Shreekhanda

Ingredients:
10 cups thick yogurt / Curd
2.5 cups Sugar
3 Cloves / Lavanga
1 Nutmeg flower / Jayikayi Hu
1/4 tsp Saffron / Kesari
2 Cardamoms / Elakki / Elachi
2 tsp crushed Nuts (cashew, pistacho, almonds)

Recipe:

Transfer this thick yogurt to a clean cotton cloth and hang this for about 8 - 10 hrs to drain the water content as shown in the picture below.

Once the water content is drained, transfer this to a vessel. Add sugar and mix them well.

Mash the cloves, cardamom seeds, nutmeg flower, saffron and add to the vessel containing drained yogurt. Mix them well and refrigerate.

Garnish with crushed nuts and serve. It also goes well with pooris.

Heerekayi Bendi / Ridge Gourd Curry

Ingredients:
3 medium sized Ridge Gourd / Heerekayi
1 - 1 1/4 cup grated Coconut

3 - 4 Red Chillies

Grape sized Tamarind
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

Pinch of Turmeric powder

Salt to taste
1 cup cooked Yellow Lentils / Toor dal / Thogaribele
1 tsp Mustard seeds
3 - 4 Garlic pods
4 - 5 Curry leaves
2 tsp Oil

Recipe:
Peel the ridge gourds and chop them into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put the chopped ridge gourds, salt, turmeric powder, little amount of water and cook them well by covering a lid. Add the cooked yellow lentils and bring them to boil.

Dry roast the red chillies in microwave for few seconds and keep them aside for about 1-2 mins. Put dry roasted red chillies, grated coconut, tamarind, cumin seeds in a mixer and grind them to smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut, use hot water while grinding.)

Add this ground masala to the vessel containing cooked ridge gourd and bring them to boil. (Add water, salt if required.) Remove the outer cover of garlic pods and mash them. Put this mashed garlic in a pan, add 2 tsp oil and heat. Fry this in medium flame until they turn light golden in color. Add mustard seeds and fry. As soon as it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and then add it to curry. It goes well with Rice/Chapathis/Rottis.