Boondi Raita

I call this a form of instant raita. Its an irony,considering raitas are by themselves ready in an instant.
But boondi raitas are really quick and easy. You can involve your kids,who earnestly wait to help their moms in the kitchen!!

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Boondi ( Khari boondi)
1/2 Cup Yogurt
2 tsp Sugar
1/ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
1/4 tsp Red Chilly Powder
1/4 tsp Namak Shamak
Chopped Coriander for garnish

Wisk yogurt with sugar,salt,jeera powder and red chilly powder.
Add 1 tbsp water to it.
Now add boondi and mix.
Add chopped coriander and serve chilled.
Garnish by sprinkling jeera powder and chilly powder on top.
For soft boondi , you can soak the boondis in water for 10 mins,before making the raita. Or stand the ready raita for 15 mins , before serving.

Khamang Kakadi

An Indian Thali ,it be from any part of India,is a perfect example of balance.
Not only is it balanced nutritionally,but also has a perfect balance in taste and texture. And a very humble ,yet inevitable component of any thali is the salad or raita ,made with chopped vegetables and yogurt ,and many a times made with fruits like pineapple or boondi( a savoury item , made with gram flour).
The raita not only balances out the spice from the curries ,but also adds a fresh crunch!
And for those struggling with weighty issues, our indian raitas are a best bet! Add a katori of raita to your meal , and you are full. That will take care of your appetite and your extra calorie intake , as it shall prevent you from feasting on that extra roti. And its healthy and low fat too, especially when you make it with onions,tomatoes , cucumbers and carrots and a low fat yogurt.

Khamang Kakadi is a traditional marathi raita or koshimbir ,made with Cucumbers and yogurt and tempered with oil/ghee.
It used to be my motivation to come to dinner table ,when there used to be not so favourite subjis like patta gobis or lauki's.

Ingredients:
2-3 Medium Cucumbers .
2-3 tbsp Yogurt
1 tsp namak Shamak
2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Coarsely Crushed Roasted Peanuts
1 tbsp Chopped Coriander leaves
1 Green chilly chopped

For tempering:
1 tsp Oil/Ghee
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
2-3 Curry leaves

Grate the cucumbers and place them in a bowl,without draining or squeezing out the water.
Add yogurt , salt ,sugar ,green chilly and coriander leaves and mix.
Add crushed peanuts and mix.
Heat oil and add cumin and mustard seeds. When they splitter, add curry leaves and pour the tempering over the cucumber yogurt mixture.
You can add 1/4 tsp jeera powder for extra taste.
Serve chilled.

Shrimp Cocktail with Spring Onion Sticks

The long awaited weekend has finally arrived!!! Its really been an exceptionally hectic week , especially now that my toddler's schooling begins. The going gets tough when the question of tiffin arrives , for a fussy eater like my son. But theres still time for that. So let me now focus on my wonderful weekend ahead and my plans for yummy meals!!!

Had some prawns in my freezer ( though I prefer them nice and fresh , the heat and the delayed monsoons really dont give an option other than storing them for some time.)
So heres a quick snack for your laid back evenings , esepcially if you planning for a small party at home.... A nice cold Shrimp Cocktail!!!
Its nice cold with some juicy prawns , and goes well with crispy bread sticks ,flavoured with spring onion and garlic.
Thouugh authentic shrimp cocktail just has  prawns with the cocktail sauce , topped with hard boiled egg, I have added a spring onion twist , though the recipep for the cocktail sauce remains the same.

Ingredients:

10 Medium Shrimps/Prawns
1 tsp Olive oil
4 Spring Onions with the greens
2 tsp Chopped Garlic
1 tbsp Butter
2-3 Slices of White Bread
A Pinch of Namak Shamak
Zest of 1 small Lime
4 -5 Iceberg lettuce leaves

For the Cocktail Sauce:
2 tbsp Mayonaise
1 tsp Tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp Worchesterschire sauce
1/2 tsp Tobasco sauce
1 tbsp Brandy
1 tsp Crushed Peppercorns
1 tsp Powdered sugar


Clean , peel and de vein the prawns and saute them in olive oil,sprinklng a pinch of salt for 1 or 2 mins. Do not overcook the prawns , as they will turn hard. Turn off the gas once the prawns curl and turn white pink in colour and just juicy.

