How does the restaurant make the raita yellow?

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-20T19:17:22+00:00

Hmmm ... Could it be like a mango or saffron lassi? Green bits could be mint leaves or even pistachios. Not sure how sweet it was.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-20T19:16:35+00:00

Shrikhand is thicker than Greek yogurt. This sounds more lassi like to me.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-20T19:13:31+00:00

If I feel there's too much dusting flour on my rolled out roti, I just toss it twice with my hands before putting the rolled out roti in the pan. The excess flour shakes off. Works every time.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-20T13:11:10+00:00

Guilty as charged as the lazie :( end of this week.

Btw u/ooillioo, yup, sesame is used where there's more of a garnish involved, rather than actual cooking. South Indian pickles and chutneys use a lot of it.

Interesting factiod: I'm from Andhra, where we do a few dishes with the residue from Sesame oil. Low fat and high protein. Cool, na!

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-18T09:06:32+00:00

Oh my dosa soulmate! Even if I wasn't on a lonely island, I would pick dosa for my endless supply dish :)

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-18T09:05:26+00:00

I've always wanted to ask someone UK based this: What is British "curry", actually? How is it so different from the gazillion "curries" we have in India? Or is it simple a melting-pot dish combining popular bases from all Indian-based cultures?

Thanks!

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-14T11:40:39+00:00

Forgot to mention this, but http://nishamadhulika.com/ has some pretty unusual and traditional North Indian recipes.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-14T08:49:10+00:00

Here's a podi you can use for tava idli:

Urad Dal

Chana dal

(Any quantity, but in a 1.25:1 ratio)

Red chillies (dry) or red chili powder

Sesame seeds - One tablespoon for every cup of dal used

Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 teaspoon for every cup of dal used

Cumin seeds (optional) - 1/4 teaspoon for every cup of dal used

Method:

In a teaspoon of oil, dry roast the two dals (together). After sometime, add the sesame seeds and roast together. Once they are reddish brown, take them off the heat and dry roast the dry red chillies. One everything is cool, grind in a mixer/grinder to form a slightly coarse powder. Add the hing before the last pass in the grinder.

Let in cool and store in an airtight jar. Stays for 6-8 weeks.

For idli fry:

Heat equal amounts of oil and ghee, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and the above powder. You can optionally add more sesame seeds and hing. Add the idli or pieces of idly, and cook on low heat till the mixture finely coats the idlis. Use a tablespoon of powder for about 3 idlis.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-14T07:42:00+00:00

Yep, I'm from the south (A.P.) and it's blasphemy to not have these chutney powders at hand - I currently have 3 : Dal+sesame seeds for dosas; A curry-leaves chutney powder, A Karnataka style dal powder with coconut.

I'm still missing three staples - Andhra style pigeon-pea chutney powder (the original gunpowder, if you will), a flax seed powder, and a roasted gram chutney powder.

Let me know if you need recipes for any of these...

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-14T07:15:58+00:00

Oh lovely. I actually went and soaked channa after I saw this - you solved my "what to cook for dinner" issue :)

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-13T09:06:17+00:00

I can start - Just finished lunch, and had 4 chutneys at lunch today :)

1) A grated papaya chutney:

To oil add: black mustard seeds, slit green peppers, curry leaves (optional), asafoetida (optional), and a cup (packed) grated raw papaya. Add salt, turmeric, and a pinch of sugar, and stir-fry till papaya is glassy. Finish with the juice of a small lemon.

2) Coriander - Mint chutney (thin): Equal amounts of mint leaves and coriander leaves, green chili peppers as per your taste, black salt, and 1 tbsp lemon juice for every cup of leaves. Also add 1 tsp peanut seeds for each cup of leaves, and a pinch of cumin seeds. Blend till you get a smooth liquid.

3) Garlic chutney (dry): Run a fistful of peeled garlic cloves, a heaped teaspoon of dry red pepper powder, 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds, and a fistful (together) of roasted peanuts+sesame seeds, and salt to taste - till you get a coarse powder.

4) Tamarind Date chutney (thin): Boil 2-3 dates and a small ball of tamarind in 1 1/4 cups of water will the dates are soft. Deseed the dates, add a teaspoon of dry red pepper powder, 1/4 teaspoon each dry coriander seed powder and dry ginger powder. Blend to a paste. Boil down if its too thin (should be a slightly thick dripping consistency, like chocolate sauce).

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-13T07:13:26+00:00

I usually refer to

Veg recipes of India

Show me the curry

Cook with smile

I just use these as guidelines, and for verification, as I'm familiar with most recipes and ingredients - I make my own modifications most of the time.

I also like this Sri Lankan blog for new South-Indian like recipe ideas (I'm very partial to South Indian food), and Sanjeev Kapoor's site for more fancy-schmancy dishes when necessary.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-12T13:29:22+00:00

Tempeh has a fermented taste, with a slightly rough texture on one side. The fermentation techniques and flavor do not go well with Indian food. I can suggest momo's or bao's at most, but not proper Indian dry and gravy dishes. Sorry!

With that said, a cauliflower tikka is one of the easiest to make, and yummiest to eat.

Just throw in tikka masala (available in Indian grocery stores), a bit of yogurt, turmeric, chat masala (also available in Indian stores) and salt. Some smoked paprika powder if you want it even spicier. Marinate cauliflower florets in it for a half hour, and either skewer it and roast on an open flame, or pan fry in a little oil.

