Pahari /Kumaoni Kheere Ka Raita (Cucumber and curd preparation)

Pahari Kheere Ka Raita

There are many ways of preparing cucumber raita; my favorite is Kumauni kheere ka raita. It has got a tangy taste and makes a very good accompaniment with all vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes. In Uttarakhand though it is eaten with each and every meal but dry potato vegetable, puri and raita is the most popular combination. I can never forget the chill of December and hot aloo ki sabji, piping hot puri and raita served most lovingly by my dear mom. The smell and taste lingers till now. Try this raita I can assure you and your family are going to love it.

Preparation: Time 15 min.

Servings: 5 – 6 medium  helpings

Ingredients Required For Making Raita:

• 250 gm. Kheera (cucumber)

• 250 gm. Thick Curd

• 1 Tea spoon Mustard Seeds (Yellow mustard seeds are best for it)

• 1 tea spoon paste of green chili / finely cut green chili

• Salt to taste

• 1/4 Tea spoon Turmeric powder

• 1 Tea spoon powder of roasted Cumin seeds

• 1/2 Tea spoon Red chili

• Few sprigs of coriander leaves

Directions  For Making Kheere Ka Raita:

• Grind the mustard seeds with water into paste filter it and keep aside or make fine powder of mustard seeds.

Filtered Paste of Mustard seeds

Mustard Paste

• Wash and peel the cucumber.

Peeled Cucumber

• Remove the inner soft part with seeds.

Pulpy portion of Cucumber not to be used in Raita

•  Grate the remaining part of cucumber.

Center pulpy portion of cucumber removed

• Squeeze the water from grated cucumber and keep it aside.

Grated Cucumber

•  Beat the curd add grated cucumber to it and mix it.

Cucumber mixed in Curd

•  Add salt, turmeric powder, mustard seed paste / powder, green chili paste / finely cut green chili and mix nicely.

Green Chili, Mustard powder, Turmeric powder salt added to curd and cucumber

• Keep it aside for at least 30 min. for the flavor of mustard seeds to come out and give the tangy taste to the Raita.

• Take the raita in a serving bowl and decorate it with roasted cumin seed powder and red chili powder / any green herb of your liking.

• Wash and drain coriander sprig, cut finely.

• Garnish the decorated raita with the coriander leaves.

• Tangy raita with wonderful flavor is ready.

• Serve this raita with any type of meal it goes well with everything.

• Kumauni fare would be raita, aloo Gutuk and puri.

Pahari Kheere Ka Raita

Tips:

• Make sure all inner pulp with seeds is completely removed.

• Squeeze away as much water from grated cucumber as possible to get thick raita.

• Do not throw the water you get by squeezing the cucumber; use it for making dough of Roti / puri.

Suggested Variations:

• Radish or Potato can be used in the absence of cucumber.

• If radish or potato are used then they have to be peeled before grating and then boiled in salted water till they become soft and cooked.

• Cool after boiling then squeeze excess water  and then put into thick curd

Palak Ka Kapa ( Kumauni style Spinach vegetable)

Palak Ka Kapa

Palak (Spinach) is rich in iron. I find fresh green spinach so tempting that I cook it in different ways and have it for either lunch or dinner almost thrice or four times a week. Apart from palak paneer, Corn with palak, Aloo palak, Palak ka kapa is one preparation I love to cook as it is easy to cook and eat it with Dal and Chawal (cooked rice) as it is so tasty that I can eat rice only with Palak ka kapa.  As in this preparation of palak, palak is not cooked for too long so it retains all its nutrients and lovely green color. It is a Kumauni preparation of palak and almost a must with Arhar ki Dal / Dubke along with Chawal and Dhania Pudina chutney.

Preparation Time: 10 min.

Cooking Time 5-10min.

Servings: 6 large servings

Ingredients required for Making Palak Ka Kapa:

• 1Bunch Palak (250 gm.)
• 15-20gm. Rice flour (wheat flour or Besan in the absence of rice flour)
• 1/2Teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1/2Tea spoon Red chili powder
• 2-3 Whole Red chilies
• Pinch Asafoetida
• 1/4Teaspoon Cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• 5 ml. mustard oil or any cooking oil
• Water

Direction for Making Palak Ka Kapa:

• Clean Palak for any yellow and rotten leaves.
• Remove the root part from sprigs of Palak.
• Wash Cleaned palak in flowing water till water from washing comes out clean.
• Drain water by keeping the washed water in a sieve.
• Cut the cleaned, washed palak very fine.

Finely cut Palak (spinach)

• Take oil in a wok (if you have Iron wok then it is the best)and heat on high flame till smoking hot.
• Add cumin seeds and whole red chilies.
• Cumin seeds will splutter and red chilies will become dark in color quickly.
• Immediately add rice flour and asafoetida and cook toll the color of rice flour becomes light brown.

