Gender: feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “quick.”
(RYE-tah: trilled R).

The name is derived from the Latvian words raiti or raits meaning “quick.” Its designated name-day is December 3rd. In 2008, approximately 279 women bore this name in Latvia.

Having heard only good things about this place, I decided to check it out on a hot sunny afternoon. Wasn’t sure what to eat so decided to try my favourite dish, the Chicken Biryani. Was in two minds before placing the order as I didn’t want to become drowsy after the meal but concerns of ’sleep walking’ aside I went ahead with the order. Prior to the biryani, fresh onions, lemons and pickle was served along with Green Chutney.

The Biryani arrived soon thereafter along with the Raita which has to be ordered seperately. Since it was boneless, I was forced to order the Chicken Tikka Biryani which was a bit of a disappointment as I would have liked the normal biryani with boneless chicken instead of the chicken tikka pieces. Nonetheless, I began gorging on the Biryani but failed the realise that the masala was sitting pretty at the bottom. It was only at the end that I had much of the masala, which was very spicy!! Helped that the raita was next to me to save my tongue from burning!

The Biryani was good I though. The fact that it was tikka biryani was easy to comprehend as the chicken was cooked in the tikka masala which was also present in the biryani. The Raita was alright though. Would I have the tikka biryani again? I think I may just try the normal biryani next time. Besides, the spicy food and the hot sun kinda made me dizzy!!

The bill was INR 140 – INR 110 for the Biryani and INR 30 for the Raita.

Rating: Ambiance: 3/5 – Plain and simple ambiance. Did not check the A/C section which was mostly frequented by Indians!

Food: 3.5/5 – They served what they promised. Though the extra spicy masala was a disappointment for me!

Price: 3.5/5 – +INR 100 for Biryani has become the price benchmark.

Enkel och god indisk röra med lågt Gi-värde.

Ingredienser:
Ca 4 personer

1/3 gurka
1/2 tsk salt
2 dl turkisk yoghurt
2 tsk hackad färsk mynta

Hacka myntan fint. Riv gurkan grovt och lägg den i en skål. Salta på gurkan, rör om och låt stå i ca 15 minuter. Krama sedan ur vätskan ur gurkan, så mycket du kan. Rör ner yoghurten och krydda med mynta. Låt stå kallt en stund innan servering.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Raita, röra, recept, Gi, Gi-recept, tillbehör, vegetariskt, mat

I love Indian food.  I love spicy curries and masalas with warm basmati rice and naan bread.  Lately, I discovered a new Indian treat: flaky and buttery rotis at Kasa.  They wrap rotis around tasty chicken tikka masala or lamb curry with marinated onions and chutney to make tasty kati rolls.  Dip these rolls in a refreshing raita and they’re simply scrumptious.

Kasa is cool because they make simple and flavorful homestyle Indian food.  They use natural and local ingredients.  And for under $15 you can enjoy a wonderful meal.

Kasa is an Indian eatery at 18th and Noe in the Castro.  Follow this link to know more about Kasa.

For those people like me who are a bit unfamiliar with the varieties of Indian flatbreads and who have always equated Indian food with naan, roti is unleavened while naan is leavened.  Kati roll is a popular Indian street food that consists of a flatbread wrapped around seasoned meat or vegetables.  Chicken tikka masala is a curry dish of roasted chicken, chicken tikka, in a rich red, creamy and tomato-based sauce.  Raita is a yogurt-based sauce or dip seasoned with coriander, cumin, mint and other herbs and spices.

Ordet innebär sannolikt att man kan hämta in pepparmynta trots snö. Eller?

God var den, vi använde den i en slags raita i fredags.

I based this meal off two Moosewood Restaurant recipes.  It was amazing.  I don’t love zucchini and now that our crop share has just about ended this was a great zucchini finale!  I made plenty to have left overs for lunch.

Stuffed Zucchini's Served with Raita

˜

RAITA:

I used an Armenian cucumber from our crop share for my raita.  I like this variety because the seeds are minimal so I don’t have to scoop them out and the skin is mild in flavor so no peeling.  I grated the cucumber into small pieces and squeezed the pulp through cheesecloth to get rid of any excess liquid.  I then toasted ~1 tsp of cumin seeds in the skillet and ground them in my mortar and pestle.  I used 3 cups of a good quality greek yogurt, and I will say the quality of your yogurt is crucial to the taste of the raita.  I kept this recipe simple and to the yogurt I added the crushed toasted cumin seeds, the finely shredded and drained cucumber, ~1 tsp sea salt, and ~8 leaves of finely chopped fresh mint.  I made this early so it could chill for a couple hours in the fridge before serving.

