Mint raita yoghurt dip

Finally here comes the time to post famous Mint raita recipe. This rich and fresh yoghurt sauce is a staple in Indian homes as it can be served with almost every dish.  It is essential especially during the hot weather or as an accompaniment for hot and spicy curries as both mint and yoghurt are known for their cooling properties. It balances the richness of Indian dishes and tastes particularly good with stuffed Parathas (flatbread) and Biryanis and Pulaos (rice dishes), but also as a dip for popular starters, like samosas or onion bhajis.

Same as many other Indian recipes, there is no defined formula as such. Raitas are very flexible and depending on your needs adjust the ingredients below to create the taste that suits your personal preferences and various dishes.

(Recipe by Chef Clary Wilson, comments and tips by meJ )

Ingredients:

150g natural yoghurt

1 small piece of cucumber- chopped finely

1 sprig of fresh coriander- chopped finely

½ tsp dried or fresh mint- chopped finely

½ medium sized tomato- chopped finely

2 slices of onion- chopped finely

1 radish grated

½ tsp cumin seeds- dry roasted and grinded into powder

½ fresh chilli- chopped finely

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp mango (amchoor) powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Enjoy!

TIPS:

 Take the fresh yogurt and pass that through a sieve so there are no lumps in it. This should create a perfect consistency of your raita.

As I mentioned earlier you can experiment with ingredients ratio. You can also omit some ingredients. If you decide to use more vegetables your raita will gain a salad consistency. You can decide to reduce the components to make it more sauce like.

I find that cumin might be slightly overpowering, so don’t rush with adding too much of it, unless you really like its strong flavour.

Usually I also replace fresh chilli with hot chilli powder, which adds spiciness and works perfectly if raita is served as a dip for milder snacks in example: pakoras. But if you want to achieve opposite effect and tame the heat of curries with cool raita, you should rather be careful.

If you like strong minty flavour make sure you are using fresh mint leaves. Before mixing them with yoghurt, using mortar and pestle, grind them to a fine paste with a few drops of water.

Egg fried rice

Fried rice is a popular component of Asian cuisine. It’s a staple of all Chinese restaurants in the West.  It is made from steamed rice stir-fried in a wok. Although Westerners usually know it to be a side dish, it can comfortably serve as dinner itself, especially after adding in a few extra vegetables, some chopped up meat or seafood.

The opinion is that egg fried rice should be made with long grain rice, such as basmati or jasmine- which is slightly stickier than most varieties.

You can also spice it up to fit your needs and match different sauce, which is leading to countless variations of fried rice. But whatever recipe you follow it’s always fragrant, tasty and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 cup long-grained rice

2 eggs

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

Oil & butter- for frying

1. First wash the rice carefully to remove the starch so that the grains remain separated after cooking. Boil off the rice as normal in a pot or pressure cooker. For home needs leftover rice is commonly used.
2. The golden rule of stir-frying rice successfully is to always make sure the cooked rice is absolutely cold. So if you using freshly steamed rice make sure it’s cooled beforehand to prevent the grains from sticking together while frying. Spread out the rice in a large baking tray, cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C and slowly reheat cold rice to room-temperature. This process will dry it up and will give it grainy, crispy texture, so the rice won’t be too oily and sticky after frying.
4. Meanwhile beat the egg in a small mixing bowl and put aside. Heat the oil and butter in a wok or large frying pan.  Make sure that the wok is very hot when the rice hits it. When it's shimmering and almost smoking lower the heat and add the rice. Stir-fry turning the rice constantly around the pan, for about 3-4 minutes until completely heated through.
5. Pour the beaten egg mixture to the rice and stir it all together so the egg is absorbed by the rice. If you prefer, you can lightly scramble the egg first by pouring it into one side of the pan and leaving for about 10 seconds so it begins to set. Using a wooden spoon, briskly swirl around the egg to break it up and then toss around with the rice.
6. Season the rice well with soy sauce and Worcester sauce. Stir-fry for a further minute to absorb flavours and serve straight away. Enjoy!

