Yogurt: healthy alternative for dinner

No Indian meal is complete without yogurt.  In North India yogurt is eaten in the form of raita by adding some vegetables and spices.  In South India yogurt is eaten with plain rice as a finishing touch to a spicy meal.  No wonder some wise guy has said India will come to a standstill without yogurt.

An American friend once asked me “Why do Indians eat so much yogurt with their meals?”  My answer was yogurt has a cooling effect after consuming the spicy hot curries and most Indians are vegetarians and yogurt contains the protein and calcium necessary for daily survival.

In India yogurt is consumed from plain to spicy form called Raita.  Raita is a Hindi word derived from Sanskrit meaning sharp or pungent.  Typical Raita is made from cucumber, onion, tomato, potato, carrots or even spinach.  These vegetables are then mixed with roasted and ground cumin, coriander, and brown mustard seeds along with black salt and red pepper.  In Northern India, boondi (tiny balls made from chickpea flour) raita is very popular.  In South India vegetables are boiled and then yogurt is garnished with oil fried mustard seeds, coconut, green chilies and curry leaves.  It is generally eaten with rice and lentil curry. 

Yogurt is popular not just in Indian but other cuisines use yogurt pretty generously too.  For example in the Mediterranean cuisine yogurt is used as a dip while in Africa it is called Amasi which has almost cheesy flavor.  Many cuisines around the world have traditional cultured milk dishes based on yogurt. 

Yogurt's popularity has multiplied in past few decades because researches have found its innumerable health benefits.

Yogurt is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and B 12.   It has nutritional benefits beyond those of milk. Lactose intolerant people can sometimes tolerate yogurt better than other dairy products, because the lactose in the milk is converted to glucose and partially fermented to lactic acid, by the bacterial culture.
Yogurt is a valuable health food for both infants and elderly. For children, it is a balanced source of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and minerals. For senior citizens, who usually have more sensitive colons or whose intestines have run out of lactase, yogurt is also a valuable food.  Yogurt may help prevent osteoporosis, reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Yogurt with active cultures helps the gut and may help one feel fuller.
No discussion on yogurt is possible without mentioning the sweet yogurt with fruits sold in the market as ready to eat.  Only problem is those commercial yogurts have white sugar which depress your immune system, contribute to infertility and increased blood glucose levels. 
The best thing would be to make your own yogurt at home and add either cane sugar or honey and eat that for health benefits.  My favorite light dinner is to eat home made yogurt with fruits and nuts and honey.

How to make home made yogurt:

Ingredients:
4 cups whole or two percent fat milk, ½ tsp starter yogurt, 1 ½ tbsp milk powder

Method:
Bring milk to a boil.  Transfer it to a pan with a lid.  My personal experience is that terracotta pot with a lid makes the best yogurt. Add milk powder to the boiled milk and stir well so no lumps are formed. Allow milk to come to lukewarm to room temperature.  If it is winter let milk come to lukewarm but if it is summer let milk come to room temperature.  Add starter yogurt to the cool milk and stir well with the same spoon. Close the lid tightly and keep it for five to seven hours in a warm place away from draft.  Once yogurt is set, store in refrigerator.

How to make Sweet Yogurt 

Ingredients:
2 cups of yogurt, 1 tsp of brown or cane sugar or honey, 1 cup of chopped pineapple, 1 cup of chopped apple, ¼ cup pomegranate seeds, and 10 almonds roasted and chopped into small pieces. (You may add any kind of fresh or frozen berries for added benefits)

Method:
Take yogurt in a small bowl add honey or brown sugar and whisk it. Add fruits and almonds and mix well.  Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Enjoy.
 This yogurt with fruits makes a good healthy dessert or you may serve it as an accompaniment to your dinner spread.  If you are into dieting this makes a very filling and healthy alternative.

Channa dal(Bengal gram), Lauki(Bottle Gourd) and Wadi Combo

This summer I met my sisters and cousins for a family reunion in California.  We all are connoisseurs of good food.  We love eating and creating new dishes.  Since we had so much time at hand, it was natural to go down the memory lane of our childhood and talk about familiar flavors and aromas.  Our mothers and aunts were great cooks and perhaps that is what inspired us to work with food and exploring the buzz and vibe of cooking.

