onion and some gravy. Heat oil in a pan. add cloves, cinnamon and let the aroma start to infuse the oil. Now add jeera. In a few seconds, add the curd mixture and saute for a minute. Now add the onions, mix well so that the curd mixture coats the onions well. Add little water if necessary. Cover it with a lid. Check and mis well every few minutes and add very little water if needed so that the curd mixture does not burn away. The curd sauce will infuse through the slit ends of the onions makes each and every layer fill with aroma and flavor. Serve hot with
Paratha’s or Chappati or Roti or Naan bread or Tortilla.

Pearl Onions in Dahi Gravy

Dahi Bhindi

Source: Wikipedia

Bhindi is called as Okra (American English) is also known as Lady’s Finger (British English). It is one of those vegetables that everyone loves. Whether is is roasted, fried and added to a gumbo, this vegetable can adhere to any spices and gives us a spoonful of satisfaction. Bhindi has some stickiness when it’s slit open. So, apart from its use in a variety of dishes, it’s sticky substance is used in Mehndi also as it supposed to give good texture when drawing mehndi.

Whenever my Mom prepared bhindi whether it is a side dish or used on sambhar or any curries, growing up, we all wanted more of bhindi. It’s very hard for me to describe the delectable flavor of this vegetable in simple terms. As a loyal fan of bhindi, today I am sharing one recipe which I had learnt from my sister-in-law.

Recipe: (For 4 people)
1/2 - 2 lbs bhindi
1/2 cup yogurt or curd
1 - 2 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
1 tbsp Masala
1 - 2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Add the masala to the yogurt and beat well until smooth. Add water if needed. Cut the ends off of the bhindi and slit open. You can keep it this way or further cut length-wise into half again. Pour the yogurt mixture over the bhindi and mix well so as to coat every bhindi. You only need a coating of this mixture so just add only that much yogurt. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Bhindi coated with yogurt and spices mixture

Then heat oil in a non-stick pan and jeera. I prefer using non-stick otherwise the yogurt mixture from the bhindi tends to stick and burn in a stainless steel. Now, add the yogurt coated bhindi and mixture well. Leave it open on low flame for a few minutes and stir occasionally until cooked. You will encounter the stickiness from the yogurt but they go away as you cook them. Add salt and enjoy it with Paratha’s or Chappatis or Rotis or Naan bread or Tortillas.

Bhindi served with paratha and salad