Dahi Ki Kadhi Aur Badey./ Yogurt Gravy with fritters

Dahi ki kadhi is a traditional south indian recipe. This recipe is shared by my mother in law , its a perfect recipe for a light summer lunch and is equally quick and easy.

Ingredients:

For Kadhi:

1 med. Onion, finely chopped
2 C Yogurt
2 med. tomatoes, coarsely ground
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 C cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli pdr, or to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric pdr
a pinch garam masala pdr
1 tsp. zeera - methi pdr
2 tbsp. chana dal paste
1 tsp tamarind paste
salt to taste.

Tempering:

Oil
1/2 onion sliced
1 tsp. mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
1 dried red chilli (optional)

Method:

Add the first nine ingredients for the kadhi in a dish , add water to cover the ingredients and cook until the onions are tomatoes are cooked . Then add the chana dal paste and stir well. Add salt, cook for a few mins. Add 1tsp. tamarind paste.

Heat Oil, add onions, mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chili , let the mustard splutter and then pour it over the kadhi.  Serve with rice and bade (recipe below).

For the Bade:

Ingredients:

1 C chana dal, soaked for 2 hrs and ground coarsely (use 2 tbsp. for kadhi)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
handful cilantro, finely chopped
1 C dill/ spinach , chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp chili pdr, or to taste
1//4 tsp. turmeric
a pinch baking soda
1 tsp zeera methi pdr
a pinch garam masala pdr

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and deep fry.

P.S. Check out my other blog "the halal foodie " ,  subscribe and follow to keep in touch. I look forward to see you there :)

Dahi ke Jamun

Hey, did I just reveal the secret ingredient in the title itself ? I guess I did :)

I never knew the guessing games are soooo much fun, its almost addictive :) Thank you all who played along and made it this exciting for me. Most of you thought  the jamuns were made using bread or potato/sweet potato , some even suggested paneer , rice, etc ....but after all those guesses no one could come up with the right ingredient... so its finally on me to announce that the key ingredient is Yogurt ...yes... Dahi (as its know in India).

Hung yogurt kneaded with flour n semolina n soaked in rose syrup... This is a very versatile recipe ...you can also try flavouring your jamuns with Vanilla but I like the traditional taste.If the Jamuns dont cook through till the centre you can make flat patties , like the one you would make for ras malai or cutlets and fry n then soak in syrup. Choice is yours. But overall this is a delightful recipe. 

Ingredients:

For Jamuns:

1 C all-purpose flour,

1 C semolina,

1 C yogurt,

1 tbsp. ghee,

a pinch of baking powder,

1/2 tsp. cardamom pdr,

1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder,
oil/ ghee for frying.

For the syrup:

1 C sugar

1/4 C water

1 tbsp. rose water

Method:

Cover a colander with muslin or paper towel and let the yogurt drain overnight.

Sift together the flour, semolina, baking pdr, cardamom pdr and nutmeg pdr. Rub in the ghee. Add the hung yogurt and knead well. to a smooth dough. Cover and set aside for atleast 3-4 hrs.

Meanwhile make the syrup. Heat the sugar and water together till you get a single thread consistency. Let it cool slightly and add the rose water.

Heat oil, shape the jamuns and deep fry on medium heat until they turn golden brown. While the jamuns are still hot either soak them in the syrup or just drop in the syrup and take them out immediately.

This sweet treat is being sent to the following events:

Sweets and Savouries for Diwali hosted by Sri

Party treats event series of Monthly mingle  hosted by  Saraswathi and started by Meeta

Only Kids delight hosted by Pari  

and Iftaar Moments hosted by Ayeesha.

Raita

Just whip 1 Cup of Yogurt (I used Oikos Greek Yogurt) with 1 tbsp of store bought mint chutney or sandwich chutney, add some sliced red onion, few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice and season it with salt for a refreshing raita.

To this you can add grated cucumbers, cilantro, mint, green chillies , etc etc...you could also season it with chaat masala, its very twekable :) Using a store bought / pre-made chutney saves you a lot of time and effort, and the lemon juice just freshens up everything.


Raitas are usually served alongside biryanis, kababs or parathas, but you cud also use it as a dip for your nachos or chips or even papad.

This quick fix is my entry to the Semi Home Made Indian Recipes event hosted by myself.

Tangdi Kabab

This is one of my favourites when it comes to Chicken. For this particular recipe I always deep fry the chicken but you can choose to bake it or grill it. If you don't have Greek yogurt handy you can use plain yogurt, just make sure to drain all the excess water overnight, so its really thick n creamy. One thing I like about this recipe is , it makes a great finger food and is ideal for entertaining, coz once you marinate the chicken, all you have to do is fry it.

Ingredients:
(all measurements are approximate, please feel free to suit your taste)

6 chicken drumsticks,
1 (5.3 oz) container plain Greek yogurt, (I used Oikos)
1 tbsp.ginger paste,
1 tbsp. garlic paste,
1 tsp. chili pdr, or as per your taste,
1/4 tsp. garam masala powder,
2 tbsp. tandoori chicken masala,
salt, to taste,
few drops red food coloring,
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice,
2-3 tbsp. cornstarch/ white corn flour.
chaat masala , for garnishing (optional)

Method:


Make a few deep slits in the chicken drumsticks and keep aside.


Its very important that the marinate is thick and not runny, so even if I use Greek yogurt I drain it for some time in a colander with paper towel. Now to the thick yogurt add ginger , garlic pastes, all the spices and lemon juice and mix well. Now add the chicken drumsticks n toss them so as to coat them with the marinate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hrs. or overnight for best results.

Bring it to room temperature, sprinkle cornstarch, mix well before you deep fry or bake or grill them until nice and crispy. Serve with a lemon wedge. You could also garnish it with some chaat masala.



Enjoy !

Greek (Yogurt) Goodness

Few days back, Kristina from The Stonyfield farm emailed me asking if I would like to try their Greek yogurt. And since I have been using and loving their products for quiet some time now I was only happy to oblige. So they sent me this wonderful package full of coupons, info and a cute little hand bag.

Oikos Organic Greek yogurt can be used in a variety of ways while cooking – in baking, as a substitute for sour cream, and mayonnaise, to create tasty low-fat dishes. Greek yogurt is strained, making it thicker and more versatile in recipes than regular yogurt. Oikos is organic, which means it's made without artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, and it's made from organic milk produced without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, or artificial growth hormones (rBST).


I could not wait to try it. The yogurt comes in different flavors like vanilla, blueberry and honey . The honey yogurt has a beautiful n delicate golden layer of honey at the bottom n the blueberry flavoured yogurt has kinda like a blueberry jam... so try emptying these containers upside down on a platter for a lovely presentation. I blended the vanilla with some rose syrup and sugar to make rose lassi served with some grated nutmeg, just whipped the honey yogurt and tossed in some toasted walnuts to spread on the breakfast toast , blueberry smoothie was the quickest and refreshing with a hint of mint. I also enjoyed the eating spoonfuls of the plain Greek yogurt, and used the rest to marinate chicken kebabs, the recipe I intend to post soon.


Thank You Kristina for introducing me to these delicious treats ,these will be a staple in my kitchen from now on. Meanwhile for more recipe inspirations using Greek yogurt you can check this out.