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!

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!!

IMG 5803 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.

Please wait...

Subscribe to my newsletter

Want to be notified when the article is published? Do enter your email address and name below to be the first to know.
Exit mobile version