A peek Into The Past - Best of the year 2010

I have been waiting to write this post.I was in fact looking forward to Srivalli's announcement.Yea,its kinda nice to go back and take stock of what happened in our world blog.So here comes another lengthy post....

This year I have written 355+ posts which is double the number of posts I wrote last year and the year before that. Sometimes I wonder why I never get tired or bored of cooking and writing about food! I did go into the 'blogger block' phase a couple of months ago, yet I carried on this far. Earlier when I had started blogging, it was like 1 post a week and then it came to posting when ever possible but this year most of the month's have seen a post everyday.In my excitement to cook and write, I have even posted 3-4 recipes in a day!

I celebrated my 500th post this year with a tasty Kaala Jamun and a $100 giveaway from CSN store.

When our recipes reach wider audiences, it brings us greater joy. I was approached by Sarah of Lexiophiles site and she asked me if I was interested to write a recipe for their International recipe advent calendar.I gladly accepted and I posted Shrikand recipe for it.[Click on the number 23 and it will take you to the post.]

Then comes my favorite part- hosting events.Seduce Your Tastebuds hosted 11 events this year out of which 3 events were my own and the remaining were guest- hosted.

When I got bored to stand in front of the stove and cook a meal, I wanted something that needs no cooking and can be prepared easily.That's when I came up with the No cook event.I was astonished to see almost 50 recipes .We had everything in the Roundup starting from salads to desserts!!

Then I asked you to come up with ideas of turning leftovers into Scrupmtious delights and I was rewarded with almost 60 recipes.I was amazed at the creativity!

My love for Tofu prompted me to host an event to churn up Dishes with Tofu and bloggers shared my enthusiasm by sending in 22 recipes,all of them very new and creative!

Seduce Your Tastebuds played guest-host to some very popular events too.DK's AWED came back for a second inning and this time I chose African Cuisine.The roundup is here.

Sunita's Think spice event too came here for a second round and the theme was Tamarind and the response was great!

I chose Carrots for Silpa's Vegetable Marathon event and I was surprised to get 65 entries!

It was a great pleasure to host Srivalli's Microwave Easy Cooking event.We love to cook and experiment in the MW and there are some dishes that turn out to be the best.So I chose Favorites as the theme and was glad to get 30 delicious entries :)

Foods can be healing and Tomato was chosen as Healing food for Siri's event which got a total of 80 entries!

Once in a while its nice to walk outside the comfort zone.That's what Aqua did when she announced her event- writing a fact or fiction that revolves around food.Of Chalks and Chopsticks came here for the  5th edition.8 talented bloggers send in their wonderful and tasty reads.

Nive's Celebrate sweets was hosted here with the theme 'Bengali sweets' which happens to be Nive's and my favorite!28 yummy delicacies paraded in for the event...

Zlamuska started an event to cook recipes inspired from other blogs which is now carried on by Lakshmi.I hosted this event last month and invited everyone to try out recipes from Priya's Easy and tasty recipes and you delighted me by sending in 45 delicious dishes.

Talking of events I prepared 150 dishes to be sent to other events.It was so exciting to search and then prepare and post new recipes for events.My folks sure did enjoy the new dishes that I tried and gave a positive feedback.

If you are wondering why I am writing so much about events here, its because I love to host events and this is one way to thanks the brains behind them who gave me an opportunity to host their events and also to thank my friends for sending in their recipes and supporting me :)...

Moving on, this year I started a few new series like the Chinese Ingredients Unraveled , Kitchen Dictionary which I started when I wanted to know more about the ingredients I cook, which is well received,ertain recipes have step-by-step clicks to make it look easier.

I took a bold step and started baking some Eggless baked goodies in the microwave and I am hooked on to baking now.Wish I had stated earlier...

I have ventured to try out recipes from across the border even though my favorite cuisine is Indian.

You might be aware that I am a part of two cooking communities- Taste and Create and Indian Cooking Challenge and I was quite consistent in keeping up with the cooking and posting for these two.

For New year it is customary to make some resolutions and break it later, but this year I won't be making any. I am going to take blogging as it come and surprise you all with maybe a new theme / topic / event. So you can keep guessing what is going to happen around here :)

After this boring lengthy post, let me treat you with some Eye candy.Here are some of my favorite recipes / clicks for each month...

