Tag Archives: Yogurt

Cauliflower in Yogurt Gravy / Dahi Wali Gobhi

My travel tales generally have a strong association with food. As a child, I used to travel to North India for vacations. I clearly remember yogurt was extensively used to make the gravy for side dishes that go along with rotis. Cauliflower is a vegetable that blends easily into any form and is generally liked by everyone. The yogurt gravy in this recipe adds a tangy flavour along with the kick of the spices. The florets soak in the spicy essence of the gravy and end up being a delight on the taste buds.

Recipe Details :
Serves: 4 pax
Time: 30 mins
Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients :

  • 400 gms cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh green peas
  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 cup yogurt/dahi
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp gram flour/besan
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander to garnish

Cauliflower in yogurt gravy

Cauliflower in yogurt gravy


Method:

  • Wash the cauliflower and cut them into small florets. Use the picture below as a size guide.
    • Washed cauliflower florets

    Washed cauliflower florets

  • Soak the florets in warm salted water for about 15 mins. After 15 mins, drain away the water to remove impurities. Lay the florets out on a kitchen towel so that excess water is absorbed.
  • Heat oil in a pan and let it warm a bit. Then add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add in the cumin seeds.
  • Add the grated ginger and saute well.
  • Now add in the cauliflower florets and turmeric powder and mix them well so that the yellow colour spreads evenly.
  • Next, add the green peas, salt and 2 cups of water and cover with a lid after mixing well. Cook this stage on a low flame.
  • While this is cooking, take a bowl add the curd, a bit of salt and gram flour and mix well. I used Greek yogurt which is a bit thicker than homemade yogurt. Adjust the consistency of yogurt as you see fit.
  • After the florets have cooked through, remove the lid and add in the yogurt mixture to the pan. Also add the garam masala powder.
  • Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Let this cook for another 5 mins. You need not cover the pan at this stage.
  • Switch off the flame and serve hot with rotis. Also goes great with steamed white rice.

Tips:

  • Don’t overcook the cauliflower. You want them to retain their shape.
  • Depending on the thickness of your yogurt, you may need to add some water to thin the gravy.
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Zucchini and Mint Raita

This Zucchini and Mint Raita is a cooling, healthy and delicious yogurt salad that acts as a perfect accompaniment to Veg Biryani or Pulao rice. The zucchini brings in some much needed crunch to the dish. In my case, it served as a easy replacement for cucumber since I didn’t have any stocked in the fridge. The addition of spices gives a zing to this delicious yogurt based dip. On that green note, wishing all the readers a Merry Christmas!

Recipe Details :
Serves: 2-3 pax
Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients :

  • 1 zucchini, grated
  • 10 mint leaves
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt or homemade curd
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp freshly grated pepper
  • Salt to taste

Zucchini and mint raita

Zucchini and mint raita


Method:

  • Grate the zucchini on the largest grooves of the grater.
  • Finely chop the mint leaves (without the stem).
  • Whisk the yogurt until smooth.
  • Add a little salt and pepper to season the yogurt.
  • Now add the zucchini and mint to the whisked yogurt and mix well.
  • Refrigerate it for at least 30 mins.
  • Before serving, taste, and add salt and pepper according to your preference.
  • This raita is amazing to serve with rice preparations or rotis.

Tips:

  • You can add some spice to the raita by adding red chilli flakes.
  • Letting the raita sit in the fridge is important – preferably do not skip this step. It helps the flavours meld.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Burger with Tahini Spread

I was surfing the web and saw that most of the food-related updates were connected to the Superbowl. Finger foods, bar bites, burgers and beers comprised most of my news feed. To add to that, I was missing vada pav from back home. This dish was a result of all such thoughts. I decided to use sweet potato as the primary ingredient. Most vegetarian burgers contain mushrooms – but I’m not a big fan of them. To add some body to the burger, I used chickpeas. This combination worked great together and the patty had layers of flavour and texture. When slathered with some tahini yogurt dip topped with thinly sliced onions, it was a perfect bite. It is not very oily and the patty has loads of texture on its own. We paired it with wholemeal buns – but they are good enough to eat on their own. For those who are vegans, you can just skip the yogurt spread. I would love to hear how it turned out in case you try it 🙂

Recipe Details :
Serves: 3 pax
Time: 45 mins
Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients :

  • For burger patty

  • 1 sweet potato
  • 2/3 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight. Else use canned ones.
  • 1/3 cup of all-purpose / wheat flour
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt to taste

  • For tahini spread

  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Sweet potato and chickpea burger

Sweet potato and chickpea burger with tahini spread


To make the patty:

  • If you are not using canned chickpeas, pressure cook or boil soaked chickpeas till they are soft.
  • Wash and peel the sweet potato. Coarsely grate it to yield around 2 cups. Once grated, squeeze out the water from the sweet potato.
  • In a bowl, take the grated sweet potato, chickpeas, flour, salt and the spices. Mix well to combine. While mixing, try to keep different textures of the chickpeas. I left some whole, some were partly broken and some were smoothened into a paste.
  • Make rounds of the patty mixture and flatten them.
    • Sweet potato and chickpea burger patty

    Sweet potato and chickpea burger patty

  • Heat a non-stick pan on medium flame and add the oil. Place a flattened patty and let it cook on one side. After about 2 mins, flip it to the other side. Remove it when golden brown and crisp.

To make Tahini spread:

  • For the spread, take all the spread ingredients in a bowl and stir. It will seem thick at the start, but as you keep stirring it, you will get the desired consistency.
  • To assemble the burger, I placed the patty on the lower half of the bun, added a layer of onions on top of it and then topped it off with the delicious tahini spread. We had a great meal!

Tips:

  • Do not overcook the chickpeas. You need them to give texture to the patty.
  • Squeeze as much water as you can from the sweet potato. If the patty mixture is too “wet”, it will not get crisp.

Cucumber and Spring Onion Raita with Pomegranate Garnish

In my journey as a food blogger, this is my debut effort in a fun online food event – and it makes this recipe a little special. Dimple tagged me in this event and I decided to participate to celebrate the foodie spirit! Thank you Dimple 🙂 This event is being conducted on CAL (Chef at Large). The topic was accompaniments – more specifically to share a raita recipe of my choice. Raita is nothing but a yogurt based salad which contains vegetables or fruits of your choice. It works well with roti or rice and requires very little prep time. I could manage making it on a weekday :). Cucumbers are the most commonly used vegetables along with yogurt and I decided to stick with them. The fun came in choosing my other ingredients to match the cool cucumber and give it a nice spin. I chose spring onions to add more greens and spice. Finally, to play with the colours and natural sweetness, I added pomegranate seeds. If you try this combination, you are going to end up with a spoonful of healthy, crunchy and delicious meal accompaniment.

Recipe Details :
Serves: 3 pax
Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients :

  • 3 small cucumbers, peeled and cubed (small)
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp chaat masala (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Cucumber and spring onion raita

Cucumber and spring onion raita with pomegranate garnish


Method:

  • Take the yogurt in a bowl and whisk it till smooth.
  • Now add the red chilli powder, sugar, salt, coriander powder and chaat masala. Whisk it till the spices blend into the yogurt. Ensure that there are no lumps at the end of this stage.
  • Add the cucumbers and spring onions and gently stir into the yogurt. Garnish it with pomegranate seeds.
  • Refrigerate it for an hour before serving. Enjoy!

Tips :

  • Avoid using yogurt that is too sour in taste or extremely liquid in consistency.