Pomegranate Raita

Anardana Raita || Pomegranate Raita

Pomegranate raita is a quick to fix dish that goes well with briyanis and variety rice.  The tangy taste from the yogurt and sweetness and crunchiness from the pomegranate gives you a yummy combo with the spice of briyani and curries.

I like a simple raita to go with.  Not to many additions like cucumber or onions.  I like to savour the pomegranate as the hero in this raita.


anardana raita || pomegrante raita

ingredients
1 pomegranate seeds (they are called arils)
1 small green chilly deseeded and chopped finely (optional)
1 small tub of yogurt
1 small tub of buttermilk
1/4 tsp of cumin powder
1/4 tsp of black powder
salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves

method

1. in a bowl, whisk yogurt and buttermilk together.
2.  add cumin powder and black powder, salt, pomegranate and coriander leaves and mix well
3. serve chill.

note if you do not have buttermilk, just add some water to the yogurt, thickness desired for the raita.

Kushka

Kushka ||குஸ்கா

Kushka is a simple yet flavourful rice dish. It's briyani dish without using any meat. and a South Indian speciality.  Within this they are a few variants of cooking, some one with water only, some a combo of coconut milk or milk with water and some with chicken/meat stock.

This is a lunch meal that goes well together with kurma and raita.  For this kushka I paired it with bhindi ka salan and pomegranate raita.

I used basmathi. I also used the rice cooker to the rice instead of a pressure cooker. Lets look at the ingredients.

Note : 1 cup of basmathi rice liquid to be at 1.5 cups.


Kushka

Ingredients

3 cups of basmathi - washed and soaked for 20mins. and drain
4.5 cups of water
2 red onion - slice finely
5-6 green chilly - slit into 2
1 big tomato - chopped finely
2 medium sized bay leave
2 small stick of cinnamon
2 star anise
3 cardamon
3 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup of yogurt - whisked
4 tbs of ghee
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of chilly powder
1/2 tsp of garam masala
a handful of mint leaves
a handful coriander leaves - chopped coarsely

Garnishing - Mint leaves and fried onion.

Method

1.  In a pot heat ghee. Add in bay leave, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamon, cloves and fennel seeds.  Fry for a few minutes till aromatic.

2.  Add in sliced onions.  Saute with a little salt till soft and brown.  Add in the ginger garlic paste, fry till raw smell is gone.

3.  Add in chilly and all the powders and cook till mix well, stir for a few more minutes.  Add half of the mint and coriander leaves. Mix well and add in tomato.  Cook till the tomato is homogeneous and well mix into a combined paste.

4.  Add in yogurt and mixed well.  Stir in rice, stir well add in water and salt to taste, top up with the balance of coriander leaves and mint leaves and cook till it is done.

Serve with some home made fried onion and mint leaves.  Serve hot.

Vendakai Panchadi || Ladies Finger in Yogurt || Bhendi ka Raita

Sharing you a post that I made a few days ago.  Vendakai pachadi,  Its a quick and easy dish to prepare and goes well with rice, sambar, rasam or curries. Not to forget pappad.

Let's look at its preparation


Ingredients

350 gms ladies finger
1/2 cup of yogurt
2-3green chillies

For tempering

1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 dried chilly
1 sprig of curry leaves
salt to season

Method

1.  Wash and pat dry the ladies finger.
2,  Cut even sizes.
3.  Fry okra with chillies in some oil till brown and crispy.  Set aside
4.  Once cooled, add in yogurt, the thickness of the yogurt is up to you, you may add some water to dilute.  Salt to season.
4.  In a different pan, heat oil and add in mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter, add in dry chilly and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.  Pour into the yogurt mixture and stir well.
5.  Ready to serve.

Enjoy

Sathiarani

Moor Kozlumbhu/Yogurt Curry

Moor Kozlumbhu (Yogurt Curry) is a yogurt based gravy its kind of creamy and little sourish from the yogurt.  It is very simple and easy to prepare and we had together with Takkali Paruppu and Methi Leaves Curry (or actually it turn out to be dry kind of gravy).

Normally my mor kozlumbhu is a very simple way of preparing, having the yogurt or laban diluted, stir fry some onions, spices and allowing to simmer just when it starts to froth.

Thanks to Shanthi of www.shanthisthaligai.blogspot.com

What you need

2 cups of curd
6 lady fingers - halved
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1tsp of toor dhal
1 tsp of jeera
2 or 3 green chillies
1/2 tsp of raw rice
2tbs of coconut (scrapped)
1/2"piece ginger
1/2tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of hing
curry leaves
2tsp of oil
1tsp of ghee
salt

How to do

1.  Blend curd with a little water.  Mix turmeric powder and salt to curd.  Keep aside.

2.  Soak toor dhall, jeera and rice in water for 15mins.  Grind it with coconut, ginger and green chillies to a fine paste.

3.  Cut lady'sfinger into long pieces.

4.  Heat a pan, add oil and ghee, temper with mustard seeds, hign and curry leaves and saute the lady's finger well along with a pinch of salt.  Now add the ground paste and allow it cook till the raw smell goes.

5.  Pour in the bleded curd and heat till frothy.  Do not bring it to a boil.  When boil it will curdle.

6.  Generally,  ladysfinger and ashgourd is used for this kozhambu.  If using ashgourd, boil it with salt and add to the kozhambu.

Enjoy....