Moong dhal Halwa prepared for ICC - Jan 2010

Purple Radish Chutney - Feb 2010

Refreshing Kumquat Drink - March 2010

West African Jollof Rice - April 2010

Ras Malai for ICC - May 2010

Channa Chaat - June 2010

Comforting Beetroot Soup - July 2010

Vegetable and Lentil Sevai - August 2010

i

Sweet Potato Mash With Goji Berry - September 2010

No Cook Fruit and Nut bar -October 2010

Kollu Paruppu Masal Vadai - November 2010

Gelettes De Sarrasin - December 2010

There you go..This is pretty much what happened in my blog this year.You can peek into Best of 2008 and best of 2009 to see how my blog fared from its birth...


Last but not the least,a bunch of thanks to all my readers,those of you following / subscribing to my post and to those silent visitors, for your continual support and kind words of encouragement.If not for you ,Seduce Your Tastebuds wouldn't have come this far.Thanks for all your support in sending in all those lovely dishes for the events hosted here and making them such a huge success.

Tomorrow is New Year as well my Blogs 3rd Anniversary..I can hardly believe this!!!I never thought it will come this far.I am all geared up to cook and write about a lot of stuffs..

That's all for now,see you all next year with another delicious post..

New Year Wishes...

Porichha Kootu

This post is in my drafts for the past 2 years!My favorite kootu that never got noticed till now.Poriccha kootu is made with dal and veggies,similar to the other kootu varieties but unlike the normal kootu ,it does not need the roasted and ground spice mix.It tastes yum with steamed rice.This was prepared by mom long back and I can still recollect the taste...Yummy yum!


Mom used:

Moong dhal -1/2 cup [You can also use toor dhal]
Chow chow/ Chayote squash] -1 1/2 cups[You can also use cabbage,snake gourd]
Roasted Groundnut- a handful
Curry leaves-a few
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Gram dhal- 1 teaspoon
Urad dhal-1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Salt to taste
Coconut oil-2 teaspoons[You can use any cooking oil]

Grind to a paste with a little water

Coconut-5 tablespoons
Ginger- 1 " piece
Green chillies-2
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Peppercorns- 1 teaspoon

1. Pressure cook the dhal and vegetable with enough water and keep aside
2. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard, cumin, urad dhal, gram dhal, curry leaves, asafoetida powder.
3. When it splutters and the dhal turns brown add the roasted groundnut.
4. Put in the cooked dhal,veggie,ground paste, salt and mix well.
5. Simmer for 5 minutes till it thickens a bit[ reaches kootu consistency]
6. Remove from flame and serve with piping hot steamed rice....

Please don't mind the click.It does not look very appealing.It was taken years back when my photographic skills were in the nascent stage...I will update this post with a better pic as soon as possible...

Bon Appetit...

Vegetable Hakka Noodles

This popular Indo –Chinese dish has been on my ‘to-do’ list for quite sometime and I finally made it last week. I searched various sources and as usual changed and altered them to suit out taste.

I used: 

Hakka Noodles -2 packets, cooked according to the direction on the pack
Mixed boiled vegetables, chopped- 3 cups [ I used carrot, peas, purple cabbage, beans and microwaved them]
Spring onion greens from a small bunch of spring onions
Onion -1 finely sliced
Tomato -2 large
Garlic- 5 large cloves, minced
Soy sauce- 1 teaspoon
Chilli sauce- 1 teaspoon
Oil- 1 tablespoon


1. Chop the tomato finely and add the garlic to it and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok and put in onions and sauté till brown.
3. Add the tomato mixture and cook for 2 minutes till the raw smell of garlic disappears.
4. Put in the mixed veggies, soy sauce, chilli sauce and mix well.
5. Add the cooked noodles and mix so that the tomato mixture coats the noodles.
6. If it is too dry, add a few sprinkles of water.
7. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes for the flavors to combine.
8. Serve hot garnished with spring onion greens.

I did not add salt as the soy sauce already has salt.

This Day That Year..

2009 - Semiya Upma - A quick fix for breakfast.

Bon Appetit...

Sprouted Moong Dosa

Sprouts are a great source of nutrients.Instead of the regular dosa this one is a great change in taste.Also this batter does not need to be fermented- it can be used immediately after the batter is ground.