One of my sisters asked me if I recall the recipe of maternal grandma’s famous Channa dal, lauki and wadi combo.  I told her I don’t know the exact recipe but even after forty years I can still feel the taste of that dish in my mouth.  We set out to create that childhood memory to tickle our palate.  

What amazes me that our mothers and grandmothers fed us healthy food all the time without realizing the food values of every vegetable or lentil.  For that matter even this   combo is full of nutrients.  Since this is my grandma’s recipe, I feel it is a treat to share it with the world.

Channa dal (Bengal gram) has good amount of iron, sodium, selenium and some amount of copper, zinc and manganese.  It has folic acid and fiber and is rich in protein.  It contains phytochemicals called saponins, which act as antioxidants.

Lauki (Bottle Gourd) provides good amount of both soluble and insoluble fiber and water and thus helps in digestion.  This is the best vegetable for dieters as it is high in dietary fiber and provides only 15 calories per 100 gram.  It provides vitamins C and B and some minerals like iron, sodium and potassium.

Wadi is a sun dried dumpling made from ground lentils, pumpkin and some spices.  They have the nutritional value of lentils as well of vegetables.  We generally add wadi for its taste.  It is possible to make wadi at home but the process is little tedious. Most super markets sell Wadi or Wadiyan as they are called.  The best way to add wadi to any food is by breaking into small pieces and pan fry these bits.  Frying enhances the taste of Wadi.

Ingredients:

1 cup Channa dal washed and soaked for an hour in fresh water, 10 to 12 inches long lauki peeled and chopped into small cubes, 1 wadi broken and pan fried in a tsp of cooking oil, 1 large onion chopped finely, 1 tsp of grated ginger, 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed, 2 tomatoes pureed, 1 ½ tsp of cumin seeds(Zeera), ½ tsp of yellow fenugreek seeds(methi dana), ½ tsp of brown mustard seeds(rai), 1 tsp of coriander powder, ½ tsp of garam massala, ½ tsp of red pepper(degi mirch), salt to taste, 1/8 tsp of asafetida(hing), 1 tsp of turmeric powder,  ½  tsp of dry mango powder,  1 ½  tbsp of cooking oil, 1 tbsp of ghee(clarifying butter), 2 whole dry red peppers(optional).

Method:

Pressure cook the channa dal for 10 minutes but adding ½ tsp of turmeric and a pinch of salt.  If your pressure cooker is smart one it might take just ten minutes to make the dal soft and tender.  Mine is not so smart so it took 20 minutes to make dal tender.

Heat oil in a pan.  Add asafetida and yellow fenugreek seeds.  When they turn light brown, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and when they stop spluttering add ginger onion and garlic and stir it.  After three minutes, add ½ tsp of turmeric and salt to taste.

When onion turn light brown, add lauki pieces and mix it well.  Reduce the flame to low and cover the pan.  Stir the mix time to time. Add fried wadi to the mix so that spiced aroma of wadi blends into the vegetable.

When lauki pieces turn soft, add tomato puree to it and increase the flame to medium.  Add coriander powder and red pepper. Cook for another five minutes and then add boiled channa dal to the vegetable mix.

In the meanwhile heat the ghee in a small pan, add ½ tsp of cumin and brown mustard seeds.  Once these spices stop spluttering, add whole dry red peppers to the mix and reduce the flame to low.  Once red pepper turns maroon, add this tampering to the channa dal and vegetable mix.

Let the dal-lauki mix simmer for another five minutes.  Add dry mango powder and garam massala.  Mix well and turn off the flame after three minutes.

Enjoy hot with rice, parantha or chapatti.

Stuffed Baby Eggplant

When I was very young, I did not relish any kind of eggplant(baingan in Hindi) dish.  As I grew up and started taking interest in different cuisines of India, I understood that eggplant is cooked in every state and region of India in a different way.  So no two dishes are the same.  Being from North India and specially influenced by rich Punjabi cuisine, my stuffed baby eggplant dish became quite a hit in our family.  These baby eggplants are slit half way and then stuffed with a combination of spices and are left to simmer in spicy gravy.  The result is finger licking good.

