LASSI VARIETIES |DIFFERENT TYPES OF LASSI RECIPE

Lassi (Punjabi: ਲੱਸੀ, Hindi: लस्सी, Gujarati: છાસ, Bangla: লাচ্ছি, Urdu: لسی) is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink of the Indian subcontinent. It is made by blending yogurt with water and Indian spices.Traditional lassi (also known as salted lassi, or, simply lassi) is a savory drink sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin while sweet lassi on the other hand is blended with sugar or fruits instead of spices.

In Dharmic religions, yogurt sweetened with honey is used while performing religious rituals. Less common is lassi served with milk and topped with a thin layer of clotted cream. Lassis are enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment, mostly taken with lunch. With a little turmeric powder mixed in, it is also used as a folk remedy for gastroenteritis.

Punjabi Food is incomplete without a tall glass of Lassi, sweet or salty. Drink made with curd has many variations in India, in North its Lassi, Tamilnadu it’s called “Mor”, Western India it’s “Chaas” and in Eastern India it’s “Ghol”. Perhaps the best of all is the Punjabi Lassi with a layer of cream on top.
The Lassi of the Punjab sometimes uses a little milk and is topped with a thin layer of malai, a clotted cream, also known as Devonshire cream. Lassis are enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment.

Sweet lassi is a more recent invention, flavored with sugar, rosewater and/or mango, strawberry, pineapple, lychee or other any fruit juice.

Variations /Types of lassis

1) Traditional mild salted lassi

This form of lassi is more common in the villages of Punjab. It is prepared by blending yogurt with water and adding salt and other spices to taste. The resulting beverage is known as salted lassi. This is similar to ayran or doogh.


2)Sweet lassi

Sweet lassi is a form of lassi flavored with sugar, rosewater and/or lemon, strawberry or other fruit juices. Saffron lassis, which are particularly rich, are a specialty of Sindh in Pakistan and Jodhpur and Rajasthan in India. Makkhaniya lassi is simply lassi with lumps of butter in it (makkhan is the Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati word for butter). It is usually creamy like a milkshake.

3) Mango lassi


Mango lassi is most commonly found in India and Pakistan though it is gaining popularity worldwide. It is made from yogurt, water and mango pulp. It may be made with or without additional sugar. It is widely available in UK, Malaysia and Singapore, due to the sizable Indian/Pakistani minority, and in many other parts of the world. In various parts of Canada, mango lassi is a cold drink consisting of sweetened kesar mango pulp mixed with yogurt, cream, or ice cream. It is served in a tall glass with a straw, often with ground pistachio nuts sprinkled on top.
Source :wikipedia

4)Chaas

Chaas or chaach is a salted drink like lassi; however, chaas contains more water than lassi and has the butterfat removed, so its consistency is not as thick as lassi. Salt and Jeera (cumin seeds) are normally added for taste and sometimes even fresh coriander. Fresh ground ginger & green chillies may also be added as seasoning. Chaas is popular in the Indian states Gujarat and Rajasthan, where it is drunk with the main meal.[citation needed] It is known to aid digestion[citation needed] and is an excellent coolant in the Indian and Pakistani summers[citation needed]. It is called 'majjige' in Kannada, 'taak' in Marathi, 'majjiga' in Telugu and 'moru' in Tamil and Malayalam.

VEGETABLE PULAO - RICE | MIXED VEG PULAV | SABJI PULAO

I prepared vegetable pulao  on the ocassion of valentines day & served it with gujarati kadhi & plain papad  instead of raita.


Vegetable pulao is a north Indian vegetarian dish that can be easily prepared in the rice cookers within minutes. This dish can also be served with any chicken, mutton or veg side dish or simply enjoyed with raita, pickle and papad.


 It is one of the best one pot dishes in many kitchens during many occasions like dropping of sudden guests at home or feeling like eating something different from the normal routine meal ,tired to cook entire meal etc. It’s a complete balanced dish that can be eaten by its own or accompanied with cucumber or mixed raita.A good option for lunch box.


There is no set rule or method in preparing this dish. You can use either one or any number of vegetables, make it spicy or mild easily molding it to suit your mood for the day.
 Pulao is a dish that is combined with all the ingredients like vegetables, meat, spices cooked together to make the dish but in case of biryani they are half cooked separately and put in layers and cooked on dum (slow process of cooking over a very slow flame).

Ingredients :
Basmati rice or ordinary raw rice -2 cup
Onion - 1
Green chilli -2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Mint leaves - handful
Beans-6-7
Potato -1
Cauliflower -6 florets
Carrot-1
Peas - 1/3 cup
Lemon juice -2 tsp
Oil -2 tsp + ghee - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander cumin powder - 1 tsp
Yoghurt- 3 tsp (optional)
Salt as required.


