Culture Club : Cooking Your Curds and Whey

It was almost dawn, and Susan Feniger had just landed at Poona on her way to the town of Ahmednagar in western India. Hungry, she investigated the street stalls that were already setting up for the day’s business. From one of these she bought a small grilled pancake that had a pleasant, tangy taste. This was the inspiration for the Poona Pancakes that Feniger and partner Mary Sue Milliken serve at City restaurant. The batter, made with ground Indian lentils and basmati rice, is prepared in advance and allowed to ferment. Yogurt made at the restaurant goes into the batter and also garnishes the pancake. The recipe was adapted from their cookbook, “City Cuisine” (William Morrow: $19.95).

POONA PANCAKES (City restaurant) 1 cup basmati rice 1 cup peeled urad dal (Indian black lentils) 3 cups water 5 tablespoons plain yogurt 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely diced 2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely diced 1 small red onion, finely diced 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems trimmed, roughly chopped 1/3 cup oil Homemade Yogurt Chopped tomatoes Chopped cilantro

Sort rice and lentils to remove pebbles or dirt. Grind sorted rice and lentils in food processor or blender until mixture resembles coarse flour, about 5 minutes.

Mix ground mixture in bowl with water, 5 tablespoons plain yogurt and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in warm place at least 12 hours or as long as 24 hours. When ready, batter should be smooth and foamy, slightly thinner than pancake batter.

Just before cooking, add diced tomatoes, serrano chiles, red onion and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in small, well-seasoned iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Pour in 1/3 cup batter, reduce heat to low and spread batter evenly with ladle or spatula. Fry until pancake is well browned on bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, then turn and fry other side until browned. Repeat procedure, heating additional tablespoon oil each time, until all batter is fried.

Stack pancakes between layers of foil in roasting pan and keep warm in 200-degree oven. To serve, arrange 2 pancakes on each plate and garnish with Homemade Yogurt, chopped tomatoes and chopped cilantro. For smaller servings, slice each pancake into quarters and serve with garnishes for dipping. Makes 8 servings or 64 appetizers.

Each serving, without garnishes, contains about: 34 calories; 58 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.22 gram fiber.

Homemade Yogurt 1 quart milk 1 cup half and half 1 tablespoon plain yogurt

Combine milk and half and half in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over low heat. Remove from heat and transfer to clean bowl. Set aside to cool to 115 degrees. Add yogurt and whisk vigorously.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then wrap well with heavy towels or heavy blanket. Set aside in warm place 6 to 8 hours, or longer for more acidic flavor. Store in sealed containers in refrigerator. Makes 5 cups.

“In Greece, we live on yogurt,” says Sofi Konstantinidis, who grew up in an agricultural region in the north of the country. Konstantinidis uses yogurt at her restaurant, Sofi Estiatorion, as a meat marinade and in soups, salads, and desserts such as this syrup-soaked cake. It’s an excellent ending for a large dinner party and delicious alone with coffee.

SOFI’S YAOURTOPITA (Yogurt Cake) 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 4 eggs, separated 2 tablespoons vanilla Flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt 1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped Dash salt 1/4 cup whole blanched almonds Butter Cinnamon Syrup or Powdered Sugar

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl of mixer until light and creamy. Add egg yolks 1 at time and beat in. Add vanilla.

Combine 4 cups flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add flour mixture and yogurt slowly to butter mixture while stirring, not beating. Add chopped almonds.

Beat egg whites in separate bowl with salt until thick meringue forms. Fold into batter. Butter 13x9-inch baking pan. Dust with flour. Turn batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Serve at room temperature. Just before serving, spoon Cinnamon Syrup over entire cake until absorbed. Or omit syrup and sprinkle with powder sugar. Makes 16 servings.

Each serving, with Cinnamon Syrup, contains about: 371 calories; 155 mg sodium; 84 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

Cinnamon Syrup 2 cups sugar 3 cups water 2 slices lemon 1 stick cinnamon

Combine sugar, water, lemon slices and cinnamon. Boil to make thin syrup. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

The Epicentre Restaurant in the Kawada Hotel in downtown Los Angeles serves a good-looking, great-tasting chicken salad. Executive chef Mike Olmeda flavors the Yogurt-Curry Dressing with Patak’s curry paste, manufactured in Great Britain, and Madras curry powder. A variety of greens and vegetables, and papaya spears and coconut make the salad interesting.

ROAST CHICKEN GOES GOURMET 1 (3 1/4-pound) chicken Salt, pepper Yogurt-Curry Dressing 12 Belgian endive leaves 12 spinach leaves 1/4 cup finely diced seeded tomato 4 handfuls mixed baby greens 12 slices papaya 1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted 2 tablespoons julienned carrot, zucchini and daikon sprouts

Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool chicken, remove skin and shred meat (there should be 1 1/4 pounds meat). Place shredded chicken in large bowl. Add Yogurt-Curry Dressing and toss with chicken.

For each serving, arrange 3 Belgian endive leaves and 3 spinach leaves around edge of large plate like flower petals. Place 1 teaspoon diced tomato on each endive leaf. Place handful baby greens in center of plate. Arrange chicken on top. Stand 3 papaya slices upright on 3 sides of chicken. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon coconut on top, then add 1/2 tablespoon julienned carrot, zucchini and daikon sprouts. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Each serving contains about: 500 calories; 438 mg sodium; 132 mg cholesterol; 30 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 39 grams protein; 0.88 gram fiber.

Yogurt-Curry Dressing 1 (16-ounce) carton low-fat yogurt 2 3/4 teaspoons Madras or other hot curry powder 1 1/2 teaspoons mild curry paste 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Combine yogurt, curry powder, curry paste, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in bowl and mix well. Makes slightly more than 1 cup dressing.

