Kachumber Raita is a side dish made out of yogurt mixed with fresh vegetables. The raita compliments a meal, especially pilafs. It tastes good with dal and rice as well.
Kachumber Raita
Kachumber Raita is a variation of Kachumber which is an Indian salsa blend of raw vegetables green chili and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain yogurt (whole or low fat )
- 1 medium onion (chopped fine)
- 1 medium tomato (chopped fine)
- 1 medium Serrano chili (chopped fine, optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped fine—save a little for garnish)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper powder
Instructions
- In a bowl beat yogurt until smooth. If it is too thick add a dash of water.
- Gently stir in salt and pepper and do a taste test. Add more or less salt and pepper if you desire.
- Add the chopped vegetables. Mix all the ingredients so they are well coated with the yogurt.
- Pour into a serving dish and garnish with a sprinkling of chili powder and roasted cumin powder.
Scrambled eggs rolled in with parathas were always a quick and easy go-to for breakfast. It was easy to prepare in a short amount of time for so many kids, and it was substantial!! Along with what we called Tiffin Allu (potatoes), it was a quick fix for lunch on most school days. Some of our friends, tired of their sandwiches, would swap lunch with us, and we would sit and enjoy each other’s meal.
I have also added left-over cooked rice to the eggs as a quick meal. It also tastes great on toast topped with ketchup! My favorite way to have it is with parathas.
Anda ka Bhujiya (Indian-Style Scrambled Eggs)
Scrambled eggs rolled in tortillas or parathas, a quick and easy go-to snack. Also perfect for egg wraps!
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- ½ medium onion (yellow or red)
- 1 Serrano chili (finely diced, optional)
- 2 medium tomatoes (diced)
- 1 tbsp fresh green coriander (choped)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (olive or coconut oil)
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ⅛ tsp pepper or cracked pepped powder
- 3 fresh curry leaves (optional, found at Indian grocery stores)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. They will start to splutter. After about 30 seconds, add the curry leaves and the chopped chili. Stir a couple of times and then add the chopped onions and sauté until onions are translucent and start to brown slightly. About 3 minutes.
- Now add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until tomatoes start to lose their moisture.
- Now add the beaten eggs and stir briskly into the tomato-onion mixture.
- Continue cooking until the eggs are cooked and not runny.
- Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and stir a few times.
- Remove pan from heat and spoon into a serving dish.
- Sprinkle with the remaining chopped coriander.
- Serve for breakfast with toast or parathas.
Notes
You can also use all egg whites or one yolk and the rest egg whites. I prefer it with yolks.
For Egg Wraps:
Wrap the scrambled eggs in tortillas that have been lightly sautéed in a frying pan with a little oil.
For parathas:
You can buy a packet of plain ready made parathas at any Indian Grocery Stores. Trader Joe's also sells great Malabar parathas.
Who hasn’t heard of Tandoori Chicken?
History
-Historians are said to have found the first evidence of a meat preparation which looked like Tandoori Chicken in the ruins of Harappa.
-Tandoor like clay ovens and chicken bones with char marks dated 3000 BC are said to have been unearthed at the excavation sites.
– Ancient Sanskrit treatise Sushruta Samhita mentions meat marinated with mustard powder and fragrant spices being cooked in clay ovens.
Source: To read more, click here, timesofindia.com
Tandoori Chicken
Classic Indian marinated chicken specialty, spiced and grilled to perfection.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken (breasts, bone or boneless, thighs and/or legs—make deep slices in chicken, so it can marinate more thoroughly)
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1½ tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¾ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup plain yogurt (fat free, low fat, or whole milk)
- 2½ tbsp vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice (1 tbsp of lemon juice is approximately the juice of ½ lemon)
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 oz butter
- few drops red food color (optional)
Instructions
- Mix all the spices into a smooth paste.
- Rub into chicken and marinate for at least 6 hours.
- Heat the oven broiler or fire up your barbecue. Place pieces on baking tray or BBQ grill (save the remaining marinade).
- Dot the chicken with butter.
- Bake at 400 degrees or barbecue about 15-20 mins, until golden brown, turning chicken once during cooking.
- Brush occasionally with the marinade to prevent it from drying out.
- When cooked, place on a platter and garnish with fresh sliced onion or Vinegared Red Onions and lemon wedges. Sprinkle with lemon juice and garam masala.
- Serve with naans or rotis.
Notes
Pan Fry:
You can also pan fry the chicken. Place the pan on high heat. Add oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken pieces and quickly sear on each side, lower heat to medium, and let it cook for another 30 minutes, turning over the pieces after 15 minutes.
Our fourth-youngest sibling is at the Indian grocery store. She calls me.
“They have those small round eggplants, you want some?”
“Not really.” I respond, she can’t see the broad smile I have on my face.
“You sure?” she asks, again.
I laugh. “Why? Would you like me to fix them?”
She bursts out laughing. “Yes. I’m picking them up.”
I recall stuffed eggplant was one of Mama’s favorite sabzis. Years later, when she was in poor health, I would fix it for her whenever she had a craving to eat it.
Eggplants are also known as Brinjal or Aubergine and are cooked in a variety of ways.
Bharwa Baingan (Stuffed Eggplant)
Ingredients
- 8 small round eggplants
- 2 medium onions (finely diced)
- 2 large tomatoes (diced)
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 4 tbsp cooking oil (to fry the masala mixture)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (to cook the eggplants)
Masala Mixture
- ¼ tsp tumeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp green cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
Prepare Ahead
- Wash the eggplants. Leaving a small portion of the stalk intact, make a crisscross cut at the rounded edge, splitting the eggplant into four parts held together by the stalk. Set aside.