Ingredients:
10 baby eggplants or bringal (white or purple both will be fine)

Spices for stuffing:
2 tsp of dry mango powder, 1/2 tsp of coriander powder, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of red pepper, 1/4 tsp of garam massala or curry powder,

Ingredients for the Gravy:
2 medium onions chopped finely, 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed, 1 tsp of grated ginger, 2 tomatoes chopped finely, 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds (methi seeds), 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds(Rai), 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp garam massala, salt to taste,1 tbsp of cooking oil.

Method:
Wash, wipe and take off the stems of the eggplant.  Slit half way into quarters.
Mix stuffing spices in a small bowl.  Stuff these spices  in the slits of the baby eggplants.Put these aside.
In a pan, heat the oil, add fenugreek seeds.  When they turn light brown, add cumin and mustard seeds.
Now add ginger, onion and garlic in that order with a gap of ten seconds between each condiment and reduce heat to medium.
When onion mix turns light brown add tomatoes and cover the pan.
Once everything is well blended,  uncover the pan, add coriander powder and salt( keep in mind that stuffed eggplants have some salt too).
Add the stuffed eggplants and stir well but very gently so that eggplant pieces do not break.
Reduce heat to low and let it simmer till eggplants are done.  It takes at least half hour to 40 minutes.
Just before they are about to be done, add yogurt and increase the heat to medium for a couple of minutes. once yogurt dries up, add garam massala(curry powder) and turn off the flame.
Enjoy with nan, chapati or parantha.

Squash Blossoms a delicacy

With the arrival of summer squash comes the dainty beautiful yellow orange flower of the vegetable. I didn't know that these flowers are edible till my niece made a dish out of those.  These bright orange  flowers are available only in the farmer's markets or specialty stores.  The best ones can come from your kitchen garden.  These blossoms have a very short shelf life.  They are so soft and perishable that they can last only for a day even in the refrigerator.  They are available only from July to September.

It is true that squash blossoms can be used for garnishing the salads and soups but to turn these into a gourmet dish would require stuffing them with some soft cheese and frying them.  My niece, the culinary expert stuffed it with ricotta cheese and thyme combination and fried them.  When she invited us over to have a squash blossom,  my sister asked for ketchup.  Her response was: "Mom, this is a delicacy and you are supposed to eat them like that in order to enjoy the true flavor of the blossoms."

The squash blossoms are not just pretty looking, they are high in calcium and iron and especially high in vitamins C and A.  They are excellent for dieters as one cup of squash blossom has merely five calories, unless you are stuffing and frying them.

Ingredients:

16-20 squash blossoms, 3/4 cup white flour, 1 cup beer, salt to taste , oil for frying.

Ingredients for filling:

2 liters of milk, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 small onion chopped finely, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp lemon pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

In a big pan put milk to boil.  When it reaches boiling point, add lemon juice to curdle the milk.  Strain the curdled milk through a muslin cloth to allow all the whey and moisture to drain.  Hang it on the kitchen sink tap.  Once water drains completely(it may take two hours or so), take out of the cloth and mash it well with your fingers.  Heat one tbsp of oil, add cumin seeds.  When they tsp spluttering, add onion and sauté them till they turn light pink.  Add mashed paneer(cheese), salt and lemon pepper and mix it well.  Keep aside so it cools off.

In the meanwhile make batter of white flour, beer and salt and mix it well.  Stuff the blossoms with the paneer mix by opening the petals gently.  Coat the stuffed ones in the batter mix.  Heat the oil to 325 degrees F and fry them until golden brown. Place the fried ones on the paper towel to drain the oil.  

Enjoy.

