Shrikhand

Ingredients : Dahi made from 1/2 litre milk,2 cups sugar, 5-6 elaichi ,kesar( optional).

Method : Take a big sieve ( just like the one used to filter tea ) & pour dahi into that sieve.Leave the sieve with dahi,  suspended, to the edges of a vessel ( patela ).Leave it overnight.Cover the dahi in the sieve with a plate or lid.This is done, so that, all water keeps trickling down.By morning ,there will be a semi solid mass of dahi  left  in the sieve.

Another method is to put dahi on to a thin cotton cloth & tie up the cloth with knot & suspend it from a stand.This helps the  water in the dahi , to get separated from the dahi.

12 hours suspension is enough to drain water -hence keep it overnight.

The water along with a little dahi which has collected in the vessel below the sieve can be consumed  as chaas.

Take this dahi mass & add sugar to it.Mix this nicely.Now add powdered cardamom to it.Take kesar strands & soak   them in milk  & add the kesar also to this mixture.

The shrikhand is ready.Amount of sugar can be adjusted -one may add more or less depending on how much sweetness is needed.Also ,powdered sugar can be used to make mixing easy.

Chutni pudi

Ingredients :1/2 cup chana dal,1/4cup  urad dal,1 tbsp peanuts,1/2 tsp til ,1-2 tsp imli,18-20  byadgi mirchi , a few kadipattas,1 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp hing,1/2 tsp haldi,salt to taste.

Method :Dry roast chana dal ,urad dal ,til & peanuts together till they change colour. I use peanuts with their skin on.Keep aside this roasted  mixture.Take oil & add byadgi mirchi,kadipattas ,imli & roast for 5 minutes.Keep aside.After both the mixtures have cooled to room temperature,take a grinder & put both the dry roasted mixture & the oily one in the grinder jar.Add haldi ,hing & salt.Put on the grinder & grind to as lightly coarse mixture.The chutni pudi is ready.

This is a great accompaniment to idlis,dosas ,rice ,with til oil or dahi.I recall, that we would eat chaklis dipped in chutni pudi -dahi mixture when we were kids.We also use this powder to thicken gojju & any watery curries.

I got half a bottle of chutni pudi with the quantity of ingredients used in this.