Raita ingredients (fresh mint not pictured)

Completed!

˜

ZUCCHINI BOATS:

Ingredients

I first sautéed some veggies and fresh herbs in olive oil: Shiitakes, Scallion Greens, Onion, Garlic, Zucchini Pulp (from scooping zucchini’s), Oregano, Basil, Mint, and Raw Pumpkin Seeds.  My only fault in this recipe was that I failed to drain the liquid from the veggies after sautéing.

Veggies for Filling

I then boiled some water to cook ~1 cup of frozen edamame.  While the veggies/edamame were cooking I beat two Eggs and added ~1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese, 1 cup Cottage Cheese, ~4 tbsp Tamari, and ~1 cup Wheat Germ.  Once the veggies were cooked I added them to the egg mixture.  Before stuffing the zucchini’s I sprinkled them with Joshua’s Salt Seasoning and Pecorino Ramano Cheese.

You can see the liquid I should have drained from the veggies near the spoon... I just added more wheat germ to soak it up, and luckily it didn't compromise the dish

I stuffed zucchini boats, topped them with paprika, and baked in a 350° oven for ~50 minutes.  This dish is a favorite of my recent cooking, I’m glad there are left overs.

Read for the oven

]]> http://munchcrunchandsuch.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/mint-peas-pulao-spinach-raita/ Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:17:19 +0000 Shubha http://munchcrunchandsuch.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/mint-peas-pulao-spinach-raita/

Ingredients:

Basmati rice-2 cups

Onion-1 , chopped

Green peas-1 cup

Mint leaves- 2 bunches

Dried red chillies-4

Chana dal- 1 table spoon

Urad dal- 1 tea poon

Split chick peas-1-2 table spoon

Mustard seeds-1 tea spoon

Cinnamon stick-2

Cloves-2-3

Salt

Water-4 cups

Oil/butter/margarine-2 table spoon ( I use margarine)

Method:

1.In a pan, heat a table spoon of oil ,roast chana dal, urad dal, red chillies.Once they turn golden brown, add the mint leaves and fry for 2-3 minutes.Switch off stove and let it cool.Once cool, grind them to a smooth paste adding the split chick peas and little water if necessary.

2.Heat oil again, splutter mustard seeds,cinnamon sticks, cloves and fry onions until pink.Add green peas and continue to fry until they are soft and tender.Add the ground paste to this and fry for a few minutes until everything blends well.

3.Since I am making this as a one pot meal, all I did was pour the fried mint peas mixture into the rice cooker along with rice and water.Add the required amount of salt and cook until done.Serve with raita.

Serves:3

Spinach/Palak raita

Ingredients:

Chopped spinach-1 cup

Cumin seeds- 2 tea spoon

Green chillies-4

Thick curd/yogurt-1/2 cup

Salt

Oil-1 table spoon

Method:

1.Heat oil in a small kadai, splutter cumin seeds and green chillies. Add chopped spinach and fry for a few minutes.

2.In a serving bowl,throw in the fried spinach and beat in the curd and add the required amount of salt.

Serves:3

September 2009 Exercise – Kristopher Blessum, Executive Chef at Scrooge Diner, Randburg, JHB, South Africa

“Head-on Prawns in a Three Potato Curry accompanied by a Tomato Raita”

To participate in the October exercise, please send an email to: jeffrey@bauscherinc.com

http://deepplate.wordpress.com

As my throw-together Greekish dinner was coming together the other night (and I noticed that I had two small cucumbers to use before they’d quickly go south), I decided to make some raita to go along with it all, but with a slightly cowgirl twist.

This is so simple, I don’t know why I don’t make it all the time, and just dollop it on all sorts of stuff.

Actually, I think that I’m going to start, because it’s really quite lovely on so many simple things, whether pitas and the whole mezze thing is going on or not. It would be great on top of Brian Hofeldt’s Green Chile Stew, now that I think about it.

By the way, I thought about using smoky paprika instead of chipotle powder, but opted for the chipotle, because as you know, I’m quite fond of the little smoked jalapeno. Play with this if you want. It’s meant to be cooling, but a little heat seems to make the cool part of this even more so, sort of like the salty-sweet combo.

Cowgirl Raita

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole-milk or Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, seeded and shredded
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chipotle powder
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
sea salt

WHAT YOU DO

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for an hour.

raita

Tomato-Cucumber Raita is very aromatic yogurt side dish. It goes  well with rice or any curry. Its also easy to prepare and healthy. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c plain yogurt
• 1/3 c finely chopped tomato
• 1/3 c grated cucumber
• 1/3 c finely chopped onion
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• A handful cilantro leaves
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• A pinch of asafetida
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt to taste. 

