Dahi vada (lentil dumplings in yogurt) is standard fare at our place during the festive season. Come Diwali or Holi, dahi vadas are made in big batches and, along with chhole and sweets, laid out for visitors during the day. At night, dahi vada is served on the side with poori sabzi. Dishfuls that stocked the fridge in the morning are all lapped up by dinnertime.
Yogurt
Methi Dahi: Fenugreek Flavored Yogurt
Fenugreek seeds (methi) are packed with nutrients and healing properties – no surprise that Ayurveda swears by them. But as it happens with most things are good for you, fenugreek seeds are hard to like. In Indian cooking, fenugreek seeds are usually added in tadka and then picked out by most people (self included), never to be eaten.
I have recently discovered a trick to make these bitter brown devils palatable. This methi dahi (fenugreek flavored yogurt) recipe uses a generous amount of fenugreek seeds without rendering the final dish overly bitter. Here’s how.
Aloo Mooli Kadhi, and a Surefire Way to Prevent Yogurt from Curdling
This aloo mooli kadhi (potato radish sticks in gram flour curry) recipe, adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor’s, is a simpler alternative to pakora kadhi, besides being an interesting way of adding radish (mooli) to the diet. The Indian white radish has a taste so powerfully pungent that one can’t have much of it raw. I like mooli paratha, but other ways of cooking mooli don’t excite me. Aloo mooli kadhi, though, had me sold from the word go. The potatoes tone down the sharpness of mooli, and the yogurt and gram flour cloak it all in a rich, delicious sauce.
Dahi Arbi: Colocasia in Yogurt Sauce
When I cook arbi (colocasia/taro), my default recipe is the tomato-based curried colocasia. Last week I tried something different and loved it: dahi arbi, a pairing of colocasia with yogurt.
Dahi Bhindi: Indian Okra in Ginger Pepper Yogurt Sauce
Okra / bhindi – one of the most versatile vegetables in Indian cuisine. I cook it with onions or without, season it with Indian spices, or sometimes look westwards for inspiration.
Despite the same core ingredient, each of these okra dishes tastes worlds apart. Dahi bhindi (okra cooked in a yogurt-based gravy) is one such unique preparation. The recipe includes besan (gram flour) which adds body to the gravy, and a freshly prepared ginger-pepper blend which gives it a distinct, sharp kick.
Here’s how to make dahi bhindi.
Dahi Chura, a Makar Sankranti Special
Cool homemade yogurt, flattened rice that needs no cooking, honey/jaggery and fresh fruit. A breakfast so healthy it’ll give you a palpable halo around your head. Presenting for you staple morning-time food from Bihar – dahi chura.
