# Tasty Recipes: February 2009

Friday, February 27

Boondi Raita

This is the easiest and quickest side dish , anyone can ever make. Boondi raita is one of the most traditional North Indian raitas, served on festivals and at traditional wedding .Raitas are usually salads in yoghurt, but this one has boondi in it. Boondies are small, round, crisply fried droplets made from gram flour and are easily available in indian stores. If not available can be made also at home(Though if feel its a bit tough...). For me, this raita is really easy to make, as i always have the Haldiram's 'Boondi' with me.

Ingredients:

4-5 tbsp Boondi
1 cup Yoghurt
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tbsp roasted cumin Powder
1 tsp sugar
Coriander leaves Chopped 1 tbsp
Green chillies chopped 2-3
Black salt to taste

Method:

Soak boondi in 2 cups water for 5-10 mins
Squeeze water out gently or drain in a strainer. Keep aside
Beat together all the ingredients. It should be of a bit thick consistency.
Finally add boondi and mix well.
Garnish with a sprinkle of chilli powder and ground cumin.
Serve chilled as a side dish .

Tips:

Adding a tsp of Chat Masala gives a nice new flavour to the raita.
You can directly add boondi to yoghurt, if you are in a hurry (though it'll reatain a bit oil then)
If yoghurt is too thick, add a water to thin it.
Raita can also be tempered. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a ladle, add mustard seeds, 6-7 curry leaves and 2-3 small, whole red chillies. When seeds splutter, pour over the raita.

Sunday, February 22

Double ka Meetha aka Shahi Tukre

This is a very famous royal hyderabadi sweet. It gots its name as double (for double roti, or bread ) and meeta, i.e, sweet. Its also known as Shahi Tukre. Hyderabad is famous for its Mughlai cuisine as well as hot n spicy coastal Andhra dishes. I know all this, as before our marrige A. had been there for about 3 years, and always talks about the food there and specially this DKM. So, when i saw it in Mangala's blog, i got tempted and finally thought of making it for him. The recipe is somewhat different ,as i made sugar syrup separately for it (as told by him). But the final taste is same, YUMMY...

Also my mother used to make this for us as kids with any leftover sugar syrup of Gulabjamuns or rosogulla's. Didn't knew what its name was then, but used to love it..

Ingredients:

White bread slices 5-6
Milk 1/2 litre
Sugar 1/2 cup
Water -1/2cup (for sugar syrup)
Oil(/Ghee) for deep frying
Raisins 2 tbsp
Cashews chopped 2 tbsp
Almonds chopped 2 tbsp
Cardamom Powder 1/4 tsp
Few strands of saffron

Method:

Mix sugar and water in a sauce pan. Heat and make sugar syrup out of it.
Boil milk with cardamom powder and a few strands of saffron ,till its reduced to a thick rabri consistecy (almost reduced to one third). Keep aside.
Now, roast the Dry fruits in ghee and let them cool.
Cut the bread slices diagonaly, (edges cut off if desired) and deep fry them in hot oil, few at a time, to get a nice golden brown color.
Soak the triangles in sugar syrup for about a minute, take out and arrange in a dish.
Pour the rabri (condensed milk) evenly on top of it, and finally garnish with nuts.

Serve it chilled or hot...

Tips:

Eat it with ice cream when it is warm ,it tastes heavenly
You can also add some milkmaid in the milk after reducing
Also can add heavy cream to it, to make it even richer and creamy.

Cut the bread slices and let them dry for few hours beforehand, so as it absorbs less oil while deep frying.

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Sending this to MBP: Kids food events hosted by Trupti and started by Coffee
And to Bread mania hosted at Bay leaf , along with Simple sandwich.

Wednesday, February 18

Baigan ka Bharta

Baingan Ka Bharta is only dish that is liked by all in my house when it comes to Aubergine/Eggplant dish. Awkward, isin't it. I don't know,i think i don't know how to cook eggplant properly. In any other form, it somewhat feels thorny in my throat. I can't explain properly...,anyways leave it. But this roasted version is a all time favourite. Roasting it over direct flame of gas burner or charcoal(as was done previously by my mom) gives it a nice smoky flavour. Whenever i see those round brinjals in the market, i'm bound to buy them.
So here comes Baigan ka Bharta..

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant
1 large onion, sliced
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1-inch ginger, finely chopped
2-3 green chilles, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt, to taste
1 tbsp cooking oil
Chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

Method:

Make a big slit throughout in the eggplant and roast it over direct flame, rotating it in between till eggplant gets cooked thoroughly and gets a charred coating on all sides.
Or you can prick its surface and roast it in oven or grill and broil the eggplant,till charred.