TIPS:

• If you like your rice more crispy keep stir-frying it on a high heat until it smells good and is beginning to get nice little brown crunchy bits.
• There are countless variations of egg fried rice. Most popular is enriched with peas and spring onions, but also bean sprouts, peppers, carrots, green beans or chopped cabbage. For non vegetarian version use chopped up meat, shrimps or favourite seafood. Use vinegar to give a slightly sour taste to the rice or Chinese five-spice for sweeter twist. You can also use lemon juice
• You can also Indianise the rice to compliment your favourite curry.  Fry some ginger and garlic in hot oil before adding the rice. For spicy version add chopped green chillies, for lovely yellow colour- add turmeric- natural food colouring. You can also garnish your rice with garam masala, capsicum and fresh coriander.

Bombay potatoes

Bombay potatoes are one of the most popular Indian side dishes; a great, delicious accompaniment to any curry .In 15 minutes you can prepare this spicy dish and impress family and friends. It's also a great way to use leftover cooked boiled potatoes. Very easy to prepare and really tasty!

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, peeled, parboiled and cut into cubes

1 can chickpeas

Bunch of fresh coriander to garnish

1 tsp Tandoori Mix

½ tsp coriander

Garlic

Ginger

Salt & pepper to taste

Oil & butter to fry

1.      Heat the oil and butter in a pan on a medium heat setting.

2.      When the oil is hot enough, add finely chopped garlic and ginger and fry until aromatic.

3.      Add the tandoori masala and coriander.

4.   Fry this pungent mixture of oil and spices for 1 minute then add the potatoes. Fry for about 4 minutes until the potatoes are smothered in spices and appear to have crispy edges. They will look quite yellow in colour. Add chickpeas. Cover the pan and on a low heat, cook the potatoes for a further 5 minutes.

5.      Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve immediately.

Brown Rice- Pilau Rice

Ingredients
Brown or White rice
Black pepper corns
Cloves
Star anises
Green cardamom pods
Salt 
Red Chilli Peppers
Onions

Step 1
Wash and drain the rice until the water runs clear. You can soak it for about 30 minutes in fresh cold water to make sure you get lovely fluffy rice.

Step 2
Peel the onion then dice finely, chop the chillies (Don’t rub your eyes)

Step 3
Get a pan and put in diced onions and about 4 table spoons of oil. Then add chopped chilli, cloves, star anises, cardamom pods, black pepper corns and salt. Fry on the low heat until onions soften and absorb aroma from spices. When the onions have browned (when you think they are just about to burn) add rice and approx. 8 glasses of water and leave to simmer. When rice is nearly cooked you can add the chick peas.


Tips:
Above recipe for pilau rice can be a base for many variations of this tasty dish. As mentioned you can mix it with chickpeas, carrot, peas, keema-minced meat, potatoes, garlic, etc. You can also experiment with spices by adding cumin or cinnamon to get many different flavours. 

Spicy aloo roast

Another simple recipe for today; an easy way to spice up old boring potato roast.  There are many potato recipes in South Asian cuisine. I think the reason seems to be very obvious. Introduced to India in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, most likely by Portuguese mariners, potato is cheap, calorie-dense and easy-to-digest vegetable. It’s also easy to grow and no matter how you treat it, it’s about to take all the flavours and influences that you input. The starch easily blends and acquires the flavour while pairing up with spices and herbs. So whether it’s a side dish, savoury chaat or elaborate vegetarian curry, potatoes are a great base for many meals.

Ingredients:

5 Medium sized potatoes,

3 garlic cloves- finely chopped,

1” piece fresh root ginger- peeled and finely chopped,

1 red chilli- deseed and finely chopped,

2 tsp paprika,

1 tsp cumin,

1 tsp ground coriander,

2 Tbsp tomato puree,

Fresh coriander to garnish,

1 Tbsp Oil

Salt & black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Peel the potatoes and cut into big chunks. 
2. Mix garlic, ginger, chilli and dry spices in the bowl. Add tomato puree, oil and coriander. Grind into thick paste.
3. Coat the potatoes with the paste mix. Place in a baking tin and bake in a pre-heated oven for 50-60 minutes until crisp and golden.
4. Remove from the oven. Enjoy as a side dish or with salad.

Tips:

·         Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the potatoes to bring out the flavours.

·         Potatoes taste brilliant served with coleslaw as a quick snack- spicy alternative to traditional chips.