Cucumber Riata
A refreshing complement to Indian curries like Lamb Biryani and Garlic Naan (Click links or see below for recipes).
Ingredients
- 4 oz yogurt
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup diced cucumber
- Masala or preferred spice blend to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Stir together and enjoy!
Garlic Naan
Naan is very similar to pita bread, except that it’s enriched with a small amount of yogurt, fat, and sugar. This dough is ready to use in as little as 30 minutes and lasts for several days in the fridge. Although traditionally baked in a tandoori oven, naan is easily baked in a pan or griddle. Slather in turmeric, ghee, or butter and enjoy with your favorite Indian meal. see my recipe for lamb biryani and cucumber Riata (Click or see recipes below).
Ingredients
- 1 lb 5oz white flour
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- ½–2 tsp instant yeast
- 2–3 gloves pressed garlic, or ¼–½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup water
- 4 oz yoghurt
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tsp butter or ghee
Instructions
- First you need to decide how much yeast to use. This will depend on when you want your dough to be ready. If you want to use it in the next 30 minutes, use the full 2 teaspoons. If you are making it the day before, use 1/2 teaspoon. make sure the dough is at least 80-90°F.
- Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients, then combine.
- Wait for dough to rise at least 30% in volume before using, preferably 50%-100%.
- Preheat a griddle or pan until just starting to smoke (about 350-400° surface temperature) or preheat your oven to 500°.
- Bake or griddle until dark spots have formed on one side.
Lamb Biryani
This savory, slow-cooked Indian stew is perfect for sopping up with fresh naan (Click link or see recipe below). Serve over steaming aromatic rice (try Charleston Gold in place of Basmati) or mix it together, casserole style. Top off with Cucumber Riata (Click link or see recipes below) for a refreshing contrast to the fiery spices.
Ingredients
- 1/2 –1 lb leg of lamb, cut into cubes no larger than 1-inch
- 1 whole eggplant, cubed
- 4–6 cups spinach
- 4–6 crushed garlic cloves
- 1/2 onion
- 1/cup tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons masala or preferred Indian spice mix.
- 1/4 cup cubed paneer
- 1 tbsp smoked green chili sauce
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup dried apricots
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add onion, garlic, tomato puree and spice blend to pot and simmer until
- tender (about 10 minutes).
- Add eggplant, cashews, raisins and apricots. Cook 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach, lamb and paneer.
- Turn off the heat to allow a gentle finish. Be careful not to overcook.
- Serve with rice (Charleston Gold is a great aromatic closely related to basmati) naan and cucumber raita.