Let it cool a bit and then remove the charred skin and mash insides of the eggplant. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and saute cumin seeds, add ginger and green chillies, let them sizzle.
Then add onions and fry till brown.Add salt to taste, red chili powder and turmeric powder and fry spices till fragrant.
Add tomatoes and cook till soft.
Finally, add mashed eggplant and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring in between to blend in well.
Sprinkle with garam masala powder and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice or roti.

Tips:

You can also add green peas to it(as my mom always did), to make it more healthy as well as tempting.

Monday, February 9

Chilly Gobi Manchurian

Its had been a long time since i made this, though i love it a lot and used to make them quite often when i was back in banglore. Do you know why??, Its because nowadays i'm so obssesd by eating healthy and low oil, or NO oil, that deep frying cauliflower for this reipe, made me aviod it. But then i felt, 'enough of this'. Most of the recipes that tickels ours (atleast mine) taste buds are not so healthy. And then i made them as evening snack,(Yep not as a side dish,which i usually do) and ate a heartful, and then went for a small walk. (going healthy ..)
So here, mine another Indo-Chinese, recipe, apart from the very popular Chilly Paneer.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets

For marinade:

2 tbsps maida/all-purpose flour
2 tbsps cornflour
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

For sauce:

1/2 capsicum sliced
1 onion sliced
1 1/2 tbsps garlic chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger chopped finely
3 4 green chillis slit into 2
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tsps vinegar
2 tbsps tomato sauce
1 tsp black pepper powder
salt to taste

To garnish:

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves n spring onions

Method:

Put the cauliflower florets in hot water for about 5 minutes, drain. Mix all the ingredients for marinade with cauliflower and set aside for 2 hours. If you are in hurry can skip the marinade .
Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel.
Place each floret that is well coated with the marinade into the hot oil. Do not crowd the vessel. Reduce flame to medium and fry till the done i.e, it turns golden brown.
Remove onto absorbent paper and keep aside.
Before and after frying..
Next, heat oil in a large wok, add the chopped garlic and stir fry for a few seconds. Add green chillis and ginger and then add onions. Stir fry .
Then add the sliced capsicum and stir fry for another 3-4 mts. They should retain their crunch.(I have over done this)
Next add all the sauces and cook for about 2 mts.
Add pepper powder and salt to taste.
And lastly add the deep fried gobhi and toss on high flame for 1-2 mts. Turn off heat.
Garnish with the chopped spring onion greens and coriander leaves.

Tips:
If you want to make gravy one, before adding Cauliflower;
Add 2 cups water into it, and then add 1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in cold water. And just before serving add the fried cauliflower into this gravy.

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Sending this to JFI: Cauliflower started by Indira
Along with, Cauliflower bhaji.

Saturday, February 7

Announcing SWC :Soups

I wished to take " Eat healthy and stay fit" drive, started by lakshmi, a step further. Its first step was salads, and now the next thing that comes to our mind, while thinking something healthy is nothing but Soups. So you all guessed is right, the theme for this month is ,"SOUPS"

Some simple guidelines for participation,

1. Try using less oil, that's means we want less fat or better no fat soups.The more healthy, more better.
2. Use fresh veggies and fruits to make soups (nothing canned or frozen).
3. You can send your previous entries, but you should have atleast 1 fresh entry to accompany your previous entries.
4. All previous entries should also be properly updated.(i.e, linked back)
5. You can blog tips for making good soups if you don't intend to make a soup.
6. A non SWC member is also most welcome to participate.
7. Non-Bloggers don't worry, please do send me your entries with a picture, your name and recipe to the mail given and I will post it in the round-up with your details.
8. I just designed simple logos for the event(the one above and below) , if you wish you can attach the same with your post.

Now all you need is to cook some healthy soup.
Link your post back to this announcement and to cooking station ,where the event originated.
And finally,
Email the following details to neha.agrawal.2610[at]gmail[dot]com with SWC:Soups as the subject line by 9th march.

Your name
Your blog name
Name of the Dish
URL of the Dish
A photograph of the final dish (Any size is fine.)

Please all, do email me your entries,as it won't be possible for me to include them in the roundup, unless they are mailed to me, before 9th of march.

The roundup of SWC:Salads, shall be coming soon, do check it out.
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UPDATE: This event is now over, can check for its delicious roundup here.