Frozen flavoured yoghurt !

I have become a convert to dahi, since quite some time.When I was a kid ,I did not like it.Partly, as it used to have cream or malai & I am allergic to it. Basically ,it is all, in the mind.

Slowly & surely ,as I started working at home & in office,I realised, that dahi, was a miracle food.It is good for digestion & provides calcium.I can set it, at home, without any fuss.I read,  that home made dahi has maximum health benefits compared to that  available in the market.So this makes me & other housewives, masterchefs ! Since most of us ordinary mortals can set dahi ,we are all superhuman ! After all ,dahi is a wonder food !

Dahi can be diluted & made into chaas & lassi.It can be concentrated by removing all the water & converted into yummy shrikhand ! Moreover ,sev batata puri,vadas ,etc taste so tangy with dahi ! In Maharashtra,the leftover water remaining after making shrikhand is offered as a cool drink named ,Piyush.Even candies are made from shrikhand ! Shrikhand is said to be from Gujarat .I tasted pineapple shrikhand in Vadodara & the delicious state still lingers ! Dry fruit shrikhand is all the rage.One can also enjoy amrakhand - mango flavoured shrikhand throughout the year, if not mangoes.

Dahi ,chaaas,lassi ,shrikhand are all cooling in nature & very apt for a tropical country like ours.Moreover ,in these stressful times,they provide succour to overheated minds & bodies.Moreover frozen,falvoured yoghurt hardly requires any cooking.So it saves energy-hence, it is green as well  ! Even shrikhand needs no cooking.I feel ,flavoured dahi  is the best dessert to be consumed  .Guests will, welcome this, as it is for their well being ! Conclusion : frozen ,flavoured yoghurt is a unique dish - one of a  kind ! It can be made in a jiffy, from dahi available at home.Even a kid can add honey or sugar on dahi as a topping or even gulkand or rooh afza & a tempting, dessert coolant is ready to be savoured ! Making this, is practically effortless !

I first read about frozen  yoghurt in the press.It had become a rage in Europe & America.There were yoghurt parlours which catered to this yearning for this  healthy food - yoghurt was topped with fruits & consumed.I started pining for such dahi.I got my chance, when I visited Gulf.I brought some trays of flavoured yoghurt - peach,apricot,strawberry etc.I would eat one or two cups daily .I had got addicted ! I never felt guilty that I was devouring this alone, as my hubby & kid seemed averse to eating frozen yoghurt.

When I returned to India,I was on the lookout for a similar product.I learnt about Amul has introduced Yogi ,its flavoured yoghurt in flavours like Strawberry, banana,mango etc.I fell for it -hook,line & sinker ! I would go to grocery stores like Apna Bazaar,& buy the Amul Yogi dahi cups in dozens.I would then consume one cup daily.My love for ice creams had given way to flavoured dahi ! So ,it is healthy & a dessert as well !Other companies have copied Amul & intoduced their flavoured yoghurt variants.Amul recently introduced  probiotic yoghurts in cups.Well,health has never had it so good ! Amul Probiotic yoghurt goes by the name of  Flaavyo! It is available in flavours like misti doi,vanilla,mango,pineapple  & strawberry .As it is probiotic ,it aids in digestion & boosts immunity.It is a health food, as prevention is better than cure ! The best part is, it is so reasonably priced, for a price conscious Indian like me !

Very recently ,I learnt, that some parlours of frozen  yoghurt have opened in a place nearby.I went there & had a blast - tasting the  flavours ! I opted for fresh fruit as a topping on plain dahi .Another flavour ,I tried was blueberry -it had just a hint of sugar.This means, it can be consumed by diabetics as well, without any guilt ! It was simply superb ! I wish ,I could try out these  things at home.I do not have any dahi vending machines -just like ice cream ones.I am surely going to make flavoured dahi at home one of these days  .I  will  surf   the net & find out home based procedures ! Alternatively ,I can freeze the dahi ,scoop it out into a bowl   & top it with fresh seasonal fruits like mango ,strawberry ,banana,apple,pineapples etc.By adding fresh seasonal fruits ,I am adding fibre content of the fruit as well instead of the fruit juices ! I can also sprinkle powdered cinnamon .I can add a drop or two of honey  as well ! The possibilities are endless & so simple ! Now, I can have frozen  flavoured   dahi any time - nah, everytime !

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Dahi ,a wonder food.

Curds also called dahi in Hindi is a super food .It is easily digestible .It lends itself to many uses.It can be given to kids,old & the young & also the sick.It is full of calcium & friendly lactobacilli.

Many people may be allergic to milk but can take curds without any problem.Dahi contains bacteria which reinstates our digestion after illnesses.So ,dahi is simply excellent ! Whenever, anyone has a stomach upset ,eating curd rice is the best solution .It is also like soul food for many south Indians.Partaking of dahi rice is a signal, that the feast has ended in south India.

It need not be consumed as curd itslef.It can be diluted & made into lassi or chaas.Many falvoured lassis are available now like Mango lassi & the like. Watered curd  is also called as butter milk.Butter milk can be falvoured with jeera,pepper,fresh coriander,etal.It can be added to a variety of dishes.Even recipes can be prepared from dahi as a base.

Can anyone imagine tasty snacks dahi batata puri,dahi wadas,dahi bhalles without curds ? I ,for one, would love to survive only by eating these chat items lifelong !