I used:

Sprouted moong – 3 cups
Rice- 1 cup
Urad dhal- ¼ cup
Cumin seeds- 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

1. Soak the rice and dal in water for 2 hours.
2. Drain the water and grind rice,urad dhal and sprouted moong to a smooth batter with a little water.The batter should be a little thinner in consistency than regular dosa batter.
3. Add salt and cumin seeds to the batter and mix well.
4. Heat a griddle and pour a ladleful of batter in the center. Spread it to a circle and cook.
5. When the edges leave the pan flip it over and cook for another 2 minutes.

Serve with sambar/ chutney of your choice.

• You can also add finely chopped onions, green chillies,curry leaves to the batter.
• If you have leftover batter, store it in the fridge and use later.

This goes to Priya of Mharo Rajastan's Recipes who is hosting the 30th edition of My Legume Love Affair,an event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook. Thanks for the remainder Priya :)

This Day That Year...

2009 - Cabbage Rice

Bon Appetit...

Microwave Green Peas Dhokla

Dhokla,as we know, is the famous dish from the state of Gujarat made with chickpea flour/ besan.A batter is made and it is steamed.After which a seasoning of mustard,asafoetida is poured over.The dhokla is then sliced and then served garnished with grated coconut, coriander leaves.There are several varieties of Dhokla like khamman dhokla, Khatta dhokra, Rasia dhokra, cheese dhokra, etc.

I made dhokla with green peas and besan in the microwave.It was super quick and was very fluffy.The color was very appealing and it tasted great as well.

Here is what you have to do...

Puree 1 cup green peas, 4 green chillies and 1" piece ginger using very little water.

Transfer the puree[for 1 cup peas I got 1/2 cup puree] into a bowl and add  1/2 a cup besan and salt to taste

 

 Mix well and add a little water to get a batter of dropping consistency.

 Add 5grams[1 small sachet] Eno fruit salt and add 1 teaspoon water over it.It will start bubbling.Mix gently.

 Immediately transfer into a greased microwave proof dish and swirl it around so that it spreads evenly. Microwave covered for 5 minutes on high powder.Let it stand for 1 minute inside the microwave.

 Do a tooth prick test.If it comes out out clean the dhokla is ready.Else cover and microwave for a few more minutes till done.

In another microwave proof dish, combine-1 teaspoon oil,1 teaspoon mustard,1 chopped green chilli and microwave for 1 minute.Pour over the dhokla and spread it out with a ladle/ spoon

 Let it cool.Mark squares with a knife.Remove carefully from the plate.

 Serve garnished with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

A mouth watering and nutritious snack ready in minutes...This comes in handy when you want something warm on a cold day but also want to refrain from indulging in fried snacks...

Serve dhokla as such or with a spicy chutney of your choice.

Note:

• Generally sugar is added when dhokla is prepared but I did not add it since the peas were slightly sweet.In case you have a sweet tooth ,you can add sugar while combining peas puree and besan.
• The cooking time will vary depending on the quantity and the MW oven brand used, voltage.So start checking from the third minute itself.If cooked for too long the taste will not be good and the dhokla will shrink and not be spongy.

This easy breezy snack is off to MEC-Savory Snacks hosted by Monika,event by Srivalli, 365 days of MW cooking , also by Srivalli.

Bon Appetit...

Oats Sago Adai

Adai is always a favorite in the household, especially for me. The batter need not be fermented and can be used as soon as its ground. I love to experiment with it by adding different ingredients to it. Here is one such variety. Adai will never let you down so you can alter the proportion of the ingredients.

I used :

Rice -2 cups
Toor dhal- ¼ cup
Gram dhal- ¼ cup
Moong dhal -¼ cup
Urad dhal – ½ a cup
Red chillies- 10
Sago – 1 cup
Quick cooking oats – 1 cup
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Ginger – 1´piece
Asafoetida powder- ¼ teaspoon
Salt to taste

1. Soak the first 6 ingredients together for at least 5 hours. Soak sago separately.[The sago variety that I used needs to be soaked for a just a few hours.Soaking time depending on the variety / type of sago used]
2. Drain and grind to a smooth batter along with ginger, adding a little water.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the batter, sago, oats, cumin seeds, asafeotida powder and salt.
4. Mix well and add water if the batter is too thick.
5. Heat a griddle and pour a ladle of batter in the center and spread it to a circle.
6. Cook till the edges leave the pan .Flip over and cook for a couple of minutes. I did not drizzle oil as I use a non stick pan.
7. Remove from heat and serve hot with chutney/ sambar of your choice.