METHOD: 

• Mix yogurt, onion, tomato, cucumber and cilantro leaves in a bowl, set aside.
• For tadaka, add oil in a small pan, when it is hot enough, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splatter, switch off the gas and add asafetida and green chili.
• Pour it on the yogurt. Now add salt and mix well.
• Raita is ready to serve.

La o raita prin muzee, ce putem să observăm…

Prima caracteristică ce vă vine în minte atunci când vă gândiți la publicul muzeelor din România?….Va ajut eu, nu este domn`e, nu este. Absentiesm curat! „curat murdar”, ce mai! De ce situația muzeele trebuie să semene cu deznodământul unei campanie electorale și asta chiar pe termen îndelungat. Mi-e  jenă, să recunosc că până  și tribunele unui teren de fotbal sunt  mai pline  atunci când se organizează acele expoziții „cine alerga mai tare și coordonate de pe margine” decât sălile vernisajelor sau a conferințelor unde  condiția fizică necesară este cea a creierului.

„Nu știu alți cum sunt, dar eu când mă gândesc la” situația instituțiilor culturale bucureștene mă întristez; observ un fel de amnezie față de drumul către acestea și o orientare către tot ce înseamnă teren cu iarbă sau maidan. Cine este de vine că Ionică nu mai înțelege ce vrea să spună Gânditorul și nici nu dorește să afle. In mod normal o trebuință este sustituită cu ceva. Care este noul substituent, dar mai mult de atât, DE CE ?

Pentru a ne informa citim presă, reviste, ne uitam la stiri si toate „care este”; noi pentru a cunoaste si ei in goana pentru o audiente cat mai mare . Grupurile mari au atras și vor atrage mereu; influența și psihologia grupului: omul simte că are un rost, este protejat, scutit de responsabilitate chiar și cea  de a gândi. În aceste zile, limbajul comun nu mai este perspicacitatea reflexului conceptual, ci perspicacitatea reflexului  locomotoriu, mai precis al picioarelor. Noul centru de „greutate ” spre care omul trebuie să se orienteze, pentru a exista în cele menționate mai sus, este Fotbalul.

Sportul de a ne refugia in cultură s-a tranformat intr-o simplă fugă.

nesfarșit.

1Gurke
125 g Joghurt
1/2 TL Kreuzkümmel, gemahlen
1/2 TL Senfkörner, gemahlen
etwas geriebener Ingwer
Salz + Pfeffer
Paprikapulver

- Gurke ganz fein hacken + mit dem Joghurt vermischen
- Kreuzkümmel + Senfkörner in einer trockenen Pfanne etwa 1 min. erhitzen + unter den Joghurt heben
- Mit Ingwer ebenfalls unterheben
- Mit Salz + Pfeffer abschmecken + mit Paprika garnieren

Indian style curry nearly always tastes better after cooking for a long time and developing a more cohesive flavour over night. Nevertheless we cook curry quite regularly on a weeknight as it’s so quick and easy to prepare and still tastes fantastic. We will cook a lot of curries from our own spice mixes but for the purpose of not using the brain to much at a day at the office we have found truly awesome spice mixes at the Fijian market on South King Street in Newtown. We were pointed in the direction of the hottest one by the super helpful staff there. They’ll give you cooking tips if you ask.

This is a recipe for chicken and spinach curry made by my boyfriend so sorry if it’s a bit vague. I’m not exactly sure of the order of everything but you can’t go wrong with this one.

A couple of tbs of Hot spice mix from the Fijian Market
1 clove of garlic
1 onion finely diced
1 chicken breast cubed
1 tin of diced tomatoes
1 tin of coconut milk
1 bunch roughly chopped english spinach or silver beet
1 small tub greek yoghurt
1 tbs mint finely chopped

Sautee onion, garlic and spice mix in heavy based frying pan until tender. Throw in chicken and coat with spices then add tomatoes and coconut cream and simmer for about 10 mintues. Add spinach and simmer for as long as you want. The chicken needs to be cooked before serving but this recipe need not be precise.

Add chopped mint to the yoghurt and serve with basmati rice. You can also accompany with papadams and/or poori bread or naan. No wheat for me so I had a papadam which is made from rice flour. They do contain yeast so should still be avoided if you are coeliac. My bf makes great poori bread which I am currently lamenting my inability to eat.

I tend to stick to buying decent quality tinned tomatoes too. It’s just one of those products that I’ve found not to be as thick and flavoursome in any of the supermarket brand options.

