Tag: yogurt
Irish Soda Bread
3 cups all purpose
¼ cup evaporated cane juice (sugar)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mixture of raisins, cranberries and currants, chopped
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed or powdered
4 tablespoons super cold butter, cut into little pieces
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 400.
Grease a large cast iron skillet or a 10 inch cake pan.
Transfer the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl, whisk together. Add the butter and mix briefly with fingers, incorporating the butter. Add the raisins mixture, zest and fennel seeds and mix well. Mix the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl and whisk well and refrigerate until needed (the key is to have this liquid as cold as possible) Add the liquid slowly to the dry mixture while mixing it with a fork. Once all the liquid is incorporated, gently mix everything with your fingers and form an 8 inch round loaf and transfer to the cast iron skillet or cake pan. Mark the top with an ‘X’ with a knife about ½ inch deep.
Bake for 20 minutes in the oven and check if the top is getting too brown. If it is, then top with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. Take out of oven and keep the foil on till it cools off.
Chicken with Almond and Cilantro Curry
- 1 pound chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into 2 inch pieces
- ½ cup full fat yogurt
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¼ cup fresh mint
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and cut
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons salt
Add the yogurt, half and half, mint, cilantro, ginger, garam masala and salt to a blender and blend till a smooth sauce is formed. Transfer to a mixing bowl with the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours, preferably over night.
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup hot water
Soak the almonds in the hot water for an hour and then place in a blender and blend till a smooth paste is formed, keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon mace
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick, ½ inch
- 1 medium onion, chopped
Heat a heavy saucepan with the butter. Add the mace, nutmeg, black cumin seeds and cinnamon stick. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the onion and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the almond paste and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken with the marinade and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take the lid off and check for seasonings. Turn the heat up to cook off any excess moisture. Mix well and serve warm with rice or rotis.
4th Of July Dessert: Vanilla Coconut Panna Cotta with Mango Lime Sauce
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup evaporated cane sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced length-wise and seeds taken out
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 (8 oz) ramekins
In a small bowl dissolve the gelatin in the cold water. Keep aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, coconut milk, vanilla extract and seeds from vanilla bean.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream and sugar on medium heat until just simmering. Remove from heat and add the gelatin mixture. Add the cream mixture into the cold yogurt mixture.
Pour into the ramekins and chill thoroughly- at least 6 hours if not over night. Dip bottoms of cups into hot water and invert into a serving plate. Serve with mango lime sauce.
Mango Lime Sauce
- ½ cup mango pulp
- 2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice
- Juice of ½ lime (1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 mint leaves
Combine mango pulp and sugar in a small saucepan. Add the mint leaves and heat over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes and turn the heat off. Add the vanilla extract and lime juice. Take the mint leaves once the sauce is cool. Serve with the panna cotta.
Punjabi Kadhi- Potato Fritters Cooked in a Yogurt Gravy
Amazing recipe I haven’t posted in a while…
This is a delicious dish I grew up with. My mom would make it once in a while and when she did – we all looked forward to it. For me it is one of those things I like to eat every few months- not all the time- not sure why- maybe because it is a bit labor intensive so people don’t end up making it very often.
This dish also has a few hard to find ingredients- including asafetida, fenugreek seeds and dried fenugreek. These ingredients are available at any Indian grocery store or online.
The dish is essentially a yogurt gravy thickened with besan (chickpea flour). Potato fritters are fried made with onions, ginger, cilantro,etc and are added to the thickened yogurt gravy.
Last but not least, the dish is seasoned with a mixture of fenugreek seeds and chili peppers and topped with dried fenugreek leaves.
The dish has a very distinct flavor imparted by the asafetida and the fenugreek seeds. You could make it without either and it will still taste good.
