Cucumber Raita

Ingredients:

1 cup curd

2/3 cup grated cucumber

salt to taste

1/4 tsp roasted jeera powder

pinch of black salt

pinch of black pepper powder

Method:

• Peel the cucumber and grate it.
• Whisk the curd and add salt, black salt, black pepper powder and roasted jeera powder. Mix well.
• Add the grated cucumber and serve immediately.

Tips:

• Try not to grate the cucumber too thick.
• After adding the cucumber serve immediately. Incase, you have to serve it after sometime, then grate the cucumber and keep it aside for sometime. Mix cucumber just before serving.
• You can also add peanut powder, it gives a distinct and nice taste.
• You could also add red chilli powder or finely chopped green chillies too.

Dahi Baigan

Ingredients:

3 small brinjals cut vertically into 4 pieces

8 grains of methi dana

1/2 tsp mustard

1 green chilli

1/2 tsp roasted jeera powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup dahi

7-8 leaves of karipatta

1 whole red chilli

1 green chilli slit into 2

1 1/2 tsp oil

salt

Method:

• Heat a kadai on a medium high heat. Add 1 tsp of oil. Add the brinjals and stir fry. Turn the flame to sim. Cover the kadai with a lid and stir occasionally. Add salt and let the brinjals cook. Switch off the gas and keep the brinjals aside.
• Soak the mustard seeds in 2 tbsp of water. Grind the mustard seeds and 1 green chilli into fine paste using the mortar and pestle.
• Whip the curd and add roasted jeera powder, sugar, salt and the ground mustard paste and mix well. Keep aside.
• Heat a kadai on a medium high flame. Add 1/2 tsp of oil. Add methi seeds. When the methi seeds begin to crackle add the whole red chillies and karipatta leaves. Add green chillies and fried brinjal and switch off the gas.
• Add the curd mixture and stir well. Let the mixture cook in the heat of the kadai.
• Serve as an accompaniment!!!

Tips:

• Becareful when you add the dahi, the flame should be switched off or else the curd can curdle.
• Be careful when you use methi seeds, if they are raw they will give a punjent taste and if they get burnt they will give a bitter taste.
• The amount of sugar would depend on the sourness of the curd.
• you can also use large brinjals.
• You can replace brinjals with other vegetables.

Tadka Masala Raita

Ingredients:

1 cup dahi (curd)

1/4 tsp roasted jeera powder

black salt to taste

salt to taste

for the tempering

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp finely chopped onion

1/4 tsp haldi

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander finely chopped

Method:

• mix black salt, jeera powder and salt into the dahi.
• heat the pan for tadka. Add oil, when the oil is heated add mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds crackle, add garlic and onion. cook on medium heat till the garlic and onion turn brown in colour, add haldi and mix well.
• switch off the flame and add red chilli powder and coriander leaves. let it rest for a min.
• add the tempering to the curd and mix well.

Tips:

• you could vary the quantity of the spices mentioned above.
• you could also add mint powder or black pepper powder to the curd.
• red chilli powder should be added to the tempering after switching off the gas or else the red chilli powder will get brunt. the heat in the pan will be good enough.
• let the tempering cool a bit before mixing it with the curd otherwise it can cuddle the curd.
• this raita can be served chilled.
• you can add a pinch of sugar to enhance the flavours.
• after you transfer the tempering on to the curd put 1 tsp of water or curd in the tadka pan and pour it over the curd so that the spices are completely transferred into the curd.
• this raita can be served as an accompaniment to parathas, chillas, rice etc.

Aloo Raita