1,000 Indian Recipes (141 page)

2.
Place the yogurt in a serving bowl. Add the salt, then mix in the cooled eggplant, plus any juices that may have accumulated. Mix in the sesame seeds, with some of them visible as a garnish. Serve.

Grilled Zucchini and Pearl Onion Raita

Bhuna Ghia aur Chotae Pyaz ka Raita

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This is my adaptation of a similar
raita
routinely made by my mother. I use zucchini, which is rarely seen in India, while my mother used pale green opo squash. Pearl onions, generally reserved for pickles, salads, and
sambars
(a soupy south Indian lentil dish), lend a delightful crunch to this smooth
raita
.

1 tablespoon
Roasted Cumin-Pepper Masala

3 small zucchini

20 pearl onions, peeled

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

1.
Prepare the cumin-pepper masala. Then, preheat a grill over medium-high heat, and grill the zucchini and onions according to
Roasting and Grilling Vegetables
directions. Set aside the onions. Let the zucchini cool, then lightly remove the charred skin (leave some of the charred bits on for flavor), and mash the zucchini.

2.
Place the yogurt in a large serving bowl and mix in the zucchini pulp, onions, cilantro, salt, and half the cumin-pepper masala. Lightly swirl in the remaining masala, with some of it visible as a garnish. Serve.

Fresh and Dried Fruit Raitas

Dried Fruit Raita

Sookhae Phallon ka Raita

Makes 4 to 6 servings

When I was growing up, this dessert-like
raita
, studded with dried fruits, was served at festive occasions and weddings—mainly because dried fruits were expensive, not so easy to come by, and therefore reserved for when you had guests. In America, dried fruit is easy to find, so you can make this delicious dish any time. Serve it with elaborate
biryanis (
baked layered rice dishes), such as
Hyderabadi Layered Rice with Cooked Chicken
, or over a bowl of chopped fresh soft fruits, like bananas, mangoes, peaches, and pineapples.

¹
⁄
₄
cup any
sonth chutney
of your choice

1 teaspoon
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought)

¹
⁄
₂
cup lowfat milk

1 cup finely chopped mixed dried fruit, such as peaches, plums, apricots, and raisins

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Prepare the chutney and the masala. Then place the milk and the dried fruits in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high, about 1 minute. Cover the bowl and allow the dried fruits to soften, about 1 hour. Let cool, then transfer them, with the liquid, to a serving bowl.

2.
Add the yogurt, salt, pepper, and cilantro, and mix well. Lightly swirl in the sonth chutney, with parts of it visible as a garnish. Sprinkle the chaat masala on top and serve.

Mango Raita with Fresh Ginger

Aam-Adrak ka Raita

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Reserve this for the summer, when mangoes are at their peak. When served as a
raita
, this dish is lovely with grilled and
tandoori
fare. On its own, it is a sweet and spicy snack or a savory dessert that is surprisingly welcome after a summer afternoon brunch.

2 large soft ripe mangoes

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1.
Cut or peel off the skin of the mangoes, then cut around the seed to make 2 cheeks of the flesh. Cut this fruit and the other fruit left near the seed into
¹
⁄
₂
-inch pieces. Place three-quarters of the pieces in a shallow serving dish. Coarsely mash the remaining quarter with a fork to make a textured, chunky sauce, and set the sauce aside.

2.
To the mango chunks, add the yogurt, ginger, lemon juice, green chile pepper, salt, and black pepper, and mix gently. Drizzle the mango sauce on top and serve.

Mango Chutney Raita

Aam ki Chutni ka Raita

Makes 4 to 6 servings

A lot of people add sugar to yogurt to sweeten it. But my father always added mango and other fruit chutneys to his bowl of yogurt, and ate it as a last course. That was his dessert and his yogurt of the day.

¹
⁄
₂
cup
Fragrant Mango Chutney Preserve

2 tablespoons
Dessert Masala

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1.
Prepare the mango chutney and the dessert masala. Then, in a food processor or blender, process together the chutney and 1 cup yogurt until smooth.

2.
Remove to a serving bowl and mix in the remaining yogurt. Add the dessert masala and stir lightly to mix, with parts of it visible as a garnish.

Banana Raita

Kaelae ka Raita

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Sweet and savory, this
raita
adds a welcome sweet touch to any meal. Serve it over spicy
biryanis
(baked layered rice dishes) and rice
pullaos
(pilafs), or with chile-fried curries to mellow their heat.

¹
⁄
₄
cup any
sonth chutney
of your choice

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon dry-roasted and coarsely ground cumin seeds (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1 tablespoon sugar

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
cup sliced raw almonds

2 small ripe bananas, peeled and sliced diagonally

1.
Prepare the chutney and the cumin seeds. Then place the yogurt in a bowl and mix in the sugar, salt, black pepper, and half the almonds.

2.
Gently mix in the bananas. Then swirl in the sonth chutney, sprinkle the cumin seeds and the remaining almonds on top, and serve.

Mandarin Orange Raita

Suntarae ka Raita

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Mandarin oranges, or
santras
as they are called in India, are customarily added to thickened yogurt cheese and to whipped cream to make quick desserts. Here, I make a savory and spicy-hot
raita
that can easily be a dressing for salads or a sauce with grilled meats.

2 teaspoons
Chile Pepper Paste
, or to taste

1 teaspoon
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought)

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 cup canned mandarin orange segments, drained well

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

¹
⁄
₄
cup shelled and coarsely chopped raw peanuts, without the red skin

1.
Prepare the chile paste and the chaat masala. Then place the yogurt in a serving bowl and mix in the chile paste, chaat masala, and salt. Fold in the mandarin segments, ginger, and mint leaves.

2.
Place the peanuts in a small skillet and roast over medium heat until fragrant and golden, about 2 minutes. Scatter over the yogurt mixture and serve.

Dumpling Raitas

Boondi

Tiny droplets of chickpea flour batter, deep-fried until golden and crisp, are called
boondi
. Many Indian home cooks rely on them, sometimes as a main ingredient to make special
raitas
(in this chapter) or curries, such as
Punjabi Chickpea Drops Curry
, or to add a crispy crunch or a soft texture (when they are soaked and softened) and an extra flavor to
chaats
(savory salads and snacks that come smothered in one or many sauces) such as
Flour Chips with Yogurt and Mango Powder Chutney
.