Dahi Barre (Fritters in Yogurt Sauce)

Dahi Barre

Niveen shares a recipe for Fauzia’s Famous Dahi Barre – a dish taught to her by her mother and passed down from her grandmother who was born in Hyderabad, India. Deep fried fritters with chopped onions and spices are submerged in a flavorful and tantalizing yogurt sauce, topped with traditional tamarind chutney. A must try!

Dough for Dahi Barre:

Add two Tbsp. of urad daal (lentil) flour and one Tbsp. of gram flour into a small bowl. Mix with a fork. Add one Tbsp. of lemon juice, chopped parsley, chopped mint, and one small chopped onion. Add water, enough so that when mixed it will be a little thinner than cake batter. Add one tsp. of baking soda into the mixture to make it fluffy. Let soak overnight.

Imli (tamarind) Chutney:

Mix one tamarind block into a small bowl of warm water. Strain into a sauce pan. Add one tsp. of vinegar, 1/2 tsp. of red chili powder, a bit of salt (Pink himalayan) to taste, 1/2 tsp. of cumin powder, and one tsp. sugar. Stir together, and boil on the stove. Let cool.

Yogurt Sauce:

Add two cups of plain yogurt into an empty bowl. Add one cup of heated milk with two Tbsp. of sugar already mixed into the milk. Whisk together until smooth. Add chopped parsley and chopped mint. Add salt to taste.

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan before frying the fritters. Add batter to the pan one tablespoon at a time. You can fry a few of them at the same time, just make sure they are separated enough to not stick together. Turn them over pretty quickly when a golden brown so they don’t burn. Poke with fork so they cook evenly inside. Prepare a plate with paper towels, this will soak up the excess oil when the fritters are placed onto the plate. Add fried fritters into the yogurt sauce, submerging them gently. Add Chutney as a garnish. Garnish with a pinch of red chili powder and a little bit of cumin powder.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad – Goi Ga!

Jackie show us how to prepare a delicious, fresh-tasting Vietnamese chicken salad topped with fish sauce dressing and crushed peanuts. In Vietnam, this salad is called “Goi Ga.”

Goi Ga

To prepare the dressing, Nuoc Cham in Vietnamese, combine in a small mixing bowl the following ingredients:    2 tablespoons of Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam), 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 4 chopped green jalapeño peppers, 1 teaspoon of Sambal Oelek Chili Sauce, and juice from 1/2 a lime

To prepare the salad, Goi Ga in Vietnamese, first boil or steam the 2 pieces of boneless chicken breast, let cool, and then shred into small slivers. Next, slice 1 medium yellow onion into paper thin slivers and marinate for one hour in a mixture of 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of table salt. Then slice 1 small head (~ 2 lbs) of green cabbage into thin slices (as you would to make cole slaw). Finally, in a large bowl, toss the cabbage, the marinated onion, shredded chicken, 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves, and nuoc cham (dressing) together. Remember to refrigerate until ready to serve and to sprinkle with 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts (lightly salted) immediately prior to serving.