To Cook
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in Wok or skillet.
- Add the onions and fry onions till ¾ brown.
- Add all the masala mixture, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté until they start to curl, and the oil starts to surface on the edges of the pan.
- Pour the masala mixture into a bowl and cool until it is easier to handle.
To Stuff the Eggplant
- Using a teaspoon, stuff the inside of the eggplants with masala mixture.
- Heat another 2 tbsp oil in the same wok or pan.
- Add the stuffed eggplant.
- Sprinkle about 3-4 tablespoons of water over the eggplants.
- Cover and cook on low heat till tender, stirring occasionally, and carefully so that the eggplants don't break apart, until done. Approximately 15 minutes.
- Garnish with Cilantro.
Notes
Goes well with a dal and rotis or tortillas, or dal and rice. I enjoy it on toast, too.
Variations:
1. If you're pressed for time, just rub the eggplant with the masala. Sauté the onions and tomatoes, and then toss in the eggplant and follow the recipe.
2. Omit the onions and tomatoes. Add ½ teaspoon of amchur (mango powder, available at any Indian grocery store) to the masala. Then rub the masala and salt on the inside of the eggplants and cook them as per the recipe.
Kachumber is a chopped Indian style salsa that is used in lieu of salads. It is simple, healthy, and quick to prepare. Consisting of chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and tossed with lemon or lime juice and seasonings, it is the perfect side dish to any Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, or barbecue meal!
Kachumber (Indian Salsa)
Kachumber is a chopped Indian style salsa that is used in lieu of salads.
Ingredients
- 1 medium red or white onion (finely chopped)
- 1 medium tomato (finely chopped)
- 1 medium Serrano chili (chopped fine, optional or red chili powder, to your taste)
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (washed well and finely chopped)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- juice of ½ lemon or lime (optional)
Instructions
- Place all the chopped ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Optional, add the Serrano chili and toss into the Kachumber. You can substitute the Serrano chili for red chili powder (to your taste, of course!).
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss gently together with a fork.
- Transfer it to a serving bowl.
- Garnish with chopped green cilantro, chili powder, pepper, or cumin powder.
Notes
Kachumber is a great meal to prepare ahead of time as it gives the dish time to soak in all the flavors.
I enjoy it with dal and rice, or as a side to tandoori chicken or tangy barbecue chicken.
Kachumber Raita
You can also add a cup or more (to your taste) of yogurt to the salad and make it into a raita. Omit lemon or lime juice if you are adding yogurt.
Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) Kachumber
You can also add cooked chickpeas and serve the kachumber on a bed of lettuce for a filling main-course salad and serve it with rotis. Or roll it into a wrap.
My youngest sister is visiting. She and her family have just returned from Basel, Switzerland. I am planning the menu with some of her favorites. As a little girl, she used to love Moong dal or Masoor dal mixed with rice, a little curry gravy, and butter until it was mushy. Mama would make the mix into little bite-sized balls to feed her. It was an easy way to get her to eat, and the tradition was continued with the grandkids.
Moong Dal
A hearty lentil soup, packed with flavor and tempered with aromatic spices to satisfy the pickiest eater!
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong dal ( )
- 5 cups water
- 1 tbsp tumeric powder
- 1 oz fresh ginger (grated or finely diced)
- 4 pods fresh garlic (grated or finely diced)
- 1 medium Serrano chili (finely chopped)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Sort lentils and clean of any grit. Rinse at least 3 times. Placed in a large pan, cover with water, and let it soak 30 minutes. This will hasten the cooking process.
- In a large pot (at least 4-5 quarts as lentils expand when cooked), add the lentils, tumeric powder, fresh ginger, garlic, Serrano chili and salt.
- Cook on medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the lentils are well blended but not too mushy. Approximately 30 mins. If the lentil appears too thick, you can add some hot water to bring it to the desired consistency. Dals are like thick soup and not runny.
- Turn heat down to very low and tadka (temper) using one of the following methods.
Tempering #1
- 2 tbsp cooking oil or ghee½ medium onion, chopped fine1 medium tomato, chopped¼ teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
- Heat the oil. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions are half brown.
- Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes lose their moisture and the oil rises to the surface.
- Add the chili powder (optional) and stir.
- Pour the seasonings into the prepared dal. Stir the dal mixture and let it cook again for 3-5 minutes so that the seasoning is absorbed.
- Garnish with fresh green coriander before serving.
Tempering #2
- 1 tbsp cooking oil or clarified butter (ghee)1 tsp cumin seeds½ tsp cumin powder½ tsp garam masala¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)
- Heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and brown lightly for a few seconds.
- Turn off the heat, and add the cumin powder and garam masala.
- Pour the tempering over the prepared dal and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes to absorb the spice flavors.
- Garnish with fresh chopped coriander before serving.
Notes
You can also add cumin seeds and the cumin powder and garam masala to Seasoning #1. There are no hard or fast rules. Just a matter of your taste!
Dal is usually served with a sabzi, rice, or roti and condiments like pickles, papads, or raita.
I love this dal with just plain boiled Basmati rice and spicy Indian pickle.
Remember, cooking times may vary depending on your altitude (it affects the boiling point of water as well as cooking time—no kidding!) and, of course, there is the amount of heat from your stove. If you want to cut the cooking time, you can also first boil the dal in a manual pressure cooker or Instapot. Follow the manual's directions for cooking the lentils. I time it less than the manual indicates, that way I can control the consistency of the dal to my liking.