Yoghurt Sutras
One
of the most versatile ingredients in the subcontinent, dahi is an intrinsic
part of our culinary cultures
If the
simple curd-rice is your summer lunch staple, take heart, it is a dish with
pedigree. The Rig Vedatoo mentions karambha, a blended curd-rice dish. Even
before that, curd was an accompaniment to barley, a much older grain. The fact
is this is one food whose history is perhaps as old as the subcontinent’s and
that has remained such an intrinsic part of our cuisine cultures — across
regions and communities — that we take it almost for granted. From dips and
drinks to mains and side dishes, curd is a versatile base. That is if you are
not having it by itself — plain, unadulterated, healthy, satisfying.
One of my earliest food memories is of my grandmother making panchamrita — a ritualistic drink made as an offering to the gods. The recipe is simple enough: five elements (possibly representing the five elements of Hindu metaphysics) mandatorily go into it. Curd, milk that has not been boiled, honey, Ganga jal and tulsi leaves.
In the great Indian tradition of cooking, where everything remains unrecorded and the cook’s talent are prized over precision, no measurements are provided. Also since this is a ritualistic offering, you cannot pre-taste it. All you can hope for is to have a pure heart and divine blessings!
Smooth as Smoothies
Infinitely easier to make are smoothies; chic and in keeping with our globalised palates. Some of the best smoothies I have had this season have been at a space not generally accessible to walk-in customers. The Monin Studio in Gurgaon has a lovely R&D bar for use by restaurateurs. I managed to persuade their talented South African bartender Martin Strobos to give me some tips.
The secret to a good smoothie is not just creamy yoghurt but also the right amount of ice and well milk, an ingredient that we overlook when blitzing the stuff at home. Martin, of course, uses packaged fruit puree which makes the outcome so much more consistent. But there is no stopping you from using fresh seasonal fruit. Just be careful to add almost as much milk as yoghurt.
Dip, Dip, DIp, Add the...
Yoghurt-based dips are popular all over the Mediterranean and in the Arab world. Given India’s trade, political and cultural connections with these regions, it would make for great cultural study to trace the ancestory of our raitas. Tzatziki, the Greek dip flavoured with cucumber and garlic, that functions as a soothing accompaniment to meat grills and patties, is so like the kheera-raita we make every day at home in north India that there has to be some family connection.
Making tzatziki is simple. Drain moisture from curd by hanging it for a few hours in a muslin cloth. Then whisk this with some olive oil, finely minced garlic, white pepper and salt, finely diced cucumbers, chopped parsley or dill. The original recipe has some sour cream as well, but I do not find it necessary to add that. Serve with pita chips. You can even use this as a healthy sandwich spread.
Hung curd combined with cream, a little gelatine and any fruit puree can make for an excellent cheesecake topping. And then there are all those Indian curd-based desserts —from mishti doi (milk needs to be first thickened, caramalised with palm jaggery and then curdled) to shrikhand (hung curd flavoured with cardamom, sugar et al).
Other Side of a Side Dish
My favourite yoghurt recipes are from southern India. Even if you pass up the buttermilk, you can’t help but savour the excellent okra-in-yoghurt side dish from Karnataka that my friend makes. Roast finely-cut bhindi in a little oil till crisp. Whisk thin yoghurt and add these to it. Temper with rai and red chilli powder. It is delicious with hot rice.
Kadhi is known in several forms across north and west India. But what I really like is the freshness of the Tamil more kozhambus, where yoghurt is a significant ingredient in the stew. Chef Ajit Bangera of ITC Grand Chola gives me a lovely recipe.
Take white pumpkin (dice and par boil, set aside) and okra (cut 1” lengthwise). Make a paste with refined oil (heat in a pan), adding whole cumin, whole coriander, whole peppercorn, grated coconut, slit green chilli and turmeric powder in that order. Cool the mixture and grind it to a smooth paste. Now heat this paste in a pan, add whisked yoghurt to which salt has been added, fried okra and parboiled pumpkin. Simmer till the pumpkin absorbs the flavours and is cooked completely. You can now add a few tomato juliennes as well. Temper with mustard seeds, whole red chillies, garlic and curry leaves. It’s a delicious main dish.
