Food Word

Yogurt curry is very popular in Indian subcontinent. In India, yogurt curry preparation changes from region to region. I will give the recipe for making different types of yogurt curry and then you can try them all.

Serves 4, Preparation Time: 10 min., Cooking Time: 30 min.

Common Ingredients:

1) 1 1/2 Cup of plain milk yogurt

2) 8 Tbsp Gram Flour

3) 1/2 Tsp Indus Organics Turmeric Powder

4) 4 Tbsp Corn Oil

5) 2 Tsp Indus Organics Cumin Seeds

6) 10 Indus Organics Malabar Black Peppercorn

7) 6 Indus Organics Clove Buds

8) 2 Tsp Indus Organics Black Mustard Seeds

9) 2 Tsp Indus Organics Fenugreek Seeds

10) Salt per Taste

North Indian Version Additions : 4 Indus Organics Cayenne Pepper Whole

Central Indian Version Additions: 2 Tsp Sugar

South Indian Version Additions: 4 Curry Leaves

Process:

1) Mix the yogurt with gram flour, turmeric, salt and sugar (If you are making central India version)

2) Heat the oil in a heavy pan and add Cumin, Fenugreek Seeds, Peppercorns and Clove

3) Stir the yogurt mixture ensuring that there are no lumps. Add the mixture to the pan

4) Cook for 5-7 min. till consistency resembles that of a thick batter

5) Add curry leaves (If making south Indian version)

Yogurt curry is ready to serve with rice or Indian wheat bread.

This recipe is widely used by people in Northern India to make vegetable rice or Biryani. I like it very much for it’s zesty flavor and wonderful taste. You may want to try at home !.

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes, Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1) 6 tbsp corn oil
2) 1 tsp Indus Organics Cumin Seeds
3) 1 1/2 inch Indus Organics Ceylon Cinnamon Stick
4) 8 Indus Organics Clove Buds
5) 16 Indus Organics Tellicherry Black Peppercorns
6) 8 Indus Organics Green Cardamom Pods
7) 4 Fresh Green Chilies
8) 2 Medium Carrots, Finely Diced
9) 1 1/4 Cup Green Peas
10) 1/2 Cup String Beans
11) 1 Cup Corn Kernels
12) 1/2 Cup Mushroom
13) 2 Cup Basmati Rice (Washed & Strained)
14) 2 tbsp Raisins
15) 4 Stems of Cilantro leaves

Process:
1) Heat the oil in heavy pan and add cumin seeds. When they pop add the whole spices
2) Stir a couple of times and add green chilies, vegetables and salt. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes
3) Add the rice and fry until translucent. Add 2 1/2 cup water and mix gently.
4) Bring to boil and let it simmer on reduced heat until all the vegetables are soft but still crisp
5) Serve hot. Garnish with raisins and cilantro leaves.

Sweet-N-Sour Bengali lentils are my favorite. I thought to share the recipe with others.
Serves: 4, Preparation time: 20 min, Soaking Time: 60 min, Cooking Time: 60 min
Ingredients:
1) 1 1/4 cups Split Gram Lentils
2) 3 1/3 cups Water
3) 1 tsp Indus Organics Turmeric Powder
4) 2 tsp Sugar
5) 3 tbsp Corn Oil
6) 2 tbsp Indus Organic Panch Phoran
7) 4 dried Indus Organics Red Cayenne Pepper Whole
8) 2 Indus Organics Bay Leaves
9) 2 tsp Raisins
Procedure:
1) Simmer the lentils in the water until soft and mushy
2) Add Turmeric powder, Salt and Sugar. Blend well
3) Heat the oil in small pan and add the Organic Panch Phoran. When it crackles, add the Organic Red Cayenne Pepper, Organic Bay Leaves and Raisins. Reduce the heat.
4) Saute for a minute and pour the oil and spices over the lentils
5) Add Water
6) Boil till it becomes a thick soup
Serve in a Bowl and enjoy.

** original recipe taken from Monisha Bhardwaj - Indian Spice Kitchen

Middle eastern food is spicy and new to western world. However, there are variety of mouth watering dishes for vegetarian as well as non-vegetarians. A very commonly used spice blend in almost every home is called Baharat. I have seen this blend in many middle eastern super markets and always wondered about it. I started reading about Iraqi and middle eastern cooking and came across a basic ingredient list with ratios for making baharat. This spice blend has many variations just like curry powder and garam masala in Indian cooking.

Baharat is a plural of bahar and it represents a mixture of wide variety of spices. Bahar is an Arabic word originally used for Black pepper. Baharat varies from region to region, tribe to tribe and even family to family. In middle east, every kitchen has a good selection of spices to make different dishes. Different type of mixture blend is prepared for cooking meat, vegetables, lentils. Most of the spices in middle east are imported from India and the subcontinent. Town of Basra in Iraq is famous for spice blends especially for dates.

You can make a Baharat for yourself by mixing following ingredient proportions. One can experiment with quantities to come up with his/her own Baharat.

You can make a 1 lb of Baharat using the following ingredients. You can choose whole or powder form of spices.

1) Indus Organics Malabar Black Pepper Powder, 2 oz

2) Indus Organic Paprika Powder, 2 oz

3) Indus Organics Cumin Powder, 2 oz

4) Indus Organics Turmeric Powder, 2 oz

5) Indus Organics Coriander Seed/Powder, 2 oz

6) Indus Organics Gourmet Cloves, 5 tbsp

7) Indus Organics Ceylon Cinnamon Powder, 5 tbsp

8) Indus Organics Nutmeg Powder, 5 tbsp

9) Indus Organics Premium Cardamom Pods, 5 tbsp

10) Indus Organics Ginger Powder, 1 tbsp

11) Ground Dried Limes, 5 tbsp

Mixing these ingredients will make a tasteful Baharat spice blend than you won’t find in typical Middle Eastern grocery store. You can buy a pre-mixed garam masala spice blend that is very similar to Iraqi Baharat.

** Above Recipe for Baharat is taken from The Iraqi Cookbook by Lamees Ibrahim.