Fresh strawberry cake

My niece who is an excellent cook made this amazingly delicious cake for the July 4 barbecue party. Her almost four-year-old son helped in this.  The result was velvety textured cake with the freshness of strawberries.
The cake was so yummy that guests asked for second helpings.  The best part is you can put all the ingredients in the food processor and let it work to a perfect cake batter.  Other than baking time, this cake can be made in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

Butter 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp, white flour 1 1/2 cups, baking powder 1 1/2 tsp, salt 1/2 tsp, sugar 1 1/4 cups, eggs 2 small or 1 big,  milk 1/2 cup, vanilla essence 1 tsp,  strawberries 1pound washed and halved.

Method:

Sift white flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a nine inch pie plate and keep it aside.
Put butter and one cup of sugar in a food processor bowl and mix it on a high speed till fluffy and creamy.  It should not take more than 4 or 5 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium and mix in eggs, vanilla and milk.

 

Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in flour mixture.  Once done pour this mixture on the buttered pie plate and arrange the strawberries on the batter. Place the cut side of strawberries down.  Try putting them very close to each other.


Bake cake for  one hour and ten minutes on 325 degrees F.  When last 15 minutes are left for baking, bring the cake out and sprinkle rest of the sugar on the fruit and cake.


 If you like the caramelized look you may sprinkle the sugar before you start to bake.

Leftovers turned into a Risotto-pasta dish

Leftovers are something we all have to deal with at times.  We are often faced with the extra rice or boiled pasta at the end of the day and very reluctantly we keep it in the refrigerator to toss it in the garbage the following day.  If we stretch our imagination a little, we can come up with innovative dish, something not available in any cookery book.  Moreover you don’t want your family to accuse you of feeding them stale food.

One such day I saw the leftover rice and boiled pasta in my refrigerator.  So I decided to turn that into something relished by everyone.  Here is my experiment.  I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed cooking it.

Ingredients:

1 cup leftover cooked rice, 1 ½ cup pasta, 1 cup washed and chopped broccoli, ½ cup chopped carrots, ¼ cup chopped green peppers (bell pepper), ¼ cup chopped onion, 1 clove of garlic crushed, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cream cheese, 1 tsp chives, 1 tsp lemon pepper, ½ tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, ¼ cup ketchup, salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan; add garlic and onion and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Add broccoli, carrots, green pepper to it till vegetables turn little tender.

Mix chives, salt, lemon pepper, coriander powder to it and stir.

Add cream cheese and mix it well so that everything gets well blended.

Now add your leftover rice and pasta and stir it for a couple of minutes.

Sprinkle the red wine vinegar and toss it.

At the end pour the ketchup over it and mix it.

Serve hot.

No Cook Chocolate Ice cream

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” has been rightly said by Charles M Schulz.  On a hot summer day, what else can you ask for other than chocolate and ice-cream.  This no cook chocolate ice-cream has cream, condensed milk, nuts and gobs of chocolate.  In other words this is no low fat, low calories or low anything so if you are looking for something guilt free, go for salads and carrots. I must tell you this ice cream is loved by everyone and it is hard not to go for second and third helpings.

 Ingredients:

1 cup grated semi sweet baking chocolate,  ½ cup grated white chocolate,  ½ cup almonds roasted and chopped into small pieces, ½ cup cashews chopped, ½ can condensed milk, 2 cups whipping cream, ¼ cup milk

Method:

Take out half of condensed milk in a big bowl.

Beat the whipping cream till it is smooth and creamier.

In a double boiler, melt dark and white chocolates.  Mix milk into this to make it more liquefy.

Immediately pour this into the bowl of condensed milk.  Wisk  it vigorously so there are no lumps formed.

Now add half of whipped cream and nuts to this and mix it very well.  Save the other half of cream in the refrigerator.

If you feel it is less sweet you may add a spoon full of sugar to it.  Remember we shall add other half of cream to it so add sugar accordingly.

Freeze it in a flat dish for 3 or 4 hours.  Take it out of the freezer, when it melts a little, add the other half of cream to it and blend it well.

Freeze it overnight.  

Note that the ice cream may be quite hard when you first take it out of the freezer, so may want to let it sit for a few minutes to soften it before trying to scoop.