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EASY YOGURT DIP…Serve with Chips/Crudites.Always a hit at any gathering!

“Food is so primal, so essential a part of our lives, often the mere sharing of recipes with strangers turns them into good friends. That’s why I love this community.”

Jasmine Heiler, about recipezaar.com

HUNG CURD (YOGURT) DIP

A really simple, extremely addictive, & tangy dip which is a great add-on to any menu. Its one of those ‘quick to put together’, ‘nothing can go wrong’ sorta recipes, which is a great hit and good for finger food. For kids I serve it with chips, and always add veggies like steamed broccoli, cucumber sticks,baby carrots, baby corn etc on the side. Every single time I have served this, I have been asked for the recipe. Its hilarious to see people begging to remove it from their sight as it’s so addictive. I have to add that the dip is very nutritious when served with veggies!

Sometimes I include it as a sauce in a grilled chicken/cottage cheese (paneer) wrap as well; in which case, I saute some sliced onions, bell peppers & capsicum to the wrap with the chicken/paneer & top it off with the dip. Adds a real burst of flavour!

Ingredients:
Curd (yogurt) – 250ml
Cream – 1 tbsp (20-30 % fat)
Garlic – 3-4 cloves / finely chopped
Green chili – 1-2 / finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon (increase or decrease as required)
Fresh coriander leaves – 2-3 tbsp/ finely chopped
Salt to taste

Method:

Hang the curd (yogurt) in cheesecloth for 2-3 hours till all the whey drips out. If you have Greek yogurt, then you may not need to hang it.
Whisk the curd till smooth. Add the cream and lemon juice and whisk well again.(Omit the cream for a fat-free version; the dip still tastes great)
Add all the remaining ingredients, and mix in well with a spoon. Adjust seasoning (lemon juice, salt etc).
Put in a bowl, garnish with a sprig of fresh coriander.
Serve with chips, crudites (steamed vegetables like broccoli, baby corn, cheese sticks, baby carrots etc)

This recipe is off to an event with a fab theme “Power” less Cooking at Simple Indian Food. I think its a really novel idea!

THINKING PINK CAKE FOR PINKTOBER…

“And I will pu‘ the pink,the emblem o’ my dear,

For she’s the pink o’ womankind, and blooms without a peer.”

Robert Burns, O Luve Will Venture In

Its almost here, PINK RIBBON DAY. The Pink Ribbon is the symbol of support for the many women who have been affected by breast cancer globally. This year Pink Ribbon Day is on Monday 22 October.

To VOTE for the PINKTOBER event, click here.

My entry for PINKTOBER is below…my first entry to any blog event. Gosh, I was so enthusiastic, that I almost drove everyone quite crazy. Minko asked if the husband appreciated the PINK effort. He more than appreciated it…he spread the word, lauded Minko’s event & effort, and last, but not the least, enjoyed the cake!!!

The colours for the frosting.

First pictures of my PINK cake!
Click HERE if you wish to view the recipe & making of the cake.

Quick pictures before the cake was history...THINKING PINK!!

And finally…a slice of PINK!!

A comment left by Swapna when I first posted the cake…how profound & poetic!!

“When a cake looks so good – the heart refuses to knife through it,

while the stomach grumbles in anticipation.

Caught between the two -the baker emerges the winner,

having created a masterpiece!”

PICTURE PERFECT…far beyond baking!!

“When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,

And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run

From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;

That is the grasshopper’s…he takes the lead

In summer luxury…he has never done

With his delights, for when tired out with fun,

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.”

John Keats … On the Grasshopper and Cricket

Guess who we found when we were out catching bugs??

The kids were out with their little 2 year old cousin trying to catch butterflies last evening. This lovely looking grass-hopper or locust came hopping by. Neat little guy, who happily came into our butterfly net, and then happily wandered off…without a care in the world!

Look closely and you can almost catch the SMILE!!

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS…Tangy and tasty!!

‘The gentle art of gastronomy is a friendly one. It hurdles the language barrier, makes friends among civilized people, and warms the heart.’

Samuel Chamberlain

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS

This is a nice, feel-good, sort of dish (doubles up as finger-food too), which we like at home for a change from curries etc. The ingredients can be increased or decreased to suit personal tastes…we love the tanginess of the meat off the bone. I grill these sometimes, and at other times pan cook them. These can be served with mashed potatoes/oven baked fries, grilled veggies, a dip/chutney, green salad, dinner rolls or naan bread. The kids love the ease of nibbling chops…with a squirt of lemon!

