Bottle Guard/Ghia/Loki Raita

Ingredients:

• Bottle guard / Ghia – 100gms.
• Water – 1 tbsp.
• Curd – 100gms.
• Salt – ¼ tsp.
• Black Pepper – a dash.
• Roasted cumin seed powder – ¼ tsp.
• Coriander leaves (finally chopped) – 1 tbsp.

Method:

Grate the ghia and boil in 1 tbsp of water till soft on slow fire. Cool and squeeze tightly. Beat the curd and make it of pouring consistency. Now mix ghia in curd with salt and black pepper and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and roasted cumin seeds powder. Chill and serve cold.

Useful Tips:
You can use red chili powder instead of black pepper powder.

Boondi Raita

Ingredients:

How to prepare Boondi:

• Besan/ Bengal gram flour – 50 gms.
• Water – 5 tbsp.
• Salt -1/4 tsp.
• Oil for deep frying.
• Water for soaking – 1 cup.

Method:

Prepare a medium thick batter with besan, salt and water. Beat well and make it light and creamy. Heat oil in a skillet. Drop the batter through a perforated spoon into the hot oil as fine boondi. Fry till light golden and crispy. Now soak in one cup luke warm water for 10 minutes, squeeze it lightly and now it is ready to use in raita.

Boondi Raita:

Ingredients:

• Curd – 200 gms.
• Cream or Malai – 4 tbsp.
• Salt - ½ tsp or as required.
• Black Pepper – a dash.
• Roasted Cumin powder – ½ tsp.
• Red chili powder – ¼ tsp.
• Coriander leaves – finally chopped few spring for garnishing.

Method:

Beat the curd and make it of pouring consistency. Mix malai or cream, salt and squeezed boondi. Put it in a bowl and garnish it with roasted zeera, red chili powder and chopped green coriander leaves. Chill, serve cold.

Useful Tips:

• You can use one tsp. sugar for different taste.
• You can use ready made boondi also.

Raitas are a pleasing and complementary accompaniment both in hot summer and winter.They are made by combing fruits, fresh vegetables, nuts, Besan boondi with curd and seasoning. It's texture should be soft, creamy and thick. Now I am sharing some delicious ratias with you which are most popular in my family and appreciated by both my elders and my sweet daughters always.

Pineapple Raita

Ingredients:

• Curd – 100 gms.
• Canned pineapple – 3-4 slices.
• Salt – 1/6 tsp.
• Fresh Cream or malai 2 tbsp.
• Sugar – 1 tbsp.
• Black Pepper – a dash.
• Roasted cumin powder -1/4 tsp.
  

Method:

Beat the curd and make it of a pouring consistency. Mix cream or malai, sugar and salt in curd.Chop the pineapple fine and mix pineapple pieces in curd. Now garnish it with black pepper and roasted cumin powder, chill, serve cold.

Useful Tips:

• Never use fresh pineapple in Raita. If it is fully ripe then also Raita will became bitter in taste.
• For mix fruit Raita substitute mix fruits as black grapes, grapes, banana, apple, papaya, mango and proceed as in pineapple raita.
• You can use tinned fruits also.
  

KANJEE (Water with Gajar/Carrot)

Ingredients:

• Water - 24 cups.
• Mustard seeds (rai) coarsely ground - 5 tsp.
• Salt- 5 tsp.
• Red chili powder (optional)-1/4 tsp.
• Black or red carrot - 3 cups.

METHOD:
Wash, scrape and cut the carrots into long near about 6 cm long, thin pieces. Add all ingredients to water. Mix well. Store in steel container. Put in the sunlight for 4 days or more to sour.

LASSI (SALTED)
Ingredients:

• Curd - 200 gms.
• Water – 200 ml.
• Refined Oil – 1 tsp.
• Asafotida/Hing – 1 pinch.
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp.
• Coriander seeds – ¼ tsp.
• Black salt – ½ tsp.
• Salt – ½ tsp.
• Dry mint powder – ¼ tsp.
• Garam Masala – ¼ tsp.
• Red chili powder - ¼ tsp.

METHOD:

Blend the curd and water in a grinder for ½ minute. Add black salt, salt, dry mint powder, garam masala, red chili powder in curd .Heat oil in a pan and brown asafoetida, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and sauté for ½ minute. Garnish lassi with this baghar. Now this lassi is ready to serve.

How To Prepare Tamarind Paste

Ingredients

• Seedless Tamarind 25 gm
• Water 1 1/2 cup

Method:

Wash Tamarind and boil in water for five minutes. Cool the content, mash properly and squeeze the tamarind pulp.

Useful Tip:
If we boil the tamarind, it will not be harmful for throat.

Mint And Coriander Chutney ( Green chutney)

Ingredients

• Green coriander leaves 1 cup
  
• Mint Leaves- 1/2 cup
• Small green chilli- 2/3 cup
  
• Tamarind/ Lemon Juice- 5 tbsp
• Water- 1 tbsp

Pick and wash the coriander mint leaves. Discard the hard stems while picking. Grind the coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, salt, tamarind paste/ lemon juice and water to a fine paste.

Quick Tips:

• Chutney can be prepared with mint leaves alone or coriander leaves alone.
• You can add 1 tsp sugar for sweet and sour taste.
• The chutney can be preserved in refrigerator for 3-4 days.