Try this on a Sunday afternoon when you have some time to spend in the kitchen- our family will love it…
Yogurt Gravy
- 6 cups low-fat plain yogurt (it should be nice and tangy), whisk till smooth
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour), sifted
- 7 cups water
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon asafetida powder
Add the yogurt and besan to a large saucepan. Whisk till smooth, getting rid of all lumps. Add the water, salt, turmeric and asafetida powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
Potato Fritters
- 2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 large potato, chopped into ¼ inch dice
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ½ small red onion, chopped
- 2 inch grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup water
Mix the besan, potato, cilantro, green onions, red onion, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper, coriander powder, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add the water slowly while mixing the ingredients with your hands. The consistency should be like a wet potato salad.
- 2 cups extra light olive oil
Place the oil into a wok like saucepan and heat the oil to 375 degrees. Form soft balls with a spoon and gently fry in the oil. Try not to over crowd. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or till the fritters are golden brown. Take out and drain in a paper towel lined platter. Repeat process till all the mixture is used up.
Add the fritters to the simmering yogurt gravy. Turn the heat off.
Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil (you can same oil you used for frying)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 dried chili pepper
Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the fenugreek seeds, asafetida, cayenne pepper and the chili peppers. Saute on medium heat till the seeds begin to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add the seasoned oil into the gravy. Mix and check for seasonings.
Garnish
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
Garnish with garam masala and methi. Serve hot with plain rice.
Chicken Fajitas with Cilantro Avocado Sauce
I love, love, Mexican flavors and this recipe is a great example of the food I love to cook and eat. I made this dish this past summer and served it with a nectarine salsa- you can substitute apples or some pineapple for the summer fruit…
- 2 cups cilantro
- 3 green onions
- ½ cup chicken broth
- Juice of 2 large limes
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
Transfer all the ingredients into a blender. Blend well until a smooth sauce is formed. Taste for seasonings and keep aside. Take out 3 tablespoons of the sauce and keep aside.
- 1 pound chicken breast, sliced into strips
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 orange pepper, sliced
Marinate the chicken in a bowl with half of the cilantro sauce. Marinate the onion and peppers in the other half of the cilantro sauce. Transfer them to a fridge and marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Take out an hour before cooking.
- 1 medium avocado
- ¼ cup full fat yogurt
- Salt
Add the avocado and yogurt to the blender with the remaining cilantro sauce. Add a bit of water if needed and blend till smooth. Keep aside as a sauce for the fajitas.
- 3 to 6 tablespoons oil
- 4 to 6 corn tortillas
Heat a grill pan or regular pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Cook the chicken strips in 2 to 3 batches till golden brown and cooked through. Add more oil and cook the onion and peppers and add them to the cooked chicken.
Heat the corn tortillas and add some of the chicken and pepper mixture. Top with some avocado sauce and serve.
Turkish Style Kebabs with Yogurt Sauce
One of our best vacations was in Istanbul- the food was out of this world.. These kebabs remind me of the amazing trip…
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup milk
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for about 10 minutes and keep aside.
- 1 pound ground pork, beef or dark meat turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Transfer the soaked breadcrumbs, ground meat, salt, cumin, all spice, sumac, dried mint, garlic, egg and parsley to a large food processor. Process till a smooth mixture is achieved. Take out and let the mixture marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours. Form into meatballs or kebabs, about ¼ cup of mixture for each kebab. Heat a frying pan with the oil and cook the kebabs on a medium heat, turning every 2 to 3 minutes until all sides are brown. Cook till the kebabs are cooked through- about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup full fat yogurt, whisked
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
Mix all the ingredients including the yogurt in a bowl. Serve with the kebabs.
Shrimp Cake Sandwich with Chili Lime Sauce
Great recipe for the warm days coming our way…
- 12 medium shrimp, deveined and cleaned with tails off
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ½ yellow pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
- Juice of one lime
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
Transfer the shrimp to a food processor and process for 10 seconds. Add the green onions, pepper, chives, lime juice, egg and 2 teaspoons salt. Process till smooth for about 45 seconds. Add ½ cup panko and process for another 15 seconds. Take out and form into 4 patties and roll into the remaining 1 cup panko. Place the patties on a parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat a non-stick with the olive oil and butter on medium heat. Cook the shrimp patties for 4 minutes on each side or till cooked through.
Chili Lime Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of one lime
Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl. Serve the shrimp cakes in ciabatta rolls with the lime sauce.