Bell Pepper Raita(Pachidi)

Know what you Eat - Brightly colored bell peppers, whether green, red, orange or yellow, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. To start, peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells. Free radicals are major players in the build up of cholesterol in the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes, the cloudy lenses of cataracts, the joint pain and damage seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma. By providing these two potent free radical destroyers, bell peppers may help prevent or reduce some of the symptoms of these conditions by shutting down the source of the problem.

This raita i make frequently and some times i saute them by adding ginger and tomato pieces also. Since i wanted to send this to Priya's bell pepper event, didn't want to add too many things in here.

Cooking Time - Nil
Prepartion Time - 10 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients

Yogurt - 2 1/2 cups
Red bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Green bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Pearl Onion - 4
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli paste - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt to taste

Garnishing

Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped

Method

1) Wash dry and chop the green and red bell pepper into small pieces.
2) Chop the pearl onion into small pieces, you can also use the regular onion but pearl onion has a distinct taste and flavor.
3) Add grated ginger, green chilli paste, salt and yogurt mix well.
4) Garnish with Cilantro and serve


Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to AFAM-Bell Pepper event, hosted by Priya orignially started by Maheswari.

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Carrot & Cucumber Raita(Pachidi)

Know what you Eat - Carrots are very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese. They are rich in carotenoids, lessens the chance of cardiovascular problems. The bad part is sugar, so if you have to watch out your carbohydrates & Sugar content in the diet, don't over indulge in carrots. Cucumber is a fruit which is widely used as vegetable in cooking. The silica in cucumber is an essential component of healthy connective tissue, which includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bone. Cucumber juice is often recommended as a source of silica to improve the complexion and health of the skin, plus cucumber's high water content makes it naturally hydrating—a must for glowing skin.


Cooking Time - 2 mins
Preparation Time - 10 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients
Carrot - 1 (1 medium sized one)
Cucumber - 1 (1 medium sized one)
Yogurt - 2 1/2 cups
Salt to taste


Tempering

Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Green chilli -1 or to taste
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp

1) Grate cucumber and leave it aside and meanwhile grate the carrot, after a while you will see lot of water oozing out, just squeeze out the grated cucumber (don't discard the juice, you can drink it as it is or add little bit of butter milk, salt and pepper and gulp it down and you will see how soothing it will be, in my house i make salad every day and so i get to taste lot of different kinds of these juices, cucumber, celery, radish to name a few) and transfer it to a bowl and add the grated carrot also.
2) Add the yogurt and salt to the grated carrot and cucumber.
3) Heat oil and then add cumin seeds, once they stop spluttering add asafoetida, green chilli and curry leaves and transfer it to the raita.

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