• Simple Raita

    For when you don’t have the ingredients or can’t be bothered to make shahi raita.

    Ingredients

    amountingredient
    yogurt
    black pepper
    cumin seeds
    salt

    Process

    Crush the cumin between your palms and mix it (along with the rest of the spices) into the yogurt. Thin with milk to desired consistency.

    Notes

    All amounts are to taste; it’s not that serious.

  • Creamy Garlic Dip

    Credits

    Recipe adapted from Don’t Go Bacon My Heart.

    Ingredients

    amountingredient
    120gmayo
    120gsour cream
    1 Twhite wine vinegar
    1 tspparsley, dried
    1 tsporegano, dried
    1 tspgarlic, minced
    pinchsugar
    pinchsalt

    Process

    • mix all ingredients together in a bowl
    • cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving

    Notes

    The covering and chilling is actual pretty vital to this recipe, although it’s tempting to skip the step. If you eat it right away, the flavors will feel off and disjointed, maybe too sweet or too tart. But once it’s had a chance to meld together in the fridge, everything becomes much more cohesive.

  • Dahi Pallay

    Ingredients

    dumplings (pallay)

    AmountIngredient
    ~½ cupgram flour (besan)
    as neededwater
    1 tspcumin seeds
    to tastesalt
    as neededoil for frying

    Yogurt (dahi)

    AmountIngredient
    1 containeryogurt
    as neededmilk
    2potatoes, medium
    1½ cupschickpeas, cooked
    ⅛ – ¼ tspcayenne peppper
    1 tspcumin seeds
    to tastesalt

    Process

    1. score potatoes (for easy-peel) and set to boil in salted water
      • OR set on trivet in Instant Pot with a cup of water for (8-10 minutes)
        • can also cover with water in Instant Pot (without trivet)
      • OR pierce with a knife and microwave until cooked through (5-10 minutes)
    2. mix the yogurt with milk to thin out until desired consistency is reached (keep it thinner than you want the final dish to be since the pallay will soak up the liquid and thicken the overall mixture, as will refrigeration)
    3. add spices, chickpeas; whisk and set aside in fridge
    4. prepare the pallay batter by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and mixing until there are no lumps; you may need to scrape some lumps against the bottom and sides of the bowl to crush them. use as much water as needed to get a runny consistency, something like crepe batter.
    5. heat frying oil in wok, sauce pot, or something deeper than a frying pan, preferably
    6. drain potatoes, peel, and refrigerate until they’re easy to handle; cubing hot potatoes is a hassle and causes crumbling/smushing
    7. when the oil is ready, dollop blobs and strings of batter in and fry in batches until light or golden brown. vary the shapes so you have some dumpling shapes and some thinner strings or dots. dump fried pallay into large mixing bowl. repeat until all batter is used up.
    8. cover fried pallay in water for 1-2 minutes; check to see that even the hard pieces have softened up, then drain completely and add to yogurt mixture
    9. cube chilled potatoes, add to yogurt mixture
    10. mix until everything is thoroughly coated; refrigerate and serve once fully chilled

    Notes

    • recipe as written is a bare-bones base to build off of; but I often like it just like this

    mix-ins & toppings

    • tomatoes
    • thin-sliced onions
    • some like to sweeten this dish with a little sugar (to taste)
    • a drizzle of tamarind chutney adds sour / tangy notes
    • dahi palla are often served with chaat masala sprinkled on top as a garnish and to add color
    Dahi Pallay
  • Falafel Salad

    Ingredients

    Makes 1 serving

    AmountIngredients
    28ghummus
    100gfalafel
    92gcucumber, peeled, diced
    44gtomatoes, diced
    50gsweet kale salad (salad only)

    Process

    1. Spread hummus around bottom of low bowl or plate; thin with water to desired consistency (use about a teaspoon at a time)
    2. Crumble falafel on top; layer cucumber and tomatoes
    3. Chop up salad kit and add on top
    4. Mix everything together, scraping the hummus from the bottom in the process

    Nutrition

    311 calories

    Notes

    • I used restaurant falafel, but you could use any that you prefer.

    Variations

    • add hot sauce; I’d particularly recommend something with a smoky cumin flavor like a red shug/zhug
    • can also add tahini to help increase the moisture and keep it from being too dry; this will significantly increase the calories
    • can add seasonings like sumac, za’atar, or herbs like mint and cilantro
    • can bulk it up with chickpeas, beans, or chicken
    Falafel Salad
  • Chickpea Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing

    Ingredients

    Chickpea Salad

    AmountIngredients
    180gchickpeas, dry*
    320gcucumber, diced
    45gtomatoes, diced
    22gshallots or red onion, finely diced
    20gcilantro, chopped
    *Can replace with ~2 15oz cans of chickpeas (drained), or 450g cooked & frozen

    Citrus Tahini Dressing

    AmountIngredients
    75gtahini
    50glime juice, fresh
    40glemon juice, fresh
    26gwater
    ½ tspsumac
    to tastesalt

    Process

    1. If using dry beans, add them to instant pot, cover with water by several inches, add salt and seal lid.
    Pressure: High
    Time: 40 minutes
    Release: Quick
    1. Prepare all the ingredients (chop, dice, juice, etc.)
    2. Toss everything together and taste for seasoning

    Notes

    • This dish is best served cold, so if using dry chickpeas, prepare them in the morning or the night before and refrigerate
    • Shallots are milder than onions but super expensive; use red onions if you’re not a Rockefeller
    • Can use all lemon juice or all lime juice, if that’s all you have on hand
    Chickpea Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
  • Canned Peaches in Yogurt

    Pair canned peaches with yogurt, using some of the syrup from the peaches for sweetener.