Ingredients:
Lamb Chops – 750 gms (about 10-12 pieces)
Yogurt – 4 tbsps /thick
Ginger-garlic paste – 2tbsp
Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)
Roasted Cumin Powder – 2 tsp
Paprika – ½ tsp
Red chili Powder – ½ tsp (optional)
Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp (home-made)
Orange-red food colour – optional
Fresh coriander/mint leaves for garnishing
Wedges of lime

Method:

Wash the chops well, and pat dry.
Whip the yogurt in a large bowl till smooth.
Add all other ingredients except the chops. Mix well.
Add the chops and mix in well, making sure they are coated well and evenly.
Leave to marinade for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator (I usually leave them overnight). Take out from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Cook them in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes on low heat. (times may vary from country to country according to quality/type of lamb etc).
Leave until cooled down a bit. Check if the lamb has cooked through and is soft. Dry any extra water if present.
Now grill them for 10 minutes on each side, turning once. Sprinkle with a bit of roasted cumin powder for a nice deep brown.
Serve immediately with garnished with fresh coriander and/or mint leaves, and wedges of lime…

Note: If you want to pan cook these, after cooking under pressure, turn them into a non-stick heavy bottom pan with all remaining marinade. Cover and cook gently on low till all the liquid has been absorbed, and they get a nice, golden colour. Turn about once in a while. Serve immediately.

Additional Note: Worthwhile mentioning “The lamb we get here can be cooked by just grilling for 10 minutes per side (no pressure cooking required)”…comment from Saju/US. I should have thought of that.

BLOG ACTION DAY…Save the Earth

“We do not inherit the Earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children. “

Antoine de saint-Exubery

BLOG ACTION DAY

SAVE THE EARTH…Environment issues that are hurting the Earth.

Raising concerns related to the earth are gaining ground; the more voices that are heard, the better. What better way to additionally spread the message than blogging. Given the reach of the net, it’s time to ‘get involved’ in the Blog Action Day on 15th October 2007. The bigger the involvement; the greater the impact.

Speaking from the kitchen, I have to say that I have always believed in home-made stuff to a very large extent. Though it is primarily due to nutrition and health factors, it is also a personal effort to ‘Save the Earth’. In my little way, I believe this cuts down on packaging materials, transportation costs, storage costs etc…. each bit goes a long way!

A point that has stuck in my mind for a while is about an article on ‘Bottled Water’ that I read some time back in the newspapers. Though I haven’t been able to locate the paper, I have found the gist of the article on the web, and quote it below to share it with you. Unless there are environment contamination factors or health factors involved, I am sure we would all agree that saying NO to bottled water would positively impact our burdened Earth, and is quite achievable. Do give this a read…and thought!! Thank You!!

Quote…

“BOTTLED WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

People must think about all the unnecessary energy costs that go into making a bottle of water, says Peter Gleick, an expert on water policy and director of a think tank called the Pacific Institute, based in Oakland, California, the United States.

The Earth Policy Institute has estimated that, making the plastic for the bottles needs about 1.5 million barrels of oil, which is enough to fuel 100,000 cars a year. Nearly 90% of the bottles are not recycled.Peter Gleick presents a simple way to visualise the average cost of energy for the whole exercise – to make the plastic, process and fill the bottle, transport bottled water to market and then deal with the waste: “It would be like filling up a quarter of every bottle with oil.”One of the easiest ways, he suggests, for the people to cut the enormous costs in making bottled water is to is to drink tapped water. A filter can be used if one does not like the taste of tapped water.”…Unquote

ACHARI CHICKEN CURRY…A tangy Indian chicken curry

“Happy and successful cooking doesn’t rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.”
Georges Blanc, Ma Cuisine des Saisons

ACHARI CHICKEN
This recipe is easy, full of flavour…and has no store-bought mixes. The kids enjoy this one a lot. I avoid these mixes because they have preservatives and additives. See the note at the bottom of the recipe in case you cant find the seeds!

Ingredients:

Chicken – 1 (700-800gms), cut into pieces
Onions – 3 / sliced fine
Tomatoes – 3 / chopped fine
Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp
Yogurt (curd) – 3 tbsp/thick
Kalonji – 1 tsp
Methi dana – 1/2 tsp
Whole Zeera – 1 tsp
Saunf – 1 tsp
Bhuna Zeera Powder – 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Haldi – 1/2 tsp
Green chilies – 2-3/ to taste
Lemon Juice – of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander (Hara Dhania) to garnish

Method:

Slit the green chilies and soak them in the lemon juice. Keep aside.
Heat about 4-5 tbsps of oil in a nice big wok (kadhai), and fry the onions till brown.
Add the kalonji + methi dana + Whole Zeera + Saunf. Mix well.
Add ginger-garlic paste and haldi…roast well.
Now put in the chicken pieces and roast on high flame till well browned.
On high flame, add yogurt and fry well, but gently…don’t want to debone the chicken!
Once it leaves oil, add the red chilli powder + roasted zeera powder + tomatoes..and roast well once again on high flame.
Once this also leaves oil around the edges. add about 1/2 a cup of water + salt to taste…and cook covered, on simmer for about 30 mins. Stir once in a while.
Once the chicken is tender, put in the chilies with the lemon juice and fresh coriander, and simmer for 5-7 minutes to enhance the flavours!

Serve hot with rotis, naan or rice. ENJOY!!

Note: This is actually flavoured with the ingredients of an Indian pickle. Buy them only if you intend to use them, otherwise, its worthwhile to try the basic recipe without the 4 strange sounding seeds. You can even puree the tomatoes for a smoother gravy.

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