Dahi Pakora(Fritters in yogurt sauce)

Dahi Pakora: This is one of the most popular dishes all over India.  It is essentially fritters in yogurt sauce sprinkled with Tamarind chutney. It has a cooling effect from the yogurt, spicy flavor from the fritters and a sweet and tangy flavour from the Tamarind chutney. It's usage is fairly versatile in that it's served up as a party snack, dessert or even as an appetizer. More commonly though, it's the favorite afternoon teatime snack.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup wheat flour
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 to 3 finely chopped green chilies or 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
-  salt
- water
- 1 cup of butter milk
- Oil for frying

Yogurt Sauce:

- 900 gms Yogurt beaten into a smooth consistency without any lumps
- salt
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch of salt

Tamarind chutney:

- 1 tbsp of tamarind extract/paste
- Add water to make it smooth and thick (not too watery)
- Add a small piece of jaggery (unrefined cane sugar which you can get in Indian stores)
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- pinch of salt

Preparation:
 - In a mixing bowl take wheat flour, chickpea flour, chilies, ginger garlic paste and salt.
 - Mix together. Add water and mix to make a batter
 - Consistency of the mixture should not be too watery nor too thick.
 - Keep this fritter batter mixture aside for 1/2 hour.
 - For the yogurt sauce take the smooth and beaten yogurt in a serving bowl.
- Add salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, sugar and mix well.
 - If you feel that the yogurt sauce is too thick you can add in a little bit of  buttermilk. The yogurt sauce is ready.
 - For the tamarind chutney, simply mix the ingredients listed above in a bowl.
 - Back to the fritters, heat oil in a wok/kadai.
 - Put in small portions of the batter into the heated oil to make small round balls. Fry them on both sides till golden brown.
 -  Repeat this process till all the fritters are fried
 - Once golden brown remove fritters from the oil and drop them into the buttermilk. Keep them in buttermilk for a minute. Then gently squeeze out the water from the fritters and put them in the yogurt sauce.
 - Garnish the fritters in yogurt sauce with finely chopped cilantro. You can keep this in the refrigerator until serving time.
 - In a small bowl put the fritters with the yogurt sauce. On top, add a tbsp of  tamarind chutney and a sprinkling of paprika or cayenne or just plain red chili powder.
 - The bowl of Dahi pakora is ready to serve (one person).

Pumpkin Curry

Pumpkin Curry: This is a popular dish from the southern state of Mysore in India. It's a smooth blend of  sweet, tangy and spicy flavors.

Ingredients:

- A bowl of Pumpkin/Squash cut into cubes with the skin on.
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 4 dry red chillies
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp of dry shaved coconut (roasted), 2 tsp of roasted sesame seeds, 2 tsp of  roasted poppy seeds. Mix  them together and grind it into a fine powder.
- 1/2 cup of tamarind juice
- 1 small piece of jaggery (unrefined whole cane sugar which you get in any Indian food store)
- Salt
- Finely chopped cilantro for garnishing

Preparation:

-  Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds.
-  Once they sputter add turmeric powder, fenugreek seeds and the red chillies.
-  Saute for a few seconds.
 - Add the Pumpkin pieces with the skin side in the oil.
-  Put in salt, and cover the pan with a lid. Cook on medium heat.
-  Once the pumpkin pieces are tender add the coconut, poppy seed and sesame seed mixture.
-  Add the tamarind mixture and jaggery. Mix everything well with the pumpkin.
-  Let it simmer without the lid till the gravy thickens (around a minute or so).
-  If gravy is too thick you may want to add in a little water.
-  If its too tangy you may want to add a little more jaggery.
-  Remove in a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro.
-  Serve hot with Roti, Naan or steamed rice.