Thickened yogurt (“yogurt cheese”) adds a tangy taste to the yellow lentils served at Dum Pukht Khususi, a restaurant in the Maurya Sheraton Hotel & Towers in New Delhi. (Dum pukht is a cookery term that means to steam food in its own juices.) You can drain the whey from plain yogurt yourself or use ready-thickened yogurt from Middle Eastern markets, where it is labeled lebneh or lebni. Indian shops carry toor dal, the right lentils for this dish, in two forms: plain or oily. Use plain toor dal in this dish.

DAL DUM PUKHT QURESHI (Indian Lentils With Yogurt) 1 cup plain yogurt or 1/2 cup lebneh 1 1/2 cups peeled toor dal (lentils) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon chili powder Salt 2 1/2 teaspoons garlic paste 1 3/4 teaspoon ginger paste 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic 4 small dried red chiles 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

If not using lebneh, stir plain yogurt and pour onto cheesecloth in strainer set over bowl. Allow to drain several hours in refrigerator until reduced to 1/2 cup. Discard liquid.

Pick over lentils. Wash in running water, drain, then soak in water to cover 30 minutes. Drain again. Place in large saucepan. Add turmeric, chili powder, about 3 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to boil. Add garlic and ginger pastes. Continue to boil until 3/4 cooked. Reduce heat to low. Partially mash lentils with back of wooden spoon. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender.

Whisk thickened yogurt or lebneh in bowl. Stir yogurt and 1/4 cup butter into lentils. Cover and simmer few minutes. Uncover, taste and adjust seasonings.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Add chopped garlic and saute over medium heat until golden brown. Then add whole red chiles. Stir until chiles change color. Pour mixture over simmering lentils. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 420 calories; 133 mg sodium; 40 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 4.23 grams fiber.

Note: To make garlic and ginger pastes, grind chopped garlic or ginger with just enough water to make fine paste.

This is a wine-country dish from Madeleine Kamman, director of the School for American Chefs at Beringer Vineyards in the Napa Valley. The creamy sauce, flavored with dill, has what she calls a “Danish taste.”

MADELEINE KAMMAN’S SALMON WITH DILL-YOGURT SAUCE Backbone of 1 salmon, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups dry white wine 1 1/2 cups clam juice 1 1/2 cups water 1 small onion, chopped Bouquet of 10 parsley stems, 1 sprig thyme and 1 bay leaf, tied together Chopped stems of 1 bunch dill Chopped dill 1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/6-inch julienne 6 (4-ounce) salmon fillets Salt, pepper Dill sprigs 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, well stirred

Place salmon bones, wine, clam juice, water, onion, herb bouquet and chopped dill stems in large saucepan. Boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Strain. Return to pan and boil until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup. Turn into bowl or small saucepan and keep warm. Add chopped dill to taste and let steep.

Place cucumber strips in non-stick skillet. Cover and cook over low heat until tender. Remove pan from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Add salmon fillets and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover pan and cook cucumbers and salmon together over medium heat, covered tightly, 7 to 8 minutes.

Transfer each salmon fillet to plate and garnish with dill sprigs. Pour reserved sauce into skillet still containing cucumbers. Blend in stirred yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce onto each plate around salmon fillet. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 237 calories; 263 mg sodium; 48 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

From Turkey to Central Asia, most cuisines have a hearty winter yogurt soup thickened with rice or flour and sometimes enriched with beans as well: the Armenian spas, the Turkish yogurt corbasi, the Uzbek katikli khorda and so on. This particular Armenian soup is a lighter model for milder weather, made with Swiss chard and herbs.

SARNAPUR (Yogurt and Chard Soup) 1/2 cup chopped walnut meats 1 1/4 cups water 1/4 cup rice 2 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves, packed 2 1/2 tablespoons flour 3 cups yogurt 3 cups cilantro leaves, chopped 1 cup mint leaves, chopped Salt

In large pan, add walnuts to water, bring to boil and simmer until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice, cover and simmer until done, about 15 minutes.

In medium pan, cook chard in 2 cups water until tender, 2-3 minutes. Drain well.

In small bowl, stir flour into yogurt until smooth. Stir into rice, bring slowly to boil, stirring constantly, and cook, continuing to stir, until thickened, about 1 minute.

Add yogurt and cooked chard to rice. Stir in cilantro and mint. Season to taste with salt. Cook 3 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 382 calories; 249 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 1.08 grams fiber.

Boranis are Persian appetizers made from cooked vegetables dressed with yogurt. The original version was made with eggplant, but these days almost any vegetable can become a borani: spinach, squash, poached mushrooms, or even wilder ingredients such as a mixture of dates and walnuts. With its contrast of sweet and sour, of innocent herbs and experienced onions, the beet version is not only tasty but tinted a deep, rich shade of pink.

BORANI-YE CHOGHANDAR 1 to 2 cloves garlic 1 cup plain yogurt 1 teaspoon chopped mint, dill or cilantro, optional 1 pound beets, stems trimmed, or 1 pound drained canned diced beets Water 2 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, chopped

Crush garlic cloves. In small bowl combine garlic and yogurt. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

If using fresh beets, place in pan of cold water to cover and bring to boil. Simmer until tender enough to be pierced through by fork, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on size. Drain and rinse under cold running water until cool enough to handle. Slip off peels and trim remaining greens. Dice.

Saute onion in butter until golden brown. In bowl mix onions with beets and yogurt. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 96 calories; 123 mg sodium; 11 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.72 gram fiber.