The Udupi Kitchen – Cookbook Review - Sihi Kumbalkai Raita

   Cookbooks were my favorite . I am having a bookshelf full of cookbooks and I should say I spend my leisure time with my cookbook collection.

   This was the first time I am posting a review about the cookbook . I thank Westland Limited for sending me this wonderful cookbook The Udupi Kitchen by  Malati Srinivasan  and Geetha Rao.

               

About the Publisher :

 Westland  Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trent Limited , the retail arm of the Tata group , the large diversified industrial group in India.

 They have a huge array of books in every category.

 

About the Authors :

  The Authors of this book are Malati Srinivasan and her daughter , Geetha Roa.

I should mention here the famous Indian cook  Madhur Jaffrey’s words on the authors  “ Both mother and daughter are wonderful cooks. They have the ability to explain udupi cookery with clarity and depth.

About the Book :

 As the title itself reveals , the book is about the udupi cuisine. Yes, it is a book with wonderful recipes of udupi cuisine.

  Though I had heard about udupi  ( a coastal town in Karnataka ) which is famous for its LORD KRISHNA Temple. The cuisine  being vegetarian as the cuisine belongs to the Madhwa Brahmins.

  The front page of the book depicts the picture of  Hayagreeva with a sprig of  Tulsi ( holy basil ) – a famous sweet offering to god.  It was so divine and wonderful  as we Indians start our meal  after offering to god.

    The first few pages were for both author’s notes about how they learnt cooking and their culinary journey. Next , three pages explains about the udupi cuisine. Another two pages for Handy tips. I  am sharing few tips here…..

 

1.     unsalted butter makes the savoury snacks crisper.

2.     Store the homemade masalas filled  in Zip lock packs in the freezer.

 

 The contents of the book were split into 12 sections……

1.    Masala Pudi ( spice powders)

2.   Anna ( Rice)

3.    Beles ( Lentils )

4.   Gojjus ( vegetables in sweet , sour and spicy gravies )

5.    Palyas ( Dry vegetables )

6.   Raitas and yogurt Gravies

7.    Kosambaris ( salads ) and chutneys

8.    Tiffin

9.   Thindi ( savoury snacks )

10.Desserts Payasas

11. Halwas

12.         Sihi Thindi ( confections )

 

Before each section , all the recipes in the section were mentioned in a page.

Few of the recipes from the book  I want to mention here were

 Gojju pudi – Spice powder for Gojju

Bisi Bele Hulianna – Famous rice recipe of Karnataka

Sandige Huli – Red gram Dumplings in spicy gravy

Drakshi Gojju -  Raisins in spicy gravy

Matwade Palya – Fenugreek leaves and lentil crumble

Dindu Raita – yogurt with banana stem

Akki Rotti – Rice flour flatbread

Appe Payasa – milk pudding with fried semolina fritters

Hayagreeva – Bengal  Gram Halwa

 

I will be sharing a recipe from the book which I made on the same day I received

 

                        

 

Overall , the book is worth the price  and a must for those who want to explore various cuisine…….

  You can buy from the Westland publishing’s site directly

www .westlandbooks.in

 or through other online bookstores and in leading bookstores around the world.

 

 

 

 

Cucumber raita / Cucumber Yogurt Dip

 Raita was the yogut based dip , served along with spicy foods like briyani , pulov or stuffed paratha or even with plain roti .My mom makes raitas when she has no time to make any sidedish .We like to raita with plain roti too. Raita was a common sidedish in our family .

Check out my other raitas .

Mint Raita

Potato Raita

Cucumber Carrot Raita 

Capsicum Raita

Bittergourd Raita 

Beetroot Raita

Boondhi Raita

Mango Raita

 The recipe I am sharing today is the cucumber raita , it is the dip made by using grated cucumber with the yogurt.

 Cucumber is rich in water content which avoids dehydration and helps in acting as a body coolant.

I like to have with raita with plain roti.

Requirements :

Grated cucumber – ¼ cup

Curd – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Sugar – ¼ tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – a pinch

Method :

Mix the chilli powder , cumin powder , salt and sugar with the yogurt.

Add in the grated cucumber and mix well.

Sprinkle a pinch of  chilli powder and cumin powder on top.

Serve chill or at room temperature.

Cucumber raita is ready to serve.






 @ Foodelicious

Boondhi Raita / Spicy Yogurt Dip

Raita is a dip made with yogurt mix with vegetables or fruits or crispy snacks like boondhi. Boondhi raita is one of the famous raitas.

  Boondhi is nothing but the crispy small round balls made with the gram flour batter. It is used in making ladoo when made without using chilli powder.