Svādiṣṭ khānā

Accompagnement indispensable pour les curry, surtout s’ils sont très épicés. Ne pas oublier le pain naan et le beurre clarifié et le riz basmati.

Ingrédients

• 450 ml ( 2 tasses) de yaourt
• 1/2 cuillerée à café de graines de fennel moulues au mortier
• sel noir
• 1/2 cuillerée à café de sucre de palme dissolu dans un peu d’eau
• 4 cuillerées à table d’huile d’olive
• 2 petits rouges séchés ramollis dans l’eau pendant 15 minutes puis enlever les graines
• 1/4cuilerée à café de graines de moutarde noires
• 1/4 cuillerée à café de graines de cumin
• 10 à 12 feuilles de curry ou 2 feuilles de kaffir coupées en deux
• 1 pincée de curcuma
• 1 pincée d’asafoetida

Préparation

Mettre dans un bol le yaourt et incorporer le graines de fennel, le sucre et le sel  selon le goût.

Chauffer l’huile dans une poêle à feu doux et y ajouter les graines de moutarde, les feuilles de curry, l’asafoetida, les piments, le cumin, le curcuma. Frire et brasser légèrement pendant quelques minutes jusqu’à ce que les piments deviennent noires. ou foncées. Verser sur le mélange de yaourt puis déposer au frigo pendant quelques heures.

Au moment de servir, brasser le yaourt.

This is another great way to use carrots.

I have grown very bored of eating this vegetable  in pulav and salad.  So I was very pleased to find this recipe in Kumud Marathe’s “Maharastrian Recipes – A Family Treasury”  – my bible for this kind of cuisine.

Carrot Raita

2 large carrots, peeled and grated fine (a hand grater serves better for this than a food processor  I think, as the latter would not grate the carrots fine enough to allow them to blend well with the other ingredients)

350-450 gms of yoghurt (vary this amount to taste)

1 teaspoon of cumin powder (or to taste)

salt to taste

1/2 to 1  teaspoon of sugar

1 or 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Whisk the yoghurt gently with all the ingredients (add a little water and semi-skimmed milk if the yoghurt seems too thick) except the carrots, then fold these in last.

Leave the raita in the refrigerator for a while to chill, if you want, but do make it at least an hour ahead so that all the flavors blend.

The original recipe calls for 1-2 green chillies (chopped fine) to be added as well, but I skipped this.

This raita makes for such a  pretty bowl to serve on the side with any meal; I think it lifted one notch the level of the lunch I gave everyone last week (when Shri was home and on holiday as well) which consisted of just khichdi with peas and this raita

Once again today Noor melted my heart with her  “you make very nice food , Mama” statement.

I love it when they seem to enjoy their meal.

Indira expresses the same feeling when she comes sniffing around the kitchen; she is one for showing her appreciation with her nose.

But it is Noor who often tells me “I love all the food you make ” and sometimes “you are the best cooker ever”.  So just for her I’ll come back to put down the recipes for today’s lunch – vegetable pulao ( a south Indian sort with a spice mix called pitlai powder) and cucumber raita.

Indira seemed to think , while she watched me make the raita, that it was one she didn’t like ( I haven’t made it  since last summer, probably)  but the heat has been so bad this week I thought it was what we needed to eat today.

So it was good to see her polish off two katoras of it and a little more…

                                                                                                                                    Cooling Raita with Cucumber and a hint of mint.

This is a very common and a favorite condiment in India. And is made in variety of ways.

This is a must when Sara visits home. Generally this is served with  rice dishes such as Pulav and Biryani.   It balances out spicy indian food.

Ingredients:

Step 1 ingredients:

1. 1 cup yogurt
2. 1 medium cucumber– grated
3. 1 tsp salt– Adjust to your taste
4. 2 tsp sugar
5. 1/2  any green chili

Step 2 Ingredients:  Optional

1. 1 tsp oil
2. 1/2 mustard seeds
3. 1 dry red chili

Ingredients for garnishing:- optional

1. few chopped mint leaves
2. pinch of red chili powder

In a deep bowl  whisk yoghurt.  Add grated cucumber -making sure to squeeze out excess water. Add Salt, sugar and grat 1.2 green chili. Mix everything well and taste.

In a small pan heat oil and add mustard seed and red chili. Once mustard seeds start spluttering and chili starts to turn color add this to prepared mixture. 

Garnish with pinch of red chili powder and fine chopped mint

Variation:

Onion, tomatoes and jalapeno and boiled potatoes  are the most common vegetables that are added to this delightful Raita.

I have tried raita with soy yogurt and it turns out good. I needed to add a few drops of lemon juice and reduce the sugar a bit.