Curd Chutney

What you will need :

• 1 cup curd,
• 2 green chillies,
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves,
• 1 tablespoon amchur powder
• salt to taste

How to make it :

• Finely chop the green chillies and mint leaves.
• Take a blender and add the curd, green chillies, mint leaves, amchur powder and salt. Blend well and serve with poppadoms.

This dish goes well with any of the fried starters/Kebabs and as a sandwich spread too :)

Sindhi KadiI

This tangy curry is traditionally made by the Sindhi community from Northern India. Serve it with a long-grained, fragrant rice like Basmati. Since it's full of vegetables and made with tomatoes and gram flour, it's also nutritious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor/ Tuvar Daal (split yellow pigeon peas)
• 8-10 large tomatoes sliced thick
• 3 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1/4 tsp asafetida powder
• 3 tbsps bengal gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup baby okra (whole or with tops and tails trimmed)
• 1 cup beans cut into 2" pieces
• 1 cup carrot cut into thick slices
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Soak the Toor/ Tuvar Daal in hot water for 1 hour.
• Boil the Daal in a pressure cooker with water and the tomatoes till done. To do this, once you have closed the pressure cooker cook on a high flame till you hear the first whistle (pressure release). Now reduce the flame to a simmer and cook till you hear 2 more whistles. Turn off the fire.
• Whisk the Daal and add hot water (if necessary) till you get a smooth, soup-like consistency.
• Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds, green chillies and asafetida. Cook till the spluttering stops.
• Now add the gram flour. Cook till the raw aroma of the gram flour is gone - it will turn pale brown.
• Now add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder and turn off the flame.
• Add this mix to the Daal. Season with salt to taste.
• Add the vegetables and cook till done.
• Serve piping hot with a long-grained, fragrant rice like Basmati and Poppadums (papad).

Healthy yogurt drink - Buttermilk ;)

Ingredients:

Yogurt 1/2 cup

Green chillies chopped finely 1/4 tsp

Ginger crushed 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

Cilantro chopped finely 1/2 tsp

Water 2 cups

Salt to taste

Method :

In a blender, blend all the ingredients for about a minute.

Strain and serve cool after lunch or dinner.

Tip: Add roasted cumin seeds and curry leaves.You can reduce or add more amount of chilli according to your taste.

Khandvi

Ingredients:

• Besan: 1 cup
• Buttermilk: 3 cups
• Ginger-chilli paste: 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 1 tbsp
• Grated coconut: 2 tbsps
• Salt according to taste

For tempering:

• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Oil: 3 tsp
• Green chillies: 2 nos
• Asafoetida: a pinch
• Curry leaves: a few

Method:

1. Mix besan, buttermilk and salt in a bowl and Micro Med for 4 mins.
2. Add turmeric powder, ginger - chilli paste and Micro High for 5 mins.
3. Remove from the microwave and spread immediately on a greased surface in a thin layer ( i used the back of a big plate, greased it and spread the besan mixture on it).
4. When set cut into strips and roll. Arrange the rolls in a serving dish.
5. Place all the ingredients for tempering in a bowl, Micro High for 1.5 mins and pour over the khandvi.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander and grated coconut…

Dates Raitha

Ingredients :

Dates – 10 chopped finely
Raisins – 2 tbsp
Green apple – 1 chopped
Yogurt – 1 cup
Salt & pepper to taste
Ground cumin – 1 tsp

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and serve chilled. This will keep well for about 2 days if stored in the refrigerator. Add fresh grapes for that added crunch.

Red Bell Pepper and Paneer Sabji

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 Red bell pepper cubed into small pieces
• 2 cups paneer ( adjust accordingly)
• 1 red onion
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi
• 1 tbsp red chili paste ( substitute with red chili powder)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup/tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup yogurt

METHOD:

1. In a pan heat 1 tbsp of oil, when hot add ginger garlic paste, kasoori methi, haldi
2. Add finely sliced onions and fry till translucent
3. A finely chopped red bell pepper and salt and cook covered
4. Once bell peppers are cooked and soft add paneer, garam masala, tomato ketchup, chili paste, yogurt and mix well
5. Cook for 5 minutes covered and then mix well. Serve hot with roti's/phulka or paratha's :)

Punjabi Kadi

Ingredients :

• 2 cups dahi/Yogurt/ curd
• 2 tbsps besan/ gram flour
• 1/2 onion cut vertically
• 3 garlic cloves chopped finely
• 2 tbsp garlic chopped finely
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi
• 2-3 red chilies
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp jeera
• 1/2 tspn methi seeds
• haldi
• salt according to taste

Method:

1. Heat a tbsp of oil, (traditionally ghee is used) add jeera, methi seeds, ginger, garlic , kasoori methi, haldi, r.chilies and curry leaves
2. Add finely cut onions and saute till these turn translucent
3. In a separate bowl mix yogurt, besan and chili powder with water to make it a consistency of thick lassi
4. Add the above mixture to sauteed onions add salt and mix well
5. Allow to boil till about 5 minutes or you see big bubbles

Serve hot with puhlka/roti's very delicious and nutritious too !

Onion Raitha

Ingredients :

Onions - 1
Green chillies - 1 chopped fine
Curd - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Salt to taste.

Method :

Chop onions into thin slices. Take the onions in a bowl and add a teaspoon of water . Mix the onions squishing them a lil with your fingers. To this add the chillies . Add well beaten curds to this mixture . Add salt to taste. Can be garnished with green coriander leaves according to taste.

I normally add little curd to milk and make the curd set as by lunch, it will turn sour if only curd is used.

Another variation is where finely chopped tomatoes are added to the above.

Curd Brinjal

Ingredients 

• 1 Brinjal
• Curry leaves
• Mustard, Fenugreek, Cumin, Kala Jeera and fennel seed
• 250gm of Curd
• 1 tea spoon of Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 Green chilies
• Small piece of Ginger
• A pinch of turmeric
• Oil for frying

Method

• Cut brinjal into thin 2-inch long pieces.
• Mix turmeric and salt in brinjal
• Deep fry the brinjal pieces and keep aside.
• Mix yogurt gently with sugar, salt and little water and fried brinjals.
• Heat one table spoon of oil in a pan and put the panch puran and allow them
to splutter. Add green chillies and ginger and fry them and then add curry
leaves.
• Then add it to yogurt.