Family Raitas

All families, over time, develop rites that are practiced without thought or consideration. It's what makes each family unique, what binds them, what makes them a unit. It could be the ritual Sunday dinner, a phone call after Top Billing every Tuesday, a standing joke about the black sheep in the family, or the same fight about the same thing every time you have a braai. Rites, good or bad, make families what they are. Such was the case on Saturday when my brother, his wife and my 2.5 year old niece came for lunch. To protect their identities I will call them Perfect, Perky and Precious. 

Let's start with Perfect. Our family rite consists of me trying to impress him, him looking constipated at my efforts, criticising something arbitrary, like a dirty broom, then leaving - genuinely confused that I didn't have the time of my life. I have one sibling and he's done everything right. His sibling, on the other hand, has everyone perplexed by her inability to get anything right. Especially him. He cleans his car dashboard with cellotape to get off every speckle of dust. I have a Woolworths chicken barbecue wrapper behind my passenger seat that expired last year. He's positive and pragmatic. I'm maudlin and moany. (He suggested I try to be happy. Oh wow, it never occurred to me to try, thanks bro!) He's also good looking, unbelievably funny, smart, successful and oh, what IS that word, oh yeah, perfect. 

Next we have Perky. She arrived in the family on my 21st - thin, cute, petite, big hair, huge eyes, loads of teeth, perky as hell. What's not to hate? It took me years to stop comparing myself to her and to just love her. Since she's consistently happy and chirpy and pretty and laughs at all my jokes, this was not all that hard. Therefore, since I've let my insecurities go, our family rite consists of me changing my clothes 14 times before she arrives, feeling fatter and uglier in every single outfit, until I give up and put on whatever's closest and end up meeting her at the door feeling like a dodo bird inviting a hummingbird inside.

Lastly comes Precious, the long awaited miracle, who is the perfect mix of her parents. Our family rite is simple: For the first hour she'll be my brother and scowl at me no matter how hard I try. For the next hour she'll be my sister-in-law and bounce all over the house, laughing at my every word and expression.

It's no wonder when they leave, after performing the final family rite of waving in the street until the car disappears from view, that I stand in the middle of my kitchen with my dirty broom, amazed at the quiet, feeling a little bit like a tornado just came and went, but above all, deeply deeply grateful for my perfect, perky, precious family. 

xx
J

POPPADOMS WITH MANGO CHUTNEY AND CUCUMBER RAITA

MANGO CHUTNEY

1 Lemon - rind only

2 Tin mangoes (or 2 fresh)

1t Cumin seeds toasted

1 Green chilli seeded and chopped
1T Coriander chopped
1T Mint chopped

1/2c Yoghurt

Mix all of the ingredients together, season, give it a few whacks with a blender, not too many, it has to be chunky.

CUCUMBER RAITA 

250g Yoghurt

1 Cucumber grated

1 Garlic crushed

1T Lime juice

1t Ground cumin

1/4t Cayenne

2T Coriander chopped

Press as much of the water out of the grated cucumber as you can. Mix with the rest of the ingredients, season and done.

ROGHAN JOSH WITH NAAN BREAD

750g Lamb cubed
1.5T Dried chilli (or to taste)
8 Cloves garlic crushed
1T Ginger grated
2T Desiccated coconut toasted
2T Blanched almonds
1T Ground coriander
1t Ground cumin
1t Poppy seeds
1/2t Ground fennel
1/2t Ground cardamom
1/4t Ground cloves
1/4t Ground mace
1/2 Ground black pepper
1 Onion chopped
4 Cardamom pods - seeds only
1/2t Ground turmeric
2c Yoghurt
2 Tin tomatoes
1t Garam masala
2T Fresh coriander

Soak the chilli in 1/2c hot water for 5 minutes. Blend together the garlic, ginger, coconut, almonds and chillis with water. Dry fry the ground coriander, cumin, poppy seeds and fennel over low heat. Add to the blended ingredients together with the ground cardamom, cloves, mace and pepper. 

Heat 1/4c butter and fry the onion until golden brown. Add the cardamom seeds, turmeric and blended mixture and fry for 5 minutes. Add the yoghurt a spoonful at a time and stir. Add the tomatoes, salt and the lamb and stir well. Turn heat down low, cover and cook for at least an hour until the lamb is very tender. Add the garam masala. Sprinkle with coriander and serve on rice. 

NAAN BREAD 

1 Sachet dried yeast
3/4c Lukewarm water
3t Sugar
1/4c Yoghurt
1 Egg
1/4c Melted butter
2t Salt
3.5c Flour
Poppy seeds

In a warm bowl sprinkle yeast over the water, leave for a couple of minutes to soften then stir. Add 1t of the sugar and allow to froth. (If it doesn't, start again, your yeast is dead). Mix yoghurt with the rest of the sugar and water, egg, butter and salt. Add the yeast mixture. Put 2c flour into a bowl and pour mixture into well in the middle. Mix in the rest of the flour and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, put in a warm, greased bowl, cover with a cloth and allow to rest until doubled (I left mine an hour). Punch down and divide into 8 balls. Heat oven to 450F. Pat dough into circles keeping the centre thinner than the rim. Pull one end outwards to form a teardrop. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake for 8-10 minutes.

NB - 450F is very hot. Do NOT test this by touching the inside of the oven with your finger. Or, like me, you will end up typing with 9 fingers...

MANGO LASSI GRANITA

1 Tin mangoes
500ml Yoghurt
1T Vermouth
2T Castor sugar

Mix everything in a food processor then freeze. Start at least a day beforehand and reprocess the frozen mixture at least 4 times inbetween to break up the majority of the crystals.