Indian Recipes

I saw and got some fun international kids' cookbooks at the library recently. We've tried some of the recipes and I wanted to save some of them, too.

Fruit Lassi - Cooking the Indian Way

1 C plain yogurt
1 1/2 C ice cold water
2 ripe bananas or half a mango
2 T sugar

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend 15 seconds or until frothy. Serve immediately.

Yogurt Chicken

3 1/2 - 4 lbs. chicken pieces
1 t salt
1 green chili, finely chopped
1 C plain yogurt
1/4 C fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 T fresh ginger, chopped
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 C butter, melted

Prick chicken all over and place in a large bowl. In small bowl combine salt, chili, yogurt, coriander leaves, ginger, and garlic and mix well. Marinate 6 hours or overnight.

To cook, preheat oven to 400. Pour half the melted butter into a roasting pan. Put chicken into pan and pour yogurt mix on top. Place pan in middle of oven and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue roasting, basting frequently with remaining butter and pan juices for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken and place on serving platter. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Puris

2 1/2 C WW flour
2 T butter
1 t salt
1 C lukewarm water
2 T vegetable oil

Put  2 C flour into a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into small pieces. Make a hollow in the flour and add butter. Rub butter into flour until mixture looks like large bread crumbs. Mix salt into water. Add enough water, a little at a time, to flour mixture to make a firm (but not stiff) dough. Knead for about 5 - 10 minutes. Cover with damp cloth and let stand at room temp for at least an hour. Divide into pieces the size of walnuts. Roll into a smooth ball with your hands. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 C flour onto flat surface. With floured rolling pin, roll each ball until it resembles a think pancake, about 1/8" thick.  Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Place puri in oil, one at a time. Using a spatula, carefully splash oil onto puris while frying. This will make puris puff up and will cook the top side of each one. Fry about 2 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towel. Brush cooked puris with butter and serve warm.

To make chapatis, cook each circle of dough in a skillet without oil. when small brown spots appear on bottom of dough and edges begin to curl up (about a minute), turn chapati over with a spatula. Cook another 1-2 min. Serve hot.

Banana Yogurt

1 1/2 C plain yogurt
2 large banans, peeled and sliced
1/4 C flaked cocnut
1 green chili, finely chopped
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t garam masala or 1/4 t each ground coriander and ground cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 t chopped fresh coriander leaves

In a medium bowl, beat yogurt until smooth. Stir in banas, coconut, chili, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt. Cover and chill at least an hour. Just before serving, sprinkle on coriander leaves.
For breakfast, add seasonal fruits and garnish with slivered almonds or granola.