26 Announcing Cooking with seeds-Pepper event

Hello All I am back after a few days break and am in India on vacation. Will start posting few recipes and also am hosting an event this month.

Cooking with seeds is an event started by Priya
. Who does not know Priya in this blogosphere. Just visit her space and you will find more than 1000 recipes. I just admire her cooking I do wonder how she has the energy to post atleast 2 recipes every day. Just give her a
ingredient and she can use it in any form and prepare from appetiser to desert. I am happy to host her event for the month of June and have chosen pepper as the theme.


Pepper is one of the most popular and oldest of spices, and has a pungent odor, exotic flavor and aroma. The specialty of pepper is that the same fruit can be processed differently to produce four kinds of peppercorn: black, white, red and green. Of these, black pepper is the most common,
while white pepper is used in some cuisines. The outer hull or mesocarp is removed to produce white pepper. The mesocarp has some sugar and volatile aromatic compounds, so white
pepper has a different flavor, while retaining the pungency. Pepper has nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. These include carotene, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, vitamin K, iron, manganese, calcium,
phosphorus and iron. The mesocarp has a resin called chavicine which gives the pungency. Pepper is commonly known as an ingredient in cooking, but it also has many health benefits. Pepper is a digestive and stimulant, which stimulates the taste buds and the appetite; it
also increases hydrochloric acid which aids digestion.
Due to the antioxidant qualities, pepper neutralizes the harmful effects of free radicals, and prevents skin problems and degenerative diseases. The anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties help to eliminate toxins through sweating and even prevent cancer.
To know more about the benefits
click here.

All you have to do is just prepare any dish using pepper as one of the ingredient and post it in your blog. Can send in both vegetarian and Non vegetarian dishes. Entries sent to this event can be sent to other events. No problem if you have any recipes in your archives, all you have to do is
just repost and link back to this post and also to
Priya's event announcement
( http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/cooking-with-seeds-host-line-up.html ) .
Linking both is a must. No problem if you don't have a blog, just send in your recipe along
with a picture of the dish to my email id padmasrecipes.blogspot.com.


Here are the details that you have to send:-


Your Name:

Blog Name:
Recipe Name:
Recipe URL:
Photo with size( 300 X 300 px ):

Using of logo is preferrable.

Send them to padmasrecipes@gmail.com with the subject as CWS-Pepper on or before June 30th, 2010.

Thanks and expecting your entries. Will be posting the roundup on first week of July.






Read more of "Announcing Cooking with seeds-Pepper event"

36 PALAK WITH CORN

Palak(Spinach) with corn and a break for few days.


Recently have not been very active in my blog. Reason being that I am leaving to India on vacation for 2 months after a gap of 3 years. I know it is very long.
Definitely Won't be a complete break for my blog, but a break until this month end. Will come up with many more interesting dishes and keep posting them now and then. Until then keep visiting and leave your valuable comments which I very much need. That is what makes me to post more and more :D


Had this post from a very long time in my drafts. So thought of posting it. This tasted great with parathas/chapathi's. Can also make this when have a very small qty of spinach leaves. Have already made spinach with channa and potato, this time added corn which gave a very good taste and also was a excellent combo.


Spinach/palak leaves - 1 big bunch( cleaned and washed)
Corn(sweet corn) - 3/4 cup( partially cooked/steamed)
Onion - 1 chopped fine
Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Cream - 2 tbsp(optional)or also can use yogurt
Salt as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp
Spices( very few of each cumin seeds, clove, cinnamon, cardamom) - adding all these to get goo flavor which you can always skip

Heat water (around 2 cups)
in a vessel and allow it to boil. Add spinach leaves and allow it to cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Remove and cool. Later grind to a fine paste.


Heat oil in a pan and add the spices first. Next add onion and saute till they are golden brown. Then add ginger and garlic paste and saute for a minute and add tomato paste. Fry for less than a minute. Now add all the powders and mix well. Next add the spinach paste along with the cooked/steamed corn. Also add salt and reduce flame and cook for another 5 - 6 minutes. Add cream for thickness and creamy taste. Serve with your favourite chapathi/parathas/rotis and enjoy.

Read more of "PALAK WITH CORN"

37 ONION PAKODA

Onion Pakoda/Uthiri or Thool Pakoda.


A very simple and delicious pakoda/pakoras that can be made with less ingredients and served a snack.

You can make crunchy or crispy pakodas according to your need. If you want crispy and hard/firm pakodas, then add rice flour the same quantity as you add besan/chick pea flour.

Picture sent in by my Gomathi Athai

Onion - 2 medium cut lenthwise
Green chillies - 2 or 3 chopped fine
Ginger - 1/2 inch chopped or grates( optional)
Curry leaves - few chopped
Besan/chick pea flour/Kadalai maavu - 1 1/2 cup
Salt as needed

Fennel Seeds/Sompu - 3/4 tbsp(optional)
Oil for deep frying


In a vessel take onion, salt, green chillies and ginger. Mix well and leave it aside for 30 mts. This will leave out water. Later add besan flour and mix well. The water from the onions itself witll be sufficient enoug, if not spinkle some water and mix well so you get a mixture of dropping consistency.
Heat oil for deep frying. Drop this mixture in small quantity here and there and deep fry till crisp. Remove and serve.

In case you want very crisp pakodas add rice flour and mix with besan.
You can also mix besan along with onions and leave aside for the same time and follow the remaining steps.



Read more of "ONION PAKODA"