For the seasoning
Cinnamon -1 inch piece
Cardamom -1
Bay leaf -2
Shahijeera(black cumin) / cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cloves -2
pepper corns - 5
Mace (javitri)-1

For garnishing
Fried cashewnuts -8-10


METHOD:

1. Wash rice & soak it in  water for atleast 30 minutes .Meanwhile cut the vegetables .

2.Add  ghee in a pan and the whole garam masala (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, shahi jeera, bay leaves, javitri) black peppercorns, black cumin. 

3. Saute garam masala next add chopped onions and sauté till they are slightly colored, add salt and ginger garlic paste and sauté.

3. Add chopped  green chillies, mint leaves, chopped cilantro, add a little chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder
4. Add the cut potatoes, sauté the potatoes and add the remaining vegetable like carrots, green peas. Add small amount of yoghurt (optional) and sauté.

5. Add  soaked basmati rice to  above masala  mix well.

6.Add about 3&1/2 cups of hot water to the rice & let it boil.

7. Once water is absorbed cover the lid and then allow cooking until the rice is soft.
8. Fry cashews till brown in oil.
9. Vegetable pulao is ready.   Garnish the pulao with roasted cashewnuts.

Tips:


1.The proportion of water in any rice depends on whether the rice is new-crop or aged. For new-crop rice, the amount of water should be 1.5 times in proportion to the rice. Or if it is aged rice, use double amount of water.
2. Use vegetables depending on the availibility in your home

DUM KA MURGH | HYDERABADI STYLE CHICKEN GRAVY

Dum ka Murgh – Slow cooked Chicken in Aromatic sauce
I discovered this fantastic hyderabadi chicken dish from my friend & tried it last sunday.believe me the end result was simply aromatic.

Dum Ka Murgh is a very rich dish with lot of spices, almonds and cream .

Here goes the  favorite chicken dish that uses a technique called dum, a word derived from the Persian word ‘dum baksh‘  meaning ‘to give breath to’ or cooked in its own juices without the addition of any water.

Ingredients
2 cups sliced onions ( 4 medium onions )
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger
1½ tbsp green chilli paste
1 tbsp ground sesame seeds
2 tbsp  Tomato puree
1½ tbsp ground cashews // 1/2 cup almond paste
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp special garam masala (see below for recipe)
2 ½ cups full-fat yoghurt
500 gm ( whole chicken skinned and cut on the bone into small pieces // boneless cut into 1 inch pieces // drumsticks )
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup chopped mint
Saffron strands, lightly crushed – 1/4 tsp (optional)

GarnishingCoriander leaves,Mint Leaves,Fried onions (barista) and Green chillies washed and fine chopped.

Special garam masala for dum ka murgh
 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoons cloves
3 star anise,
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons mace blade.

Method:

1.  Grind above garam masala ingredients to a fine powder in mixie.

2. In a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the salt to onions and mix.
 

Heat oil in shallow frying pan. Add onions to oil & fry till they turn brown ( caramelise)and set aside.

3. To make marinade: In a clean mixing bowl, add garlic, ginger and
green chilli pastes. Then mix sesame seeds paste, tomato puree,cashews paste /almond paste, saffron,turmeric, garam masala (prepared in step 1), remaining salt and half mint leaves  yoghurt & fried onion. Mix well.

4.Add the chicken to the marinade and mix marinade onto the chickent. Keep this bowl in refridgerator for about 2 hrs.

5.Add oil in a hollow vessel / kadhai  (you can use the leftover oil from frying onions).

6.Place marinated chicken in above  kadhai , making sure that chicken consumes half  of the kadhai space [this helps  the steam in the remaining half of the pan to cook the chicken].

7.Place frying pan /tava  on medium heat. Let pan heat, then place the kadhai with the chicken on the frying pan. Cover saucepan with a lid.

8. Reduce heat and add ½ cup of water to lid . Cook chicken until all the water in lid has evaporated (about 50 mins  for boned chicken *  minutes for boneless). keep stirring in between to ensure that it doesnt get burnt.

9. Remove lid and sprinkle with lemon and mint. Garnish withCoriander leaves/Mint Leaves,Fried onions (barista) and Green chillies.

10.Serve with a rotis ,chapatis or basmati rice.

PANI PURI RECIPE | GOL GAPPAS - PUCHKA

Pani Puri or Puchka or Gol Guppa is my Favourite Indian Chat Pani Poori. Vow the name itself makes your mouth water !!!!!!!!!!

It is the best street food and one of the most popular chaat in India. The taste of Pani and the various fillings vary from region to region.
 

I remember eating panipuris as a child on ALIBAG beaches

Today being saturday I thought of preparing this chat for evening snacks.
 