One of my earliest food memories is of my grandmother making panchamrita — a ritualistic drink made as an offering to the gods. The recipe is simple enough: five elements (possibly representing the five elements of Hindu metaphysics) mandatorily go into it. Curd, milk that has not been boiled, honey, Ganga jal and tulsi leaves.
In the great Indian tradition of cooking, where everything remains unrecorded and the cook’s talent are prized over precision, no measurements are provided. Also since this is a ritualistic offering, you cannot pre-taste it. All you can hope for is to have a pure heart and divine blessings!
Smooth as Smoothies
Infinitely easier to make are smoothies; chic and in keeping with our globalised palates. Some of the best smoothies I have had this season have been at a space not generally accessible to walk-in customers. The Monin Studio in Gurgaon has a lovely R&D bar for use by restaurateurs. I managed to persuade their talented South African bartender Martin Strobos to give me some tips.
The secret to a good smoothie is not just creamy yoghurt but also the right amount of ice and well milk, an ingredient that we overlook when blitzing the stuff at home. Martin, of course, uses packaged fruit puree which makes the outcome so much more consistent. But there is no stopping you from using fresh seasonal fruit. Just be careful to add almost as much milk as yoghurt.
Dip, Dip, DIp, Add the...
Yoghurt-based dips are popular all over the Mediterranean and in the Arab world. Given India’s trade, political and cultural connections with these regions, it would make for great cultural study to trace the ancestory of our raitas. Tzatziki, the Greek dip flavoured with cucumber and garlic, that functions as a soothing accompaniment to meat grills and patties, is so like the kheera-raita we make every day at home in north India that there has to be some family connection.
Making tzatziki is simple. Drain moisture from curd by hanging it for a few hours in a muslin cloth. Then whisk this with some olive oil, finely minced garlic, white pepper and salt, finely diced cucumbers, chopped parsley or dill. The original recipe has some sour cream as well, but I do not find it necessary to add that. Serve with pita chips. You can even use this as a healthy sandwich spread.
Hung curd combined with cream, a little gelatine and any fruit puree can make for an excellent cheesecake topping. And then there are all those Indian curd-based desserts —from mishti doi (milk needs to be first thickened, caramalised with palm jaggery and then curdled) to shrikhand (hung curd flavoured with cardamom, sugar et al).
Other Side of a Side Dish
My favourite yoghurt recipes are from southern India. Even if you pass up the buttermilk, you can’t help but savour the excellent okra-in-yoghurt side dish from Karnataka that my friend makes. Roast finely-cut bhindi in a little oil till crisp. Whisk thin yoghurt and add these to it. Temper with rai and red chilli powder. It is delicious with hot rice.
Kadhi is known in several forms across north and west India. But what I really like is the freshness of the Tamil more kozhambus, where yoghurt is a significant ingredient in the stew. Chef Ajit Bangera of ITC Grand Chola gives me a lovely recipe.
Take white pumpkin (dice and par boil, set aside) and okra (cut 1” lengthwise). Make a paste with refined oil (heat in a pan), adding whole cumin, whole coriander, whole peppercorn, grated coconut, slit green chilli and turmeric powder in that order. Cool the mixture and grind it to a smooth paste. Now heat this paste in a pan, add whisked yoghurt to which salt has been added, fried okra and parboiled pumpkin. Simmer till the pumpkin absorbs the flavours and is cooked completely. You can now add a few tomato juliennes as well. Temper with mustard seeds, whole red chillies, garlic and curry leaves. It’s a delicious main dish.
Summer Coolers
Yoghurt is, of course, a preferred
summer food. So what are the special summer ingredients that you could combine
with yoghurt? Bharti Sanghi, a home cook, points to a now disappearing-from-our
tables ingredient called fogele. This is a small black seed (from Bikaner and
is available only in Rajasthan), an excellent cooling ingredient. Clean, wash
and boil the fogele, strain and keep aside. Whisk yoghurt with salt, roasted
cumin powder a pinch of sugar. Add the fogele. The raita is ready. Bel fruit or
woodapple is also a summer staple and you can make a smoothie with it. Sanghi
suggests a simplerecipe: take yoghurt, honey and bel pulp and blitz it in the
mixie. Strain and serve chilled.
:: Anoothi Vishal The writer is a Delhi-based food writer &
curates food festivals
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