Palak Raita

1-1/2 cups spinach chopped
1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
salt to taste
sugar to taste

For tempering

2 tsp ghee
2 green chilies-chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida

1. Wash and chop the spinach.
2. Combine the yogurt, spinach, crushed peanuts (they must be roasted and semi crushed to provide crunch), salt and sugar
3. Heat the ghee, add cumin seeds and when they splutter, add the green chilies, turmeric and asafoetida.
4. Pour over the spinach yogurt mixture.
5. mix well and serve.

Bottle gourd...Ghiya Raita

1. Boil the peeled and chopped dudhi pieces on a gas stove or in a microwave.
2. Drain the water and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Mix the yogurt, add salt and sugar to taste.
4. Heat oil for tempering, add mustard and cumin seeds.
5. When they pop, add turmeric, asafoetida, chilies and curry leaves.
6. Pour this mixture over the boiled dudhi-yogurt mix.
7. Mix well, garnish with coriander and serve with rotis or rice.

Turkish Raita....Cacik

Recipe serves 4

• Two generous cups of thick Greek yoghurt or double cream yoghurt (Forget about those thin, skimmed, Bulgarian things!)
• One cup of full cream milk
• Three generous spoons of olive oil.  This month I am using our own blend of Santa Cecelia olive oil with a beautiful elegant flavour and green taste.
• ¾ of a cucumber deseeded removing half of the green skin with a veggie peeler and the grated coarsely (The green adds great colour to the final product)
• Two cloves of fresh crushed garlic.
• Coarse salt and pepper

Mix together all of the above and let it rest in the fridge for about two hours just to let all the flavours and blend and marry each other!

• Garnish:  Fresh figs (Purple Parisian looks stunning!) fresh pomegranates, prickly pears, white or red grapes, toasted pine nuts, olive oil, fresh coriander, basil and borridge flowers.

Garnish with the sliced figs, prickly pears, grapes, pine nuts, coriander, basil, borridge flowers and drizzle with olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper. 

Pumpkin Raita

• 2 cups Yogurt beaten smooth
• 3” piece of Bottle Gourd finely chopped
• A pinch of Turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp Urad dal
• 1 dry whole Red chili
• A pinch of Asafetida
• 4-5 Curry leaves
• 1 chopped Green chili
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp Cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After they splutter, add the urad dal and let it turn red. Add the dry red chilies, curry leaves, asafetida, green chilies, turmeric powder, salt and bottle gourd pieces.
• Cook covered on a medium flame for 8-10 minutes or till the bottle gourd pieces turn soft. Crush the cooked bottle gourd with the help of spoon to smaller pieces. Remove from the flame and keep aside to cool.
• Combine the cooked mixture with the beaten yogurt. Adjust the consistency of Raita by adding little water.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve chilled with bread and veg of your choice.

Do You Know?

Because of the acid content of yogurt, it makes a fabulous marinade to tenderize meats. Do not use aluminum pans when preparing anything with yogurt. The acid in the yogurt will react with the aluminum.

Spinach with Yogurt and Coconut

Ingredients

3 cups chopped cheera/kerala spinach
4-5 tbsp water
1 cup Curd (not too sour)

To Grind & Crush

3-4 green chillies or less
1 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (to crush)

To Temper

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dried red chilly
1 sprig curry leaf
salt as needed

Method

• Cook the chopped spinach along with water and salt.
• Grind coconut and chillies to a smooth paste and just before finishing grinding,add the mustard seeds to it and just crush them for a second.
• Mashed the cooked spinach well with a spoon and add the coconut mixture to this.Bring it to a boil.
• Switch off the stove and allow the spinach mix to cool.
• Add curd to this and mix well.Check salt and adjust the taste.
• Heat oil in a small skillet and splutter mustard seeds,dried chillies and curry leaves.Pour it over the curry.
• Serve with rice.

Chaas - A Yogurt Based Indian Recipe

Ingredients:

Yogurt/Curd - 1 cup (well-beaten)
Water - 1 cup
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon Stick - 1'' piece
Dry Red Chili - 1 to taste
Curry Leaves - few
Garlic - 2 cloves (finely chopped)
Green Chillies - to taste (finely chopped)
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - for garnish


Method:

1. While whisking the well-beaten Yogurt, add in the Water to desired consistency.

2. Add in the Roasted Cumin Powder and Salt and mix well. Keep aside.

3. In a small skillet, heat Oil on medium heat.

4. Add in the Cumin Seeds and allow them to sizzle for a few seconds.

Cucumber-Radish Raita

Raita is a simple yogurt-based sauce that can be served with almost any Indian meal. It makes a cooling condiment when a curry gets a little too spicy.

• 2 cups plain yogurt (I prefer the thicker Greek style such as Fage, Greek Gods, or Oikos)
• 1/2 to 1 whole medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and grated
• 6 medium radishes, grated
• 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Put the yogurt in a bowl with plenty of extra room. Beat it thoroughly with a spoon or whisk (about 1 minute, until you see the texture thin out).
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix.
3. If needed, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you have a thick but liquid, pourable sauce.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings; it may need more salt or lemon juice to make the flavor zing.