Crisp semolina puris filled with sprouts and chilled mint flavoured water make a great snack for a hot summer afternoon. They are known as "golgappas" in northern india and as "poochkas" in west bengal. When my favourite "panipuriwallah" is serving me these delightful little puris one after the other, i just go on eating till i can eat no more! sprouts can be replaced by hot ragda to complement the chilled mint water.

 

Making the puris takes some time to master and although they can be bought from a local store, the extra effort put in to make them at home is well worth the trouble. Do remember to store the puris in an air-tight container. You can always refresh them by baking them in a slow oven for 4 to 5 minutes.

Ingredients:


About 30-40 puris’s (store bought or home made)

Spicy Pani
3 cups water
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup coriander leaves
4 -5 green chilli (As per your taste)
1 inch ginger(optional)
1 tsp dry mango powder
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
3 tbsp pani poori masala { I had used Everest brand }  ( If pani puri masala is not available, mix 1/4 tsp chilli powder,1 tsp of chat masala; 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp kala namak (black salt), 1 tbsp tamarind pulp & a pinch of salt. )
1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
Salt to taste

Panipuri filling:
1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes
1 cup  Boondi ( optional)
Moong bean sprouts( Salted) / Boiled chickpeas  (smashed)
Chopped onions (optional)
sev (optional)

 Date and Tamarind Chutney:

8 -10 deseeded dates

2 tbsp tamarind pulp

1/4 cup jaggery

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

-Salt to taste

Method:


For Pani:

• Grind together Mint leaves, Coriander Leaves,ginger and Green chillies in a grinder or hand grinder finely.

• Mix all the ingredients for making pani along with this green mix, and cool it in refrigerator or add some ice to it.
• Check for the taste and adjust the flavours  of tamarind / spices as  per your taste.

For Chutney:
 

Grind all the ingredients, along with little water, to make a thick chutney.

For Filling:

Mix salt n red chilli in potatoes and set aside rest ingredients in separate bowls.

Assemble the Puchka’s/Pani Puri’s:

• Tap the Puri at the center(on the thin fragile side) lightly to make a small hole in it.
• Stuff the puri with about 1 tbsp of the various desired fillings .
• Now add 1 big drop of the Tamarind Chutney.(those who like only spicy and not sweet,like me, can avoid adding it).

• And finally dip filled puri into the chilled pani and there it goes... the crispy-spicy-sweet  tangy puri  into your mouth. Enjoy.

Tips:
 

1) Remember you will be adding more water to dilute so  green paste should be spicier. Strain the paste using water as needed

2) Stir the pani well before dipping the puri's.

3) Serve immediately as the puris will tend to be soggy after some time

HOW TO MAKE CURD AT HOME | HOME MADE DAHI YOGHURT

Curd is frequently required at my home. posting the recipe of making thick & creamy curd.

Yogurt or curd  is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as "yogurt cultures". Fermentation of lactose by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and its characteristic tang.




Ingredients :

Milk - 1/2 litre ( I use heritage  fat free milk but you can use full cream milk too)
Curd - 1 tbsp (use  home made but if you don't have home made curd you can use Amul/Nestle dahi)

Method
1.Boil milk without adding water.
2.Let it cool a bit. If you are using pre- heated milk from fridge  Heat milk until it becomes little hot. Such that you can dip your fingertip.

3 Add 1 tbsp curd  in barni ( yellow container  as seen in picture )and  add warm milk in this container & mix well.

4. Close the lid and keep aside for 10-12 hours(preferably overnight) in  a warm place like your kitchen cupboard / switched off oven.
5. Thick and yummy curd is ready!! Now you can store this in refrigerator.

Tip

1 Using  TUPPERWARE containers  for curd helps in getting a thick & creamier curd & the curd sets fast.

KITCHEN TIPS | COOKING TIPS

Are you looking for cooking tips or kitchen tips. ??

Presenting a new post wherein I will be posting 10 kitchen tips which will make your working in kitchen easy,interesting & enjoyable.

• Almonds: To remove the skin of almonds easily, soak them in hot water for 15-20 minutes.

• Ants: Putting 3-4 cloves in the sugar container will keep the ants at bay.

• Biscuits: If you keep a piece of blotting paper at the bottom of the container, it will keep biscuits fresh for a longer time.

• Butter: Avoid the use of butter. If it is essential to use, use a butter containing low saturated fat or with plant stanols (which avoid absorption of cholesterol by our body) or similar substitutes.

• Apples: Apply some lemon juice on the cut surface of the apple to avoid browning. They will look fresh for a longer time.

• Banana: Apply mashed banana over a burn on your body to have a cooling effect.

• Chopping: Use a wooden board to chop. It will not blunt the knife. Don't use a plastic board, small plastic pieces may go with the vegetables.

