Read 1,000 Indian Recipes Online
Authors: Neelam Batra
1
⁄
2
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
3 cups water for soaking the croquettes
1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground paprika or cayenne pepper
1.
Prepare the cumin and the masala, the sonth and mint chutneys, and the croquettes—in advance, if possible.
2.
Place the yogurt in a bowl, mix in the salt, black pepper, cumin, ginger, and mint leaves, and refrigerate until needed.
3.
An hour before serving, put the water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and soak the croquettes until they absorb the water and become soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Press lightly to see if the center is soft; if not, add more water (if necessary) and bring to a boil again over high heat. When the croquettes are soft, remove them from water; let cool. When cool enough to handle, press each croquette between the palms of your hands to squeeze out all the excess water.
4.
Place croquettes in a large flat serving dish and carefully pour the yogurt over the croquettes until they are well-coated. Add more yogurt than you think is necessary, because the croquettes will absorb some of it. Drizzle the sonth chutney over the yogurt, then scatter the mint chutney on top. Garnish with the chile peppers, cilantro, chaat masala, and paprika or cayenne pepper, and serve.
Traditional Urad Dal Croquettes Raita
Dahi-Vadae
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This raita is made with dumplings alternately called
vadae
,
badae
, or
bhallae
in different parts of India, and made and presented much like the
Simple Mung Bean Croquettes Raita
.
Vadae
are made with fermented white urad
dal
, while mung bean croquettes (
pakaudhi
) are made with yellow mung beans. The different legumes yield different croquettes—the urad
dal
ones, here, are a little heavier and more textured.
Vadae
are served at celebrations, which, in Indian families, could be once a week.
10 to 12 (1 recipe)
Punjabi-Style Fermented Urad Bean Croquettes
1
⁄
4
cup any sonth chutney of your choice, such as
Minty Sonth Chutney with Mango Powder and Jaggery
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1
⁄
2
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground black salt
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground asafoetida
4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed +1 fresh green chile pepper, minced with seeds
3 to 4 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1
⁄
2
cup lowfat milk
3 cups water to soak croquettes
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1
⁄
4
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1.
Prepare the croquettes and the sonth chutney. Then, in a small skillet, dry-roast together the cumin, cayenne pepper, black salt, and asafoetida over medium heat, stirring and shaking the pan until fragrant and a few shades darker, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
2.
In a small food processor or blender, process together the ginger and stemmed green chile peppers with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the yogurt to make a smooth paste.
3.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining yogurt and milk until smooth. Mix in the ginger-chile pepper mixture and most of the roasted cumin-cayenne pepper mixture (save some for garnish), and refrigerate.
4.
An hour before serving, put the water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and soak the croquettes until they absorb the water and become soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Press lightly to see if the center is soft; if not, add more water (if necessary) and bring to a boil again over high heat. When the croquettes are soft, remove them from water; let cool. When cool enough to handle, press each croquette between the palms of your hands to squeeze out all the excess water.
5.
Place the croquettes in a serving dish and pour the yogurt on top, ensuring that each croquette is well-coated with yogurt. Add more yogurt than you think is necessary, because the croquettes will absorb some of it. Drizzle the sonth chutney over the yogurt, then sprinkle the reserved cumin-cayenne pepper mixture, paprika, minced green chile pepper, and cilantro on top and serve.
Crispy Urad Dal Croquettes in Yogurt
Sookhae Dahi Bhallae
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Traditionally, the
uraddal
croquettes are soaked before being added to the yogurt. However, occasionally I simply add them to the yogurt, so they retain their crunch. If you do want to soak the croquettes, follow the directions in Step 2 of
Simple Mung Bean Croquettes Raita
.
5 to 6 (
1
⁄
2
recipe)
Mung Bean Croquettes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, dry-roasted and coarsely ground (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)
2 teaspoons
New Delhi Street Food Masala (Papri Masala)
or to taste
1
⁄
4
cup any sonth chutney of your choice, such as
Minty Sonth Chutney with Mango Powder and Jaggery
1
⁄
2
to 1 cup
Fresh Coconut Chutney with Cilantro
3 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1
⁄
2
cup lowfat milk
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 to 2 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds
1 tablespoon minced fresh green mint leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1.
Prepare the croquettes, cumin, masala, and chutneys in advance, if possible. Place the yogurt in a large serving dish, mix in the coconut chutney, milk, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and roasted cumin, and refrigerate until needed.
2.
An hour before serving, cut each croquette in half across the width and add to the yogurt. Mix gently until all of the croquettes are well-coated with yogurt. Drizzle the sonth chutney on top. Garnish with the masala, green chile peppers, mint, and cilantro, and serve.
Meat Raitas
Shredded Chicken Raita
Murgh ka Raita
Makes 4 to 6 servings
What makes this
raita
stand out is the addition of delicious spicy chicken. Truly a rare addition to creamy yogurt, and one that purists may scoff at, but in my opinion, most soft-cooked chicken, such as leftover
tandoori
or grilled chicken, tastes divine in this recipe.
2 to 3 tablespoons
Crushed Lemon and Fresh Red Chile Pepper Pickle
1
⁄
2
recipe
Pan-Cooked Chile-Chicken Thighs
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
2 to 3 tablespoons snipped chives
1.
Prepare the pickle in advance. Prepare the chicken. Shred the chicken pieces by hand or simply mince them in a food processor and set aside.
2.
Place the yogurt in a large serving bowl and mix in the lemon pickle. Add the chicken and mix well. Add the chives and swirl lightly to mix, with some of them visible as a garnish. Serve.
Ground Lamb Raita
Gosht ka Raita
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Kashmir lies on the northern tip of India, with the Himalayan mountain ranges dominating the landscape and the growing season limited to the short summer months, so the Kashmiri people tend to eat a lot more meat-based meals. They are one of the few communities in India that make non-vegetarian
raitas
. This one can be served as a side dish or as a cool entrée in the summer.
1
⁄
4
cup dried yellow split chickpeas (channa dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water
2 teaspoons
Kashmiri Raita Masala
4 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1 cup trimmed and ground leg of lamb
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 large clove fresh garlic, minced
1
⁄
2
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger