Ripe Mango Raita

Summers are here with their blistering cruelty and endless lethargic days. Yawning in the heat, food is really the last thing on anyone's mind. Unless it is a long sip of icy coldness. Sharbats, curds and salads rule the day. And of course, the king of fruits, the sweet sweet mango! Summers are practically synonymous with mangoes. The popularity of this royal fruit transcends all boundaries, and paens have been written in its praise! 

I remember summers in my uncle's orchards where the ripe mangoes had been tossed into the well to cool. Anytime we needed a mango fix all we had to do was lower the bucket and draw up some juicy goodness. Most households in India had a designated bucket in the corner of their kitchen. Filled with cool water and luscious golden mangoes. A friend of mine narrated an interesting custom at grandparents' place in Himachal. Once the mango season started, the kids would go visit, but would only be allowed once they had finished their allotted mini buckets of mango! 

Each household has mango based recipes they guard with the preciousness of jewels. Pickles, salads, jams, chutneys... all find a place in their repertoire. Now the best part of army life is that not only do we traverse diverse regions, but also form close bonds that last a lifetime. Over the years mum has amassed a treasure trove of traditional recipes via her fauji family.

One of mum's closest friends is Bhavani Aunty. She is one of the sweetest, most wonderful human being we've had the joy of calling our own. Not only is aunty a fabulous cook, but also an immensely creative one. She has the talent of spinning the most mundane into something exotic and drool worthy! And when mum tasted the Ripe Mango Raita at her place, she knew it was a recipe she would recreate time and again.

The traditional raita is made either with salad veggies like tomatoes and cucumber or with crispy fried gram flour boondi. But aunty's mango version was unusual and delicious! And really, what could be more summery than chilled curds swirled with chunks of sensational mangoes!

  

Ingredients:

Curds                      500 ml

Water                      150 ml

Mangoes                 2, medium

Onion                      1, small

Green chillies          3

tempering: Mustard seeds       1 teaspoon

                   Curry leaves          3 sprigs

                  Red chilli powder   1/2 teaspoon

                  Oil                           1 teaspoon

Method:

Whisk together the curds and water till smooth. Add salt to taste. Finely chop the onion and green chillies. Mix into the whisked curds. Cube the mangoes and gently toss into the mix. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and letting the mustard seeds splutter. Throw in the curry leaves and let them crisp. Turn off the gas and add the red chilli powder, Swirl the tempering over the prepared raita and chill in the refrigerator for a while. Serve as a side with pulao or biryani. And to be honest, it tastes fabulous on its own!

Quickie Dahi Chicken

I love my new kitchen! It is large enough for monster munchkin to potter at one end, whilst I experiment and blog at the other. Of late though, he hasn't been content just stirring empty pots. He often wanders over to my cooking area demanding, " Mamma, Up!", to get a closer look at all the bubbling and sauteing. Do I have a chef in the making? Too early to say. But this recipe is definitely the munchkin's brainchild. I dare take no credit for it.

As I stood staring at the chicken, wondering just what treatment I mete, the lil one coolly sauntered over insisting I take the onion he had brought. He kept going back and bringing ingredient after ingredient. All I had to do was put it all in the mixer and let him grind the masala dancing on his tiptoes! Thus was born the quickest, most delicious chicken I have ever tasted. But don't  take my word for it! Give it a whirl and I am sure it will become a permanent in your repertoire. After all, even a two year old could whip it up ;)

Ingredients:

Chicken                          1 kg

Curds                              1 cup

Onion                              1, large

Garlic                              6

Green chillies                  6

Dessicated coconut         1/4 cup

Water                              1 cup

Mustard oil                     2 tablespoon

Method:

Grind the onion, chillies, garlic, curds and coconut together. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, Add the ground masala. Cook for two minutes. Add the chicken and salt. Stir well till all the pieces are coated. Add the water and pressure cook for four whistles. Told you it was a quickie!

Note: Dessicated coconut is also know as dry coconut powder or nariyal bhoora.

Akhni Pulao

In the pre Internet era, I remember my mother meticulously copying recipes from library books and magazines into her diary. Those were also days when she maintained a file filled with recipes clipped from varied newspapers and publications. As a ten year old, this weekly ritual fascinated me. And in an attempt to emulate her, I started my own food file. My love affair with cooking began that day but I rarely revisited the indiscriminate clippings of those early days. 

Recently, however, I was cleaning out the trunk of books and chanced upon the old yellowing clippings. Browsing through those memories I discovered this little gem. Akhni Pulao is a one pot cousin of the Biryani, and ideal for those lazy Sunday brunches. And the quantity is sufficient to feed even last minute weekend guests. So grab a pot and impress everyone this week!

Ingredients:
                   Chicken                         1 kg
                   Rice                               1/2 kg
                   Curds                             250 gm
                   Onions                           3
                   Potatoes                         3
                   Ginger Garlic paste       4 teaspoon
                   Garam Masala               4 teaspoon
                   Cumin seeds                  1 teaspoon
                   Oil                                  8 tablespoon

Method:
             Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onions. When the onions are translucent, add the ginger garlic paste, salt, chicken and garam masala. Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Remove from the flame. Cool slightly and add the potatoes, curd and rice. Cover and cook again for 4-5 whistles. And your minimal fuss Akhni Pulao is now ready! Serve up with some salad and raita.

French Yogurt Cake

Anything French conjures visions of complicated techniques with impossible ingredients and hellish temperaments. But the French Yogurt Cake is simplicity itself. A few basic ingredients, couple of easy to do steps and even the novice can pull out a masterpiece from the oven! I got this recipe from DawnF on TTOD and successfully tried a number of variations. This delicate orange flavoured version has been my favorite so far.

Ing: 1 1/2 cups of plain flour

      2 tsps baking powder

      1 cup granulated sugar

      1/2 cup sunflower oil (or any other flavourless oil)

      1/2 cup regular yogurt (you could use non fat if you desire)

      3 eggs

      1 tsp vanilla essence

      a pinch of salt

      grated zest of two oranges (avoid the white pith)

Method: Put the sugar and zest in a bowl and rub with your fingers till the sugar is moist and the zest releases its aromatic oil. Whisk in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla till well blended. Sift the dry ingredients together and mix into the batter. Now carefully fold in the oil, a little at a time, till the whole batter becomes a light, homogeneous mixture.

Grease a baking tin and pour the batter into it. Pre- heat the oven to 180 C and bake the batter for 60 minutes. Unmould after cooling and drizzle over some melted chocolate.