The Kerala Kitchen June 2011 Round up

This month's round up has my mouth watering. I am happy that since Ria will be making a trip home, I get to host again this month :) To participate, click here to go to my announcement post. 

However, I too intend to be travelling soon ( trip to India- home! eating! shopping! lots of family recipe learning from my grandmas, moms and aunts! can't wait) so if you are interested in hosting The Kerala Kitchen in the coming months Aug-Dec 2011 do drop me a mail to magpiemails ATgmail DOT com or leave a comment here with your email id so I can get in touch with  you and send you the details. There are still a few slots left  to be filled for this year so do hurry and let me know! Really appreciate all your interest and willingness to host this event :) Seriously am so happy to have made so many wonderful and talented friends through this event! ( a little panjaram so you will forgive my lateness in posting the roundup :P) 

Here are the awesome dishes we received:

Vegetarian Side Dishes:

• Nashi of Plateful  with Rasam  I love Rasam and can happily drink it like a soup, although it is heavenly poured over mounds of soft rice! 

• Zareena of My experiments with food  with Banana Blossom Thoran The lovely purple flower of the banana tree is cooked with spices in this tantalizing dish.

• Khushi of A Girl's Diary  with Chickpeas in Red coconut gravy Mmm perfect with puttu, rice or bread! 

• Anisha of Anisha the Foodie with Drumsticks and Mango curry Tangy green mangoes and drumsticks that absorbs the flavours from the curry, This is sure to be a treat for your tastebuds and take you straight to kerala! 

• Anisha of Anisha the Foodie  with Chembu Fry  If you are in the US you can ask for Taro root if you are looking for Chembu, and make this now for a taste of home! 

• Sangeetha of Kothivannu with Pappadam Thoran- how intriguing!

• Vidhya of Kurry leaves with Cherupayar thoran or green gram stir fry a healthy everyday lentil dish 

• Vidhya of Kurry leaves with Kadala Curry packed with protein and perfect to soak up with puris or even rice 

• Ramya of Ramya's recipes with  Appam and Vegetable Stew One of the all time favourite, unbeatable breakfast combos.

• Ann of Anzzcafe sent in Coconut chutney/ Thenga Chamanthi  the perfec accompaniment for a bowl of steaming hot rice. Yum! 

• Ann of Anzzcafe  sent in Beetroot Pachadi don''t you think that is just the prettiest pink ever? this dish will be a hit for all of you with pink and purple crazy little girls or nieces! 

• Swapna of Swapna's Cuisine sent in Vellayappam with a super easy method to make them too! 

• Sabs of Shab's Cuisine sent in Beans Mezhukkupuratty one of our all time favourites 

• Julie of Tasty Treat sent in Sweet Pachadi, the traditional buttermilk based side dish enlivened with fruits- sure to be a hit with the kiddies! 

Non Veg Dishes

• Shabs of Shab's Cuisine  sent in crispy Chicken donuts How innovative! You just have to check them out! 

• Shabs of Shab's Cuisine  sent in Kerala Style baked chicken which I have already bookmarked as an easy and delish chicken dinner idea! 

• Dhanya  of Dhanya's Tasty Flavours sent in Chatti Pathiri (layered crepe and egg dish) a treasure from the Malabar Muslim community 

• Ann of Anzzcafe  with Kappa biriyani/ Tapioca and beef this is a a very popular street food, starchy,  filling and deliciously comforting for many after a hard day's work, though it is not at all like the traditional rice based biriyani! 

• Sangeetha of Kothivannu too sent in Kappa Biriyani /Tapioca and Meat  

• Julie of Tasty Treat sent in spicy and tangy  Chemmeen Manga Curry ( Prawns and Mango Curry)

• Zareena of My experiments with food   with a finger licking good  Spicy prawns masala

• Sunitha and Namitha of their totally cool collaborative blog Collaborative Curry with Prawns and Mango Curry  This is just so gorgeous, I could dive right in ! 

• Anisha of Anisha the Foodie  with Pomfret Fry Oh Anisha, you have no idea how much I am craving Karimeen! Thanks for sending it to me, albeit virtually :) 

• Swapna of Swapna's Cuisine with Mathi Kappa Puzhukku / Mashed Tapioca and Sardines with Coconut and Spices This is such a great idea for a meal-in-itself! Would love it with some pickle. Yum! 

• Ramya of Ramya's recipes with Malabar Prawn Biriyani Biriyani is just the perfect one dish meal don't you think? sea food biriyani is a little more interesting than the usual chicken biriyani for sure! One of my favourite party foods :) 

Sweets and Snacks

• Rinku of Kitchen treats with Malabar style Kinnathappam Yet another malabar dish that I have never tasted :( Rinku wish you could send me a slice :) 

• Julie of Tasty Treat sent in Aval veliyachathu ( sweet poha or flattened rice) This is a tea time snack that is crunchy munchy delicious and loved by all :) 

Sweets inspired by the flavours of Kerala:

• Nashi of Plateful sent in this Quick Mango Passionfruit Pudding What a perfectly seductive combo! am sure that tastes just divine! 

• Nashi of Plateful   with Fruit salad  with oodles of exotic fruit! Perfect for the fruit filled summer days! 

• Julie of Tasty Treat sent in Plantain Pancakes Pancakes may not be traditional Kerala fare, but these with the addition of our favourite Kerala fruit ripe sunny yellow bananas is just a perfect breakfast sweet treat! 

• Julie of Tasty Treat sent in Sweet Plantain puffs  What an innovative play on the popular Kerala bakery savoury puffs! 

• Zareena's Coconut Banana Almond Cake full of Kerala flavor with coconut and bananas! 

• No ice cream maker? No problem! Sarah of  Spoonful of Delight sent in an innovative Mango Froyo / Mango Frozen Yoghurt made with fresh mangoes, hung yogurt and an electric mixer or a blender -sure to beat the summer heat ! Absolutely love it Sarah :) 

Drinks:

• Divya of Easycooking sent in this almost miraculous invigorating drink which is a favourite when one is ill from a cold or fever as it clears the nasal passages and contains the healing properties of ginger: Chukkum Kaapi ( Ginger Coffee)  

For the best dish, I had to choose Sangeetha's unique Pappadam thoran though with so many great dishes, it was a really tough decision.

For the best pic, I chose Sunitha's Mango Prawns curry where I  loved how she used the frayed gunny sack to make a wonderful rustic background for this bright orange curry.

The Top contributor is Julie of Tasty Treat  with 5 truly tasty treats this month :)

Congrats winners and thank you all for another delicious month! Here is your Kerala Kitchn member badges, do display them proudly on your blogs, we are so proud to have you on our team!

Update: Here are the wonderful members who will be hosting the Kerala Kitchen in the coming months:

July- Me, Magpie of Magpie's Recipes Announcement post click here
August- Vidhya of Sugar'N Spice
September- Divya of Easy cooking
October- Khushi of A Girl's Diary 
November- Fajeeda of Faji's Hot Pot 
December- is still available ( email me at magpiemails AT gmail DOT com if you would like to host)