Green Apple Pachadi

We Malayalees have very few festivals when compared to the rest of the country, and Onam is one of them. Like any Indian festival there is always food involved in the celebration and we too had a modest sadhya (feast) at home, with a couple of friends.

A few tart green apples have been sitting on my kitchen counter for over a week and  when the menu planning for the sadhya was going on, I told my husband that I might make apple pickle instead of the traditional mango pickle. He wasn’t too thrilled about the idea because he loves the mango pickle I make. The idea was in the back of my head when we went shopping, and to his joy, the store had fresh mangoes. With the mango safely in the shopping basket, he happily says, “Why not make both?”

Anyway, on the day of the sadhya, I was contemplating about making a pachadi with okra when he suggested making it with the apples instead. I thought it was a brilliant idea and the result…an absolutely delicious pachadi, with crunchy apple pieces and a mild pungency of the ground mustard. Here’s what I did.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

Chopped green apple – ¼ cup

Grated coconut – 3 tbsps

Mustard seeds – 2 tsps

Curd – 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Method

Grind together the coconut and mustard seeds to make a smooth paste. Remove into a bowl, add salt, and curd. Mix well to combine.

Add the chopped apples and mix.

Though I served it at room temperature for the sadhya, I realized that it actually tastes better chilled. So you could make this ahead and enjoy with a sadhya or simply with rotis. Tastes great either way. Bon Appètit.

 

Note: Raw mustard has a slightly pungent taste, which some people may not savor.

Fruit Popsicles

Is it just me, or is this year getting over too soon? It feels like just yesterday when a few of my friends and I were discussing how beautiful spring was and how welcoming the summer sun was. And now it looks like fall is at our doorsteps already!

In order to keep the summer scene going on for a bit longer, here’s a super simple, absolutely refreshing popsicle. Made with fresh fruits, fruit juice, and yogurt, I am sure you can’t get a healthier dessert/snack than this. I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website and fell in love with its simplicity. The original recipe had white grape juice, blueberries, kiwis, and peaches. I think the idea was to use any clear juice to highlight the colors of the fruits you use. I have used a mixed fruit juice, fresh blueberries, and strawberries. You could use frozen berries too, considering that the popsicles go back to the freezer to set.

When I was about to start filling the molds, I had the idea of making some with yogurt, so here you go; two types of healthy, refreshing popsicles. These are so simple to make that you could easily get your kids involved.  

Ingredients (Depending on how many popsicles you make)

Blueberries

Strawberries (sliced into long strips)

Orange-banana-pineapple juice

Yogurt

Honey

Method

Wash the berries, slice the strawberries, and keep aside. You can cut the fruits to suit the size and shape of your popsicle molds.

Sweeten the yogurt with honey and keep aside. I sweetened it very mildly, but you could make it to suit your taste.

Fill the molds, almost to the brim, with the fruits. I have two sets of four, so I decided to make four each of the juice and yogurt versions.

Now pour in the juice to fill the molds, making sure it won’t spill when you put the tops on. Similarly, fill in the yogurt too and place the tops. Freeze for 6-8 hours.

You might have to run the molds under the tap to loosen the popsicles. Unmold and bite into a mouthful of joy! Bon Appètit.

 

Bottle Gourd (Lauki) Raitha

The Square Meals duo apologizes for being MIA for a month and a half…we are extremely sorry, once again. 

Deliciously Yours,

Square Meals

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Summer 2013 was erratic, for lack of a better word. I reached Chennai in time for the dreaded Agni Nakshathram (supposedly the hottest days in Chennai), and survived them without much trouble. It cooled down a bit and then came June with even hotter days. Those I had trouble with, maybe because it was unexpected, unlike the scheduled ones in May. Anyway, all said and done, the heat waves of Chennai gave me ample opportunities to savor some delightful raithas and thirst-quenching buttermilk…which I am missing now!!!

It was during that time that I enjoyed this refreshing raitha that my mother made for dinner one night. We had it with chapathis and I fell in love with the combination of yogurt and bottle gourd. It is the best thing that can happen to your body at the end of (or middle of) a hot summer day, trust me.

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

Bottle gourd – 3/4^th cup (grated)

Yogurt – 1 cup

Finely chopped green chilies – 1-2

Cumin powder – a pinch

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Peel and grate the bottle gourd. Heat oil in a small pan and add the bottle gourd to it. Add a pinch of salt and sauté for about 4-5 minutes; just to ensure that the raw taste/smell is gone. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely. Meanwhile, beat together the yogurt, green chilies, cumin powder and some salt. Keep chilled. Once the bottle gourd has cooled completely, add to the yogurt mixture, mix well and add more salt if required. Serve chilled with parathas, chapathis, pulav etc. Bon Appétit.

P.S. I have mentioned that this quantity can serve 2-3 people…but if you are like me and love a good raitha, this might just be enough for one.

Baked Mishti Doi, if you will!

I had seen this recipe on a fellow blogger’s page and had fallen in love with the dish, even before tasting it. It sounded simple and delicious, an unbeatable combination. Because most of my experiments are done at the spur of the moment, there are always a few ingredients missing from my stock. It happened here too, but the final product had the texture and flavor described in the blog, so I claim it a successful trial!

Ingredients

Thick yogurt – 1 cup

Sweetened condensed milk (I used low fat) – 6-7 tbsps (or more to taste)

Grape jam (or any jam of your choice) – 2 tbsps

                                       

Method

Preheat the oven to 250^o F. Mix the yogurt, condensed milk and jam and place in an oven proof dish. These can be made in many small ramekins for individual servings or in a bigger one. Place the dish(es) in a deep baking pan filled with water, coming up a quarter way up the dish(es).

Bake for 20 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the mixture inside until the oven cools down. By this time, the yogurt mixture will have set completely. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours, garnish with fresh fruits or chopped nuts and serve chilled.

For a more cheese cake like feel, make a quick crust with marie/digestive biscuits and butter. Powder the biscuits and butter together, place in a cupcake liner/pie tin and press well to make a nice crust. I tried it with just one biscuit, 1 tsp of butter and two cupcake liners, so I just put it in the freezer for a couple of hours. If you are planning to make a bigger version, you can either refrigerate it or bake it at 350 ^o F for 8-10 minutes. Bon Appétit.

Here is the link to the original recipe - http://renuka-pinchofsalt.blogspot.com/2012/04/of-memories-crossing-100-and-guest-post.html.

I loved every bit of this recipe, the simplicity of the process, the final product and most of all, licking clean the can of condensed milk. Thank you, Renuka and Ruchira for this wonderful recipe.

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