To the batter you can also add finely chopped onions, chopped curry leaves / grated coconut etc to enhance the taste.

Sending this to Priya who is hosting Cooking with Whole Grains- Oats event, started by Kiran

This Day That Year...

2009 - I walked down the Memory Lane taking into account all that was good in the year blogging and made plans for the next year...

2008 - Oats Halwa in a jiffy...

Bon Appetit...

Microwave Eggless Apple cake

Another yummy Eggless cake from my kitchen.These days I have a special fondness for baking and I bake like thrice a week!Small ones to go with our tea and no one at home is complaining about the change in the snacks either.Even the spice lover of the family doesn't hesitate to finish off his share and ask for more!

So,I saw this recipe in Divya's blog and baked it without a second thought.It looked very simple and I was sure it would taste great.

With a lone apple sitting in the fruit basket,it was the best way I could use it up.I added my favorite flax seeds which is actually not there in the original recipe.As usual I had one big and two small trays and the cakes vanished in no time!

Needless to say, the cake was awesome,very soft and had a hint of apple in it.The sweetness was just right and it was great to go with our evening coffee last weekend..

Here it is, the apple cake with blueberry jam for Lil angel...

Microwave Eggless Apple cake
Recipe Source: Easy Cooking

 I used:

All purpose flour / maida - 1 cup
Apple- 1, peeled & grated [Do this just when you are ready to add it to the mix.Else it will turn brown like it did in mine]
Flax seeds- 1 tablespoon + a little for sprinkling on top
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Butter -A little less than 1/4 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup(or more if required)

Here is what I did...

.

Sift all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and keep aside

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.And add to the flour.The butter was very hard in-spite of leaving it on the counter for several hours so I put in butter,sugar and half of the milk in a blender and blended it for 3 minutes and then I added it to the flour.

Next in goes the grated apple,flax seeds.Mix well and add a little more milk if needed.

Pour into a greased microwave proof tray and sprinkle some flax seeds

I baked it for 3 minutes on high power.
The time can vary.Check if the cake is done by inserting a skewer .If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

This is how much I baked.Two plain ones and one with flax seeds.

Slice and enjoy the fluffy cake as such or spread a little jam and savor it like how Lil Angel loved it....

So with this simple Apple cake,I wish everyone 

 

Sending this cake to Suma's baking event,as she celebrates 2 years of blogging with this wonderful event and an awesome giveaway...

Bon Appetit...

Nellore Rasam

I went overboard yesterday posting 3 recipes back to back.With so many posts in the drafts and some pics yet to be transferred from the cam to the PC, I thought I will finish them off as quickly as I can .So,after those heavy posts of yesterday,here is something tasty and that which goes easy on the stomach.A rasam from Nellore.This rasam does not have dhal so it is very light.This is almost similar to the Jeeraga Milagu rasam prepared in Tamil nadu.Very yummy with piping hot rice,a dollop of ghee and pappad.I would not ask for anything more...

Before going to the recipe,Srikhand has been featured in the Lexiophiles International Recipe Advent Calender 2010.Click on 23 and it takes you to my recipe.In this page you can find 24 holiday inspired recipes contributed by bloggers from all over the world...

Now back to our Rasam....

I used:


Tomato-2 ,large and ripe
Tamarind paste- 2 tablespoons
Garlic pods-2,grated
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Mustard- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Red chillies- 2,broken
Curry leaves- a few
Coriander leaves to garnish
Oil- 1 teaspoon

Dry roast and powder

Peppercorns-1/2 a teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1/2 a teaspoon

1. Blanch Tomatoes and remove the skin.Mash them roughly with your fingers.
2. Dilute tamarind pulp in 2 cups of water.
3. Heat oil in a pan and put in mustard, cumin seeds, asafoetida powder, curry leaves.
4. When it splutters add garlic and saute for a minute.
5. Put in tamarind juice, tomato, salt and bring to boil.
6. Check the taste and add water if it is too sour.
7. Add the pepper-cumin powder and simmer for 5-8 minutes till it is frothy.
8. Remove from flame and pour into a serving bowl.Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice with a dollop of ghee and pappad....

This day That year...

2009 - Apple Rabdi

2008 - Vata Tea

Bon Appetit...