Rice flour shallow fried with spices in oil to brown color

• Add finely cut palak to it and mix nicely.

Palak added to the seasonings and rice flour mixture

•  Add salt, chili powder and turmeric powder. 

Turmeric, Salt and red chili powder added to the palak

• Mix and mash with the ladle.

Mixed and mashed

• Add 250ml. water and cook on high flame with regular stirring and mashing for 4-5 min.

Water added to palak

After cooking for 5 min. with mashing and stirring

• Cover and switch off the gas and let it cook in the heat it has retained.
• Remove in a serving bowl and serve with steaming hot boiled rice and Dal /Kadi  

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/03/kadi-thick-gravy-of-besan-in-curd-with.html

 Or Dubke 

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/dubke-thick-gravy-of-dal-paste-with.html Palak Ka Kapa

 Tips:

• Wash palak in flowing water as lots of water is required to remove all dirt and soil from it.
• Cut palak very thin and fine.
• Do not over cook palak other wise it will loose its beautiful green color and taste.
• Over cooking causes loss of nutrients present in it.
• Do not let the flour become very dark in color as it would change the color ot Kapa also give a burnt taste to it.
• When the oil is smoking hot immediately add the seasonings do not let the oil heating for long.
• Do not add asafoetida along with cumin and chili as the hot oil will cause evaporation of the essential oil in it which gives the flavor and has medicinal properties.

Suggested Variations:

• Mustard oil can be replaced by any other cooking oil of your choice but the typical Kumauni taste comes with mustard oil only.

• Rice flour can be replaced by Whole wheat flour or besan, but try to have preferably rice flour otherwise wheat flour besan should be last choice.

Badeel (Low calorie Snack/Appetizer)

Badeel

My daughter's would be in laws were to visit our house for the first time so I wanted to make something Authentic Kumauni. And what did I make in snacks?? oh yes Badeel!!! They were an instant hit with all of them specially my daughter's would be Mom in law as she is fitness and weight conscious, hence calorie conscious. Now 5 yrs. after my daughter's marriage, she makes it when ever her in laws are at her house, and it is totally relished.
Ingredients required

• 250gm. Chana dal washed and soaked for 3-4 hrs.
• Salt to taste
• Chilly powder to taste.
• Cooking oil 100 ml (for frying)
• 2-3 Green chilies finely cut.
• 1/2 tea spoon Turmeric powder
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds(1/2Teaspoon for seasoning , 1/2 Teaspoon for garnishing)
• 1 Tea spoon Mustard seeds ( 1/2 Teaspoon for seasoning, 1/2 Teaspoon for garnishing)

Directions to prepare Badeel

• Grind the soaked dal to smooth paste .

Dal paste

• Take oil in a kadhai and heat.
• When the oil is hot add , mustard seeds, cumin seeds,green chilies into it.

Green chillies, cumin mustard seed in hot oil

• When the seeds start spluttering and the green chilies turn slightly darker, or slight change in their color is observed, add the following and mix thoroughly:
• Dal paste
• Turmeric powder
• Salt
• Chilli powder



Dal paste with salt, turmeric powder, and seasoning 

• If the mixture sticks to the kadai then sprinkle some water occasionally.

•  When the mixture changes the color and starts leaving the sides of kadhai then sprinkle 1/2 cup of water to it.

• Cover and cook on low flame for 5 min.

Cooked mixture ready to be taken on a plate 

• Grease a plate, take the mixture in it and flatten the mixture nicely by patting .

Cooked dal mixture on a plate ready to be patted flat

Cooked dal mixture flattened on a plate

• When the mixture is cooled cut it to required size pieces.

•  Shallow fry them will little amount of oil place on a serving dish.

• Heat 1 teaspoon of oil, add the following and let them splutter (tadka) : 
• Mustard seeds
• 2-3 red dry chilies 
• Spread the hot oil with spluttered mustard seeds and chilly pieces on to the pieces in the plate.

Badeel

• As they have no starch, or fatty substance, they are low in calories and high in protein.

Enjoy Badeel as hot snacks  with Dhaniya/ Pudina ( mint leaves) chutney/raw amngo chutney or red Chili sauce 

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/hariyali-chutney-raw-mango-chutney.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2011/09/red-and-green-chilly-sauce.html

Tips:

• Do not add too much water while grinding.Lentil

• Take non-stick wok to reduce the amount of oil. 

Suggested Variation:  

•  The flavor can be changed by adding fresh coriander/ methi/ mint/ powder of dry methi leaves/finely cut onions to the dal paste. 

• Chana dal can be replaced by lentil , Tur dal ( Arahar dal ) or moong dal .