Saturday, July 16, 2011

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! 
  • 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! 
  • 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

  • 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

    • 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! 



    • 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 :) 
    • 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 :) 

    Sweets inspired by the flavours of Kerala:

    • 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! 




    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)

    Friday, June 3, 2011

    The Kerala Kitchen May 2011 - Round Up


    We had a wonderful, amazingly sweet host last month- Sarah of Spoonfulofdelight! I know I shouldn't have favorites amonsgt KK members but I can't help it! Sarah is one of my favourite members. There I said it! She has enthusiastically participated every month right from our very first month and has spread the word to many of you, brining you into our family. When I was stressed out with my house shift and asked her if she would like to host last month, she immediately said yes, and even incorporated an easier way for us all to add our entries by using an online form. Thanks Sarah for being such a wonderful, gracious host and invaluable part of the Kerala Kitchen ! Here is the round up that was also posted on her wonderful blog full of goodies here

    Time to Feast- The Kerala Kitchen May 2011 Round up by Sarah of Spoonful of Delight

    What's been cooking in the Kerala Kitchen in May?

    Lots of mouth-watering delicacies - each one wonderful in its own way.
    So folks, its time to set the table (or rather lay the banana leaves) for an astounding feast from God's own country!







    Renita's Banana Fritters




    Julie's Easy Beef Curry







    Sobha's Simple Mango Pickle to spice up any meal




    Mango Glass Pudding from My Potpourri of Recipes








    Swapna's Meatball Curry


    Swapna's Vegetable Stew


    Namitha's Beef Cutlets






    Anzz's Ulli Vada












    Nashira's Watermelon Shake


    Lastly, my dish for the event - Homemade Jackfruit Chips


    Now for the tough part. It was a nerve-racking experience to try to choose the best from all the wonderful entries. I've been drooling at all the dishes and wishing that I could taste them. But since I had pick one dish which was the best one, I finally zeroed in on this one - Sangeetha's Chakka Varatti / Jackfruit Jam




    The Award for the Best Pic goes to..... Let me tell you, choosing this one was even tougher than the previous one. I'd be overjoyed to award this to more than one pic. But then after a round of "eenie meanie mynie moe" or "eena meena deeka" (just kidding! I really spent hours trying to choose this one), the winner is Nashira's Watermelon Shake.




    From the moment I saw this pic, I have been wondering, how did she take this shot. Truly original and captivating.




    Next is the Award for the maximum number of entries. This one goes to more than one person and I'm loving it... The winners are (drumroll please) - Sobha and Swapna




    Congratulations to all the winners and all the wonderful folks who partcipated in this event! Thank you all for the participation and the encouragement.