FLAVOURS

As we get ready to wrap up for the week and look forward to a chilled out weekend, thought I'd share a quick and easy to make, yet tasty and light meal that you could try out for lunch either on Saturday or Sunday. You can wind it up with a bowl of fresh fruit, topped with a little fresh cream or ice-cream.

Dahi Kadhi

Ingredients

1 medium-sized bowl of yoghurt (made from 1/2 litre of milk)

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped

6 to 8 curry leaves

Few coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1/4 mustard seeds (rai)

4 tsp oil

1 1/2 tbsp gram flour (besan)

1 pinch turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Put yoghurt in a large bowl and mix well with an eggbeater or blender. Place a thick-bottomed pan on medium flame. Put oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add cumin seeds. After a minute, add ginger, chillies and curry leaves.

A minute later add gram flour and mix well. Now add blended yoghurt and half a cup of water and mix well for a couple of minutes till it comes to a boil. Add turmeric, salt and coriander leaves. Cover and cook on slow flame for one minute. Serve hot with white rice and dry vegetables.

Kadai Paneer Capsicum

Ingredients

2 medium-sized capsicums

3 medium-sized tomatoes

1/2 inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme (ajwain)

1/2 tsp cumin seed powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder (dhania)

4 tbspn oil/ghee

250 gm paneer (cottage cheese)

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

Few coriander leaves, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Wash and chop tomatoes finely. Wash and cut capsicums into small pieces. Cut paneer into half inch cubes and keep aside. Heat oil in a kadai. When hot, reduce flame and add ajwain. When the seeds splutter and change colour, add green chillies and ginger. Now put in onions and stir till light pink. Add tomatoes.

Cover kadai with a fitting lid, ensure that the flame is low and let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes. When they are soft and puree like, add chopped capsicums and dry masalas - cumin seed powder, coriander powder etc - and keep turning for a few minutes. When capiscums are almost cooked add paneer, coriander leaves and salt. Cover and cook on a low flame for two to three minutes. Serve hot, garnished with coriander.

Plain White Rice

Ingredients

1 cup rice

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt to taste

Wash and soak the rice in a bowl of water for about 20 minutes. Heat oil in a pan. After a minute add the rice, salt and stir. Add two cups of water and let the rice boil on a high flame for a few minutes. When the water in the rice dries up and you can observe holes and do not see any water, reduce the flame and cover the pan with a fitting lid.

Let it cook on a slow flame for five to ten minutes. You may open the lid once and turn around the rice. The rice grains should be soft yet separate not sticking to each other. Put off flame and serve hot.