    Canned Peaches in Yogurt
  • Yogurt

    Ingredients

    Makes 3 cups

    AmountIngredient
    3 cupsmilk
    2 Tyogurt

    I use 2 T to be on the safe side, you can get away with using less than that.

    Process

    Instant Pot

    1. Pour 1 cup of water in the instant pot, set in the trivet and then place 1 glass jar into the pot.
    2. Fill jar with 3 cups of milk (you can skip step 1 and pour the milk directly into the pot).
    3. Cover jar with foil or some other loose-fitting, heat-proof cover
    Steam: 1 minute
    1. After cycle completes and pot is safe to open, let milk cool to room temp and add yogurt; mix to incorporate.
    2. Shut the lid (no need to seal) and press yogurt button; let incubate for 8 hours (it should begin counting down from 8:00).
    3. Refrigerate

    Stovetop

    1. Bring 3 cups of milk to a rolling boil in a medium sauce pot, then turn off the heat and let it cool to room temp.
    2. Pour milk into whatever container it’s meant to set in (old yogurt container, glass jar, etc.). Add 2 T yogurt, mix, and set to incubate in a warm environment (such as the oven with the oven light turned on or a warm area near the stove) for 8 hours.
    3. Refrigerate

    Notes

    • If yogurt is still a bit runny after 8 hours, let it incubate for longer, up to or exceeding an additional 8 hours. It’ll be fine.
    • Yogurt will set up further while refrigerated.
    • Sugar or some flavorings can be added during incubation, though I’ve never tried this.
    • Yogurt can be used any way store-bought plain yogurt would be.
    • Strain for thicker consistency (“Greek style”).
    • Can add milk powder as a thickener, or heavy cream though I’ve never tried either.
    Yogurt
  • Balsamic Reduction

    A cup of balsamic vinegar can be cooked down as-is into a thick, syrupy glaze. This is my preferred method, which I find sweet enough. If you must add sugar, use the recipe below.

    Ingredients

    AmountIngredient
    1 cupbalsamic vinegar
    1 Tsugar

    Any kind of sugar should work here (cane, raw, brown, granulated,). I would avoid powdered, as I haven’t tested that and it tends to behave in sometimes unexpected ways.

    Process

    1. Add all ingredients in a small sauce pot set on medium high heat.
    2. Boil until reduced by half or desired consistency is reached.
    3. Cool to room temp before using (optional)

    Notes

    • Extra reduction can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container, preferably glass.
    • Pairs great with caprese salad, bruschetta, caprese appetizers, drizzled on artisanal pizzas, in paninis, etc. Some rave about drizzling it over vanilla ice cream.
  • Shahi Raita

    All amounts are really to-taste. The below “recipe” is just an approximation.

    Ingredients

    AmountIngredients
    225gyogurt
    1½ tspcumin seeds
    ¼ tspsalt
    ¼ tspblack pepper
    2 Tmint, fresh, ribboned
    2 Tcilantro, fresh, chopped
    120gcucumber, chopped
    70gtomatoes, chopped
    100gmilk

    Process

    1. Combine all the ingredients except milk in a medium sized bowl.
    2. Add milk to thin until desired consistency is reached

    Nutrition

    52 calories per 100g

    Notes

    • I like to keep all the liquid from the tomatoes to help thin out the final product; it might also give it a pretty, slightly pink color.

    Additions & Variations

    • finely diced onions
    • shredded carrots
    • chaat masala (makes it tangy/chatpata)
    • tamarind (makes it a bit tart)
    Shahi Raita
  • Lentil Salad

    Credits

    Recipe adapted from Instant Pot Tangy Lentil Salad.

    Ingredients

    Makes 4 servings

    For the Lentils

    AmountIngredient
    200glentils, brown, dry
    2 cupswater
    2 tspBetter than Bouillon chicken base
    ½ tspthyme
    1bay leaf

    For the Salad

    AmountIngredient
    ¼ cuplemon juice, fresh
    ¼ cuponion, diced
    ½jalapenño, minced
    1 stalkcelery, diced
    1cucumber, mini
    2 Tolive oil, extra virgin
    1 Tgarlic, minced
    ½ tspparsley, dried
    ½ tsporegano, dried
    ¾ tspsalt
    ¼ tspblack pepper

    Process

    1. Add all ingredients under “For the Lentils” to instant pot:
    Pressure: High
    Time: 8 minutes
    Release: Quick
    1. In a medium-sized bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, starting with the lemon, onion, and jalapeño so that they can quick pickle while assembling the rest of the salad.
    2. When lentils are done, discard bay leaf and add contents to salad

    This can be enjoyed warm or cold.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 235 per serving

    Notes

    • You can substitute red bell pepper for the celery (as in picture)
    • If having the salad cold, be sure to wait for the lentils to cool before adding them to salad greens, otherwise they will wilt
    • Tahini can be added (to taste) to make it creamier and give a slight Middle Eastern flavor
    • Picture shows salad on a bed of baby kale
    Lentil Salad

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