Chop the cooked prawns in small chunks. Chop the spring onions nand separate the whites and the greens.
Cut the slice bread into long sticks 1 cm thick
Mix the spring onion greens with the butter and garlic and apply over the bread sticks. Grill them in the oven till crisp and brown. Alternately ,the bread slices can be toasted on a non stick tawa also.

Mix together all the ingredients for the cocktail sauce. Add chopped spring onions , prawns and lemon zest and mix.

Line the base of wine glass with torn lettuce and top it with cold prawn cocktail. Garnish with spring onion greens.
Serve with spring onion toasted sticks.

Lettuce and Cherry Tomato Salad with Yoghurt Dressing

This one is for all the health conscious people. And it is a perfect accompaniment  with the chicken in banana leaf.

Instead of using Mayonnaise I have used yoghurt which has considerably less calories and which goes really well with Indian food.

Ingredients:

For the dressing: 

1 cup             Hung Curd

1 tsp              Vinegar

1 tsp              Sugar

1/2 tsp           Namak Shamak

10 to 15        Garlic Cloves

1/2 tsp           Red Chilli Flakes or Chopped Green Chillies

For the salad:

4 to 5            Bok Choy  leaves
1 cup            Shredded Lettuce
1/2 cup         Cherry Tomatoes
1 cup            Purple Cabbage

Method:

Chop the garlic finely. Now mix all the ingredients for the dressing till creamy.

Shred the lettuce leaves. Cut the Cherry Tomatoes into half. Cut the Purple Cabbage into long strips. Here you can add any veggies you like for eg. Onions, Broccoli, Corn, Bell Peppers and even Paneer.

Now mix all the veggies gently with the dressing. Serve on a bed of Bok Choy leaves.

If you are not very calorie conscious you can add a tsp of mayonnaise to the dressing.

You can add boiled and shredded chicken for chicken salad.  

Refreshing Mango Salad

Can't get enough of mangoes....Love them in any forn and really want to incorporate them in whatever i eat. Traditional mango dishes kinda bore me now...aamras puri , mango desserts are all done....but want to still make the most of mango till the season lasts....and thats when this nice full yellow Badami Aam came to my mind! I m normally quiet partial towards my Alphoonso, but i guess every mango has its distinct taste which goes well with the respective recipe.

It was a regular sunday morning , which meant it would be a 3 course meal , beginning with starters, but with the mercury rising , wanted somwthing cooling and refreshing to eat tooo....so decided to couple my mango with a salad

And btw , sceptics, atelast try and taste the salad before you pass a judgement....  i am sure you lll love it!!

Ingredients:

1 Badami Mango  Cubed (totapuri will also do,i like their firm texture when cubed and a slight citrussy taste)

1 Medium Onion diced

8-10 cherry Tomatoes (or a medium diced regular tomato)

1 Cucumber diced

5-6 lettuce leaves torn

For the dressing:

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp Namak Shamak

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp mixed herbs

Zest of a small lemon

Method:

Mix the onions ,tomatoes and cucumber in a mixing bowl and add vinegar , sugar and salt and keep aside for 5 mins

Mix together the remaining ingredients of dressing and keep aside

To the bowl of vegetables , add the mangoes and lettuce and gently toss ,simultaneously adding the dressing.

Serve cold with crispy starters.

Vegetable Mayo Salad

Just the ideal partner for spicy or crispy starters.....
This simple salad gets ready while you make your starters...

Ingredients

1 Onion sliced or chopped into medium chunks
1 Diced Cucumber
1 small Diced Carrot
1 Diced Tomato
2 Green Chillies finely chopped
7to 8 Iceberg lettuce leaves
Black olives
1/2 tsp vinegar (i used apple cider but regular will do)
1 tsp sugar
Namak Shamak
2 tbsps mayonaise ( i use fun foods classic , though i prefer veg mayo and olive oil mayo tastes the best)

Mix together all the vegetables except lettuce in a bowl and add vinegar, salt and sugar. keep in refrigerator for 10 mins

Add chopped green chillies,olives and mayonaise to the vegetables and toss. Finally add torn lettuce , mix and serve immediately.
Decorate with coriander leaves and olives.
The green chillies give a spicy kick in between.
You can also add chopped cheese cubes for added taste