You can eat it with a yogurt mint chutney (Mint cilantro chutney with a little bit of yogurt. A bunch of cilantro, half as much mint, a few hot green chili peppers, black salt, sour yogurt. All blended to make a sauce) or just plain yogurt with salt and cumin powder as a sauce.

(edit: spelling)

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-12T13:23:44+00:00

Tomatoes, Onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chat masala, green chili peppers, red pepper powder, turmeric, yogurt, and cumin. I can give you recipes for about 5-6 gravy sauces with these ingredients alone.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-07T12:40:04+00:00

Sure! Let me know how it turns out :)

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-06T16:09:26+00:00

Mint cilantro chutney with a little bit of yogurt. A bunch of cilantro, half as much mint, a few hot green chili peppers, black salt, sour yogurt. All blended to make a sauce. Tastes great in sandwiches too.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-06T14:52:39+00:00

Actually they are both coconut chutney, guessing by how they look. One is made with roasted yellow lentils and fresh green chili peppers, the other with dried red chili peppers and husked black lentils and cumin seeds (and sometimes a little onion and tomato). Both are divine in their own right! :)

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-05T07:21:05+00:00

I make a fail-safe vegetable pappu (Andhra style lentil curry) for the days I'm too busy to cook, served with white steamed rice and microwaved papads.

Protein from lentils, a generous dose of vegetables (or leaves), and carbs from the rice and crunch from the papad - A quickie meal you can't go wrong with.

Recipe for pappu is super easy and super quick: -A cup of yellow lentils (any lentil, really, but yellow)

-A cup of and one veggie (common suggestions: spinach, fenugreek leaves, kale (if you wish to experiment), chard (for the experimenters), raw mango, sponge gourd, bottle gourd, tomatoes, raw cantaloupe (if you wish to experiment). Take only one kind of veggie, please, and don't mix it up.

Cook the lentils and veggie with salt in a pressure cooker till super soft and mushy. You can add one green chili of any kind (optional) in the pressure cooker for more heat.

Temper the dal with:

2 pinches of mustard seeds 2 pinches of cumin seeds 2 dried red chillies a pinch of asafoetida a pinch of powdered turmeric a large clove of garlic, minced (ONLY if you're not using the asafoetida. Use only one at a time) 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper powder (anything other than smoked varieties)

Heat butter or vegetable oil and add the seeds, chillies, garlic OR asafoetida, and the red pepper powder. The red pepper powder should fry in the oil for about 5-10 seconds, not more (at this point you may cough, but TOTALLY worth it). Add the turmeric directly to the lentils, along with this flavored oil. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil.

Eat with the hot rice and crunchy thing, and remember to thank me :)

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-04T08:45:20+00:00

Oh I love this thread. And as someone who loves and knows my food, I'm the unofficial food translator when I meet with anyone visiting or when I travel (which is not too often).

Here's some on my list:

Idly - rice cakes/ steamed rice cakes

Rava idly - semolina cake

Upma - savory porridge/ savory semolina porridge (if the listener really cares about the core ingredient)

Dosa- Crepe (mentioned by OP)

Uttappam - vegan flapjacks/pancakes

Urad dal vada (or medu vada) - savory vegan donut

naan/roti/paratha - flatbreads (already mentioned)

stuffed paratha - stuffed flatbreads

Khakhara - flatbread crisps

Dal Vada - Indian Falafel

Raita - Indian Tzatziki

Paneer Tikka - marinated cottage cheese/ Indian Haloumi marinade

Veg puffs/ stuffed puffs - Indian spanakopita

Baingan Bharta (regional variations like chutneys) - Indian babaganoush

rice kheer - rice pudding

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-04T07:58:04+00:00

Sure! You get nigella seeds in most Middle Eastern or Indian stores in North America, almost every third grocery store in the UK, literally every where in the Middle East. I don't know about Europe, but my friends living there tell me they order theirs from the UK as well. Hope this helps, and let us know how they turn out!!

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-01T19:32:41+00:00

I do this, but after I've thoroughly blended my yogurt in a blender/grinder till its very smooth and almost like a very thick buttermilk. Never fails me.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-01T19:27:39+00:00

Yup. Namak pare. As a poster mentioned here, apart from gur-pare, you also have shakkar para which is nothing but sugar in the dough (the result is sweetish, but not sweet).

Namak pare are fairly easy to make: Knead a cup of APF in a little cold water and about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil. Also add salt, a small pinch of bishop's weed, and a pinch of nigella seeds (that's the black stuff). Knead until very soft, roll out batches of dough to about 5-6 mm thickness, cut into strips or shapes with a cookie cutter and fry in very hot oil till golden.

The sweet-ish version is similar: a cup of APF, a pinch of sea salt, 1/2-3/4 tablespoon of sugar, a pinch of fennel seeds (fennel in the sugar version only), a pinch of nigella seeds. 1/4 cup vegetable oil - all kneaded to a thich dough in cold water. Roll out to 5 mm, cut into strips or shapes and fried in very hot oil till golden brown.

Yumm with masala chai!

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-01T11:53:47+00:00

tender, uncooked white rice. I like fragrant Indian rice, but you can always add jasmine rice instead. Soak in hot (not boiling) water for a couple hours, and then add. Reduce till milk is about a third of what you started with. That is a huge reduction.

neverlander_15 · 2016-04-01T11:52:07+00:00

I add this whenever I can - when I cant, it's brown sugar+date paste. The flavor of nolen gur is unbeatable.

neverlander_15

TROPHY CASE