Dahi, when it has turned sour can be transformed into tangy kadhi ! Some people do prefer their kadhi made with normal curds without any sour taste. Dahi can aslo be added to a variety of veggies to make many  raitas ! Raitas are really very healthy as they have dahi,& veggies in good measure.Some raitas use raw vegetables while still others use veggies which are cooked.The simple tomatar,pyaaz & cucumber raita uses raw vegetables whereas a potato ,red pumpkin,carrot raita uses cooked vegetables.Even bhindi raita boasts of bhindi fried to which dahi has been added ! Obviously ,in all the raitas where in, cooked vegetables are used,curds are added after the cooked vegetables have been cooled to room temperature.My aunt makes a raita with dahi & pomegranate seeds ! I love the pineapple raita served at restaurants.Boondi raita is a hit, with the old & the young alike ! 

Dahi is the base to making shrikhand,a sweet dish highly popular in Gujarat & Maharashtra.Nowadays,it is more innovative, with fruit shrikhand & even dry fruit shrikhand.My mother has always been using dahi as a base for making fruit salad.And believe me ,it is thicker & tastier, compared to the watery fruit salad made with milk ! 

Avial is a dish from God's own country,Kerela.Dahi  is added to an assortment of cooked veggies & a coconut green chilli mixture.My late neighbour used to make a very delicious  vegetable called " Rishi chi bhaji " on the occasion of Rishi Panchami.She would cook a mixture of different vegetables including some green leafy ones & then add a helping of curds, to it, after the mixture was cooled.I still miss, that divine taste !

I myself have fallen for this simple fermented milk product off late ! I use it in almost all dishes ! I add dahi to the dough, while I make parathas of methi  & palak .I make use of diluted dahi by adding it to upma.It gives it a fresh tanginess ! I also add dahi to pulavs & biryanis ! Dahi  gives all my rice preparations a rich & creamy texture.It comes in handy, especially ,when the food has become too spicy.Curds lessen the spiciness ! 

I tasted fruit yoghurt on my trip abroad & fell for it -hook ,line & sinker ! Nowadays,whenever I spot flavoured yoghurt in any shop,I just buy them in bulk & consume them on a daily basis !

Of late,even probiotic dahi has come into the market.I am averse to milk but take chaas regularly for maintaining my calcium levels ! I am eagerly  awaiting  a new flavoured variety of curds which is opening its shop near my home ,very soon !

Rasoi.

Being a homemaker, does have its own pros-well if you look at them that way.I have started taking more interest in cooking-maybe, because I have nothing else to do.No,but still,I am partial to eating tasty food & since I am old enough to do it myself,I make a go for it.Obviously, I can't ask my mom or worse still, my mom-in law to try their hands at fusion cooking or better still hybrid rasoi.

I am petrified of making chapatis- phulkas are fine, but, the chapatis, wherein, you fold them,apply grease ,sorry oil & then again roll them out is something,I, have not been able to perfect so far.Hence,the dependence on the maid for the same as my kid is only fond of rotis for her dabba.She has refused to switch over to any nashta items like poha,upma,seviayan upma et al.

I am also coerced by my hubby to refrain from using onions,drumsticks,cauliflower,etc in my cooking as he feels these are tamsik foods.Not that I am a very obedient wife, but then, when I have to cook only for two to three persons,I find it illogical, to prepare separate dishes for each family member.Garlic,I have never used so far.

Moreover,my dad suffers from bleeeding piles & so I use masalas in the most minimalistic way.In addition,I have to use oil as if I am doing oil free cooking as my dad is a heart patient as well.Recently,my mom has been diagonised with diabetes & hence sweetness also has disappeared from my dishes.

Now, you may be tempted to ask if my rasoi has any swad ? Well,for that you will have to volunteer & test the food by tasting it.

I have found that dahi & malai can be used with wonderful results.I use malai in pulavs as also while kneading stuffed parathas.Mind you,the malai, I get in my home is the one which is of cow's milk.So, that is almost fat free.I loathe malai & hence, try to use it in dishes where it will not add to the taste except add some creamy texture to the dish.

In upmas,instead of water ,a diluted version of chaas can be used which will make the upmas tastier & tangier.I make upma by using lapsi rava -I prefer the finer variety of lapsi but even the coarse lapsi rava can give good results but, it would cook better in a pressure cooker.I have been told by my north Indian friends that they cook dalia in cookers.

One of my neighbours has revealed a secret-she puts kadipattas in the dal before pressure cooking the dal.This saves vagar oil-you need less oil for mustard & jeera seeds.My Maharashtrian friends have told me that adding haldi & hing to the dal in the pressure cooker gives an excellent aroma to the dal & I have followed their advice ever since.

While preparing sabzis,prepare vagar only with mustard,jeera, urad dal, & dried red chillies .The other ingredients like kadiaptta,green chillies,can be added along with the veggies.Even haldi & hing can be added after the veggies have been put into the kadhai.This way, you use less oil as also the haldi does not get burnt.

I use very little amount of masalas as well.Salt,I try to add at the last just before I have to put off the gas.This is so because,I had read that as the dish nears completion,it needs less salt.Moreover,namak kam is the mantra in this age of high blood pressure.

I feel my rasoi though sounding taste less will get to be the norm -well, for reasons more economic than for health.With the cost of food items aiming for the sky,it makes sound economic sense to use less & less of more & more ingredients,isn't it ?