  The boondhi used in making raita is made by mixing gram flour, salt, and chilli powder and fried in hot oil. It is used in south Indian snack.

  This was different from what I make .

Requirements :

Homemade Boondhi – ¾  cup

Yogurt – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Sugar – ¼ tsp

Cumin powder – ¼ tsp

Chilli powder – ¼ tsp

Pepper powder – ¼ tsp

Method :

Soak the boondhi in a cup of warm water for 5 – 10 minutes.

Take out and squeeze out the excess water.

Whisk the curd well.

Add in the salt , sugar , chilli powder , cumin powder and pepper powder , mix well.

Add in the soaked boondhi and mix once and serve.

Chopped coriander leaves can be sprinkled on top . I placed a sprig of mint leaves.

Boondhi Raita is ready to serve.

Note :

store bought boondhi can be used in the raita.

Mango Raita

Raita is an Indian , Pakistani and Bangladeshi condiment made with yogurt and used as a sauce or dip. The yogurt may be seasoned with coriander , cumin , mint , pepper and other herbs and spices.

There are many types of raita made of using vegetables , fruits and greens. It is served along with the Briyani , pulov or with kebab. Yogurt is considered to be good for digestion. Here , mango is used in making this raita. Mango fruit pulp is a good source of vitamin A , C , B6 , folate and potassium, copper and aminoacids.

 This was a sweet raita , I made it for Meena aunty’s Try my recipes and giveaway event.

 This raita was simple uses only four ingredients.

Requirements :

Mango – 1

Curd – 1 cup

Sugar – 2 tsp

Cardamom powder –a pinch

 Method :

 Whisk the curd till it is smooth.

 Peel out the skin of the mango and chop the pulp into fine  pieces.

Add the mango pulp , sugar and cardamom powder , mix well.

 Refrigerate for ten minutes and serve.

Mango Raita is ready to serve.

Serve along with spicy Briyani / pulov.

 @ Homely food

Beetroot raita

 Raita will be a right choice with briyanis , pulov and stuffed chappatis.

  This beetroot raita which has a dark pink colour can be given with any briyani.

Requirements :

Grated beetroot – ½ cup

Curd – 2 cup

Salt to taste

Chilly powder – ½ tsp

Method :

 Add the curd in a large bowl and beat well.

Add grated beetroot , chilly powder and salt.

Mix well and serve chill or as it is.

Mint raita

  

  Raita are good combo with briyani and other variety rice. It can be served with stuffed parathas. Mint is known to be mouth freshener and also aids in digestion. This can be best combo with nonveg dishes.

Requirements :

Mint leaves– ½ cup

curd  - 2 cup

green chilly - 2

grated ginger – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Method :

Grind mint leaves , ginger green chilly and salt

Add  this to the curd.

Serve chill by refrigerating.

http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.in/2012/06/announcing-serve-it-series-serve-it.html

Cucumber carrot raita

   Raita are good combo with briyani and other variety rice. It can be served with stuffed parathas.

Requirements :

Grated cucumber – ½ cup

Grated carrot – ½ cup

Curd - 2 cup

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Method :

 In a bowl , mix the vegetables , salt and masala well.

To this add the curd.

Serve chill by refrigerating.

Bittergourd raita

    Many wont like this veggie because of its bitterness. It has the property of reducing the blood sugar level. It is good for diabetic patients. In this raita , we cant taste any bitterness.

Requirements :

Bittergourd ( cut ) - ½ cup

Curd – 2 cup

Onion – 1

Tomato – 1

Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Salt as required

Method :

Sauté bittergourd in a kadai for five minutes.

Add this to curd along with chopped onion ,tomato and pepper powder.

Raita is ready to serve.

Variation : if you want tempering can add. 

Potato raita

    Potato is a rich source of carbohydrates. This raita will be perfect combination with roti / briyani / pulov.

Requirements :

Potato cubes (boiled ) – ½ cup

Green chili paste – 1 tbs

Curd – 2 cup

Cumin powder – ¼ tsp

Salt as required

Coriander leaves

Method :

Mix chili paste , cumin powder and salt to curd.

Add potato cubes and coriander leaves.

Potato raita is ready to serve.

Capsicum raita

This is one of delicious raita. It is a best combo with chicken briyani and other briyani.

Requirements :

Capsicum ( finely chopped ) – ½ cup

Curd   -  2 cup

Onion – 1

Oil – 1 tbs

Pepper – 1 tsp

Salt as required

Method :

 Heat oil , sauté onion followed by capsicum till partially cooked.

Add pepper powder and salt.

Add this mixture to curd .

Serve with briyani.