My sister's Raita

If you could turn back time, what would you do? Me? I'd learn to cook.... from my mother and both my grandmothers, all of whom were terrific cooks. But, you know, when I was young, I had more important things to do (NOT!) ... like talk about boys, clothes, boys and movie stars. 

Sigh.

I swear, if I have a daughter I would get her interested in cooking ... whether or not she wanted to learn. Chain her to the stove I will (NO, I WON'T) or lock her in the kitchen (No, I REALLY WON'T). I'll just sit her in front of the TV with me as I watch episodes of Junior Masterchef and Top Chef ... am sure she'd be inspired. 

Or, I could chain her ... NO! I AM KIDDING.

So anyways, because I never spent much time in the kitchen growing up, I have no idea how to make many of my favourite dishes. I've tried to re-create them based on how I remember them to be but they always fall short. 

My only lifeline is my older sister. She got with the programme early and so she has learnt how to cook a variety of Indian curries and dishes from not just our mother but other people's mothers too. Every time I need a recipe, I call her. Repeatedly. 

Recently we had a small family reunion luncheon (it being Chinese New Year and all, we decided to have our own reunion) and my sister made Raita, a North Indian condiment/dip/sauce that is made with yoghurt, spices and a range of vegetables, mostly raw. Hers was made with lady's finger/okra and it was meant to accompany the briyani rice I made. 

It was delicious.

The Raita was a hit and had everyone on the table asking for the recipe. It was supposed to be eaten with he rice but I found myself eating spoonfuls of it by itself (stealthily, of course), growing increasingly anxious as I saw it diminishing.

And this for a person (ME) who doesn't particularly like lady's finger.

I got the recipe off my sister the very next day and bought a bag of lady's finger from the grocer.  And some yoghurt. Plain, unflavoured. (My sister makes her own curd but that's a lesson I'll have to learn another day).

 Lady's Finger Raita

Ingredients

3 cups plain yoghurt

10 lady's fingers, sliced thin

1 large onion, chopped fine

2 tsp mustard seeds

1-2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

oil for frying

1 tbsp ghee

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the lady's finger slices till crisp. It's ok if they get brown; just as long as they're crunchy. Don't let them get black though!

Heat the ghee in saucepan and fry the mustard seeds until the pop.

Combine all the ingredients together (including the ghee from the pan) and mix. Season with salt and sugar (adjust to taste).

Goes well with briyani, rice pilaf or just on it's own!

Strawberry, Ricotta and Yoghurt Scones

Pretty? Pretty darn good is what these scones are. I got them off Smitten Kitchen -- hers were Raspberry Ricotta Scones. I used strawberries instead because frozen raspberries cost a bomb-and-a-half here (and we hardly get them fresh).

I kinda feel like a stalker though as this is the second Smitten Kitchen recipe I've tried in a week: the first was a cheese, honey and sea-salt flat bread which was really to die for. And now, this. But, really, I am no stalker though I like the blog a lot.

Let me explain. I was out shopping. I saw this carton of strawberries -- imported from Driscolls in the United States -- for just RM10. I had to get it even though I had no idea what I would do with them. Maybe jam? Anyway, I bought them. They looked lovely. So bright, so juicy. 

I went home and went on my daily blog patrol (I visit my favourite blog sites a couple of times each  week) and I saw  the raspberry scone post on SK. Sooooooo pretty. Oh my god. I had to make them. I'd use the strawberries I bought! (that was a light bulb moment, btw).

So you see. I am not a stalker. I had the strawberries already.

Scones.So quintessentially British, right? I've made scones a few times before and I have eaten them many, many times, mostly with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Am I tempting you yet? Well, with this scone, you don't need cream or jam. Just a little butter, perhaps.

Scones are quick breads. They're pretty straightforward to make, technique-wise that is unlike the French Macaron for which factors beyond your control like the temperature of your kitchen or the humidity in the air impact on the baked product. No, scones are less complicated to make. But, having said that, getting a light, fluffy and moist scone (the way I like them) isn't a sure thing. In fact, it's a lot easier to end up with a dry, heavy and flat baked piece of dough (I am unwilling to call these scones) that's more like a thick biscuit than anything. I'm not dissing; I'm sharing as I've been down that road before.

Check out this article in The Guardian on How To Make The Perfect Scone and you'll begin to understand the science behind this treat. And then there's this other article in the same publication about how you should eat your scones -- so you spread the jam first and only then add a dollop of cream or is it the other way around. The English do take their scones seriously.

Me, I just wanted a light, soft, fluffy and pretty scone.

Apart from swapping the raspberries for strawberries, I also made a few alterations to the original recipe from SK. I used Greek yoghurt instead of double cream and I changed the ratios between the whole wheat flour and plain flour indicated in the recipe. Minor changes and thankfully they didn't adversely affect the scone turn out. They were soft, light and the baked strawberries were jammy and nice. Perhaps, next time I will add a little more baking powder or as the Guardian article suggests, mix a little bicarbonate soda to the blend. 

Next time. For now, I will leave you with the original recipe, indicating the changes I made.

Strawberry Ricotta Yoghurt Scones 

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used 11/4 cups)

1 cup all purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

85g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped up

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup Greek yoghurt/double cream

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Whisk the flours, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  Add the butter and using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the chopped strawberries and mix with a wooden spoon till the strawberries are well incorporated with the crumbly flour. It's fine if the strawberries get a little mushy and colour the flour. In fact, it kinda looks really pretty this way.

Add the ricotta and the yoghurt/cream and gently stir in with a spatula until the mixture comes together to form a dough. It will be a little wet and sticky, don't panic. 

Generously flour your work surface and your hands, and gently move the dough from the bowl onto your work surface. You will need to flour your hands else the dough will stick to you.

Sprinkle some dough on the dough and gently press it into a 15-20cm square that's 1-1.5 cm high. Cut into nine small and equal squares and then transfer them one by one onto a lines baking sheet. Use a floured spatula/knife to do the transfer.

Bake for about 15 mins or till the sides start to get golden. The smell of the strawberries and the butter will be irresistible but take heed of the next step. Remove and let the scones cool before you eat them. They will set as they cool. But, don't let them get cold though cos scones are best eaten warm.