Who doesn't love baby potatoes? Carefully selected, golden fried baby potatoes in rich and creamy gravy, this item is sure to be a hit in any party! Just put calorie-counting on hold while gorging on this though :)

This is an interesting south Indian recipe, occasionally served in wedding feasts. I would consider it as a combination of a few south Indian recipes - the vermicelli upma, yogurt rice or raita. My husband and I like this version - it seems to contain the goodness of them all, yet so easy to prepare and serves as a guilt-free one-pot meal.


Ingredients:

vermicelli - 1 cup
carrot(diced)+beans(cut)+cabbage(grated)+peas(boiled) - 1 cup
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
black gram - 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
green chillies - 3
yogurt - 1 1/2 cups (beaten)
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
chaat masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
curry leaves - 1 stalk
cashewnuts - 2 tbsp (broken)
raisins - 1 tsp
salt - 1 tsp (adjust to taste)
asafoetida - a pinch
oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat 2 1/2 cups of water along with vegetables and salt (for about 2 minutes if you use the microwave). Keep aside.

Add cumin powder, chaat masala and a little salt to the beaten yogurt. Mix well and set aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, cashews, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When it splutters, add green chillies and curry leaves. Then add vermicelli and roast until it turns light brown. Add the water+vegetables and cook until done.

Mix in the yogurt mixture. Decorate with raisins and serve fresh.

Note:
Upto twice the quantity of the yogurt sauce can be used, depending on the consistency and taste you like.

Dahi Vada is a cool, mouth-watering Indian snack, especially great for a summer evening. It's a party favorite too. Of course, it takes a lot of effort to prepare, but the result is well worth it. I do not make it very often, but every time I make dahi vada, it gets over before I could turn around!


Ingredients: (to make 20 dahi vadas)

medu (urad) vada - 20 (refer recipe)
yogurt - 2 1/2 cups
milk - 1 cup
chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
chaat masala - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds  - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
oil - 1 tsp

For garnishing:

green chutney (refer recipe)
tamarind-date chutney
boondi
coriander leaves - a handful (finely chopped)

Method:

Drop hot vadas in salted water. Soak for half an hour. Drain and place in plain water. Replace the water a couple of times every 10 minutes until the vadas are no longer oily. Gently press the vadas between palms and place in a deep dish.

Add milk, chilli powder, salt, cumin powder and half the chopped coriander to beaten yogurt in a separate bowl. Mix well. Fry mustard and cumin seeds in a little oil and pour it on the yogurt mixture.

Pour yogurt mixture over the vadas and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Just before serving, add remaining coriander leaves. Drizzle green chutney and tamarind chutney, sprinkle boondi and serve.

I try to add as much fruit to my diet as possible. But sometimes, it is hard to bring myself to eat fruit. This was one of my attempts to "spice up" the fruits.


Ingredients:

seasonal fruits (cut) - 10 pieces
yogurt - 3 tbsp (optional)
sev/boondi - for topping
tamarind chutney - 1 tsp
chaat masala - a pinch

Method:

Arrange cut fruits on a plate. Drop a little yogurt on top of the fruits if you like it. Sprinkle chaat masala. Top it with sev/boondi. Drizzle some tamarind chutney and serve.

Ingredients:

plain yogurt - 1 1/2 cups (beaten)
squash - 1
black gram (urad dal) - 1 tsp
grated coconut - 2 tbsp
corn flour - 2 tbsp
green chillies - 5 medium-sized (adjust according to taste)
currry leaves - 1 stalk
cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
carom seeds (ajwain) - 1 tsp
ginger - 1 inch piece (or 1 tsp ginger paste)
turmeric powder - a pinch
oil - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
coriander/cilantro leaves - a few
salt - 1 tsp (adjust as per taste)

Method:

Soak coconut, carom seeds and cumin seeds in warm water for 5 minutes. Blend with the ginger and green chillies into a coarse paste in a food processor. Cut squash into cubes. Take oil in a sauce pan and add mustard seeds, black gram and curry leaves. When it splutters, add squash, coconut mixture and half a teaspoon of salt. Cook until soft.  Add 1 cup of beaten yogurt, corn flour, turmeric powder and the remaining salt. Boil for a few minutes. Finally, add the remaining yogurt and remove from fire when it just starts to boil. Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves. Serve hot with rice / chapati / tortillas.

Notes:
If the final blob of yogurt is boiled in the mixture for a long time, the gravy will become very dilute.

Ingredients:

mango - 1 big or 2 small
yogurt - 8 tbsp
sugar - 4 tbsp (adjust according to taste)
mango nectar - 1 cup

Method:

Blend all ingredients and serve chilled.