• Coriander/Mint: You can use dried coriander and mint leaves in coarse powder form in vegetable curry or chutney, if fresh ones are not available.To keep them fresh for a longer time, wrap them in a muslin cloth and keep in a fridge.

• Cockroaches: Put some boric powder in kitchen in corners and other places. Cockroaches will leave your house.

• Coconut: Immerse coconut in water for 1/2 an hour to remove its hust.

• Dry Fruits: To chop dry fruits, place them in fridge for half an hour before cutting. Take the fruits out and cut them with a hot knife (dip it in hot water before cutting).

RASAM POWDER -PODI |HOME MADE RASAM POWDER

Rasam (Tamil: ரசம், Rasam, Malayalam: രസം), Kannada:ಸಾರು (Saaru), is a South Indian soup. Traditional preparation involves tamarind juice as base in addition to tomato, chili pepper, Pepper, Cumin and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added by some along with any preferred vegetables.

It is eaten with rice or separately as soup. In a traditional meal, it is preceded by a sambar rice course and is followed by curd rice. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to the sambar due to its own seasoning ingredients and is usually fluid in consistency.

Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand into a Rasam Powder which is then readily used. These powders or paste are also available commercially.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pigeon peas /toor dal
1 1/2 cup dhaniyalu / coriander seeds
1/2 cup Jeera/Cumin seeds
1/2 cup black peppercorns
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
10 Red chillies
10-15 dry curry leaves

Preparation :

Measure the ingredients and keep it ready.

Clean and dry out the mixer jar.

Clean and dry out a air tight container to store the rasam powder

Method:

1.In the frying pan, first dry roast, Fenugreek, Jeera and Mustard. Roast till Fenugreek
becomes brown and mustard starts popping. Remove from heating and let it cool.

2.Now add oil in the pan first, put Black pepper. Once black pepper starts bursting,
add chillies and Dhania . toast and turn till it equally fried.

3.When chillies assume a fine shine on the surface, immediately add curry leaves.
Turn three four times and remove it from the pan and immediately spread on a paper sheet or cloth.

4.Once the mixture becomes cold, add Hing (Asafoetida) and put into the mixie for grinding it to powder.
5.Keep it in a air-tight jar or bottle. Shelf life is for 45 days maximum.

Tips :

1. Coarse rasam powder helps to get more clear rasam on the surface.

2. Use microwave oven to dry curry  leaves after washing. This can be also dried in sun light  .
  

Stuffed Bread pakoda|POTATO(ALOO)STUFFED BREAD PAKORA

This was my evening snack on the occassion of valentines day.I had earlier posted recipe for plain bread pakora on my site.There are two types of bread pakora:plain bread pakora and stuffed bread pakora .

The stuffed bread pakora is stuffed with a filling of mashed potatoes, dipped in besan and deep fried. One can be innovative in making the filling. Though, mashed potatoes is a common filling in India, there are other fillings that can be used, like, paneer (cottage cheese filling), soya granules filling and even cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

Batter
2 cup besan (gram flour)
1/2 tea spoon ajwain (seeds of carom plant) ( optional)
1/2 tea spoon chilly powder
1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder
salt to taste
water as needed

Potato /aloo sabji
2 boiled potatoes
2 table spoon chilli ,garlic & ginger  paste (coarsely ground)
1/4 tea spoon minced ginger
1 tbsp kothimbir(coriander )
1/4 tea spoon cumin seeds
7-8 curry leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
1tsp sugar
1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder
1 green chilly chopped
salt to taste

Other ingredients

6 slices of bread
oil for frying

METHOD:

Pakora Batter:

1.Mix all the ingredients and make a thick paste.
2.Keep aside.

 Potato Masala(Stuffing):-

1.Boil & Mash the potato.
2.Heat 1 table spoon oil in the pan. Add cumin seeds,hing,curry leaves,green chilli.saute it for 1 minute.
3.Add ginger, garlic and green chilles paste stir add turmeric,salt,sugar .
4.Add mash potato, mix well. Fry for 2 minutes ,add lemon juice & coriander switch off gas and keep aside.

5.Our batata bhaji /aloo masala stuffing is ready.

Stuffed Bread pakora
1. Place a bread slice on a board .Roll it with a rolling pin.(latna).

2. Spread potato masala on  bread slice .
3. Next  place second bread slice on top of it.

4. Apply pressure with the help of palms on the second slice.

5. Cut the bread diagonnaly with help of a knife.

6.Again cut the traingle further to form a small triangle.

7. Heat the oil in deep pan.
8. Repeat the procedure for remaining three bread.

9. Dip the traingular  breads in batter & spread the besan batter with help of spoon so that pakora will get uniformly coated with batter.

10.Fry the battered  bread slices in the oil.

11.Serve  hot  with  green(pudina kothmir) chutney / tamarind chutney / lasun chutney