Recipe Review November 2009

Greetings, Friends:

It's been a few months since the last time I printed this column. I go through phases - being inspired to cook or at least, dream, about cuisine based on purely by my emotions and taste buds! This month, there was such a wide variety and long list of recipes that inspired me (and few I have actually prepared at home), that I wanted to share the links from Nithya, Aayi, Abhilash, Jaishree, Suma, and a surprise guest! Enjoy this month's recipes, I hope they tempt your tastebuds and inspire dreams of yumminess as they had with me!


4th Sense Samayal
Indian Special Kai Murukku
Nithya shares how to make a tasty handwoven deep fried snack made of rice and lentils. The snack itself is called "murukku" and, in this case, called kai murukku as it is hand rolled. In Tamil, kai means hand/arm.
Plantain Flower Usili (Vazha poo/ Anti poo)
This is a unique Tamil preparation using the banana flower stamens. I have had the honor to help make this dish- this is truly one dish that is best made with 'a village' of helpers because of removing the stamens. It's a job that is both time consuming and detail-oriented. And, with a whole group of people putting their attention, patience, time and love into the preparation- the end product is all the tastier!


Aayi's Recipes
Vegetable- Barley Soup


Hindu Blog
Thirukkural Quotes on the Food We Eat
Thirukkural is an ancient book of parables written in the Tamil language by the poet Thiruvalluvar. His parables cover almost every aspect of everyday life. Here is a sampling of quotes relating to nutrition, which reminded me of a multipart post on my blog- A Thought for Food and Food for Thought.


Ruchi
Spicy Oat Pancakes
Jaishree introduces us to an Indianized version of oatmeal pancakes. YUM!


Veggie Platter
Aloo Methi Matar - Microwave Version
Suma has a whole series on microwave Indian recipes. She makes it look so simple and easy! This recipe is for a potato (aloo) and pea (matar) curry with fenugreek (methi) leaves.
Masoor Dal Sambar
Suma shares a tasty recipe for a vegetarian stew made from masoor dhal, a lentil not often thought of thickening sambar, as toor dhal is usually utilized for this purpose.


Vizmaya
Mambhazha pullisheri (kerala style)
A delectable yogurt mango spicy salad eaten as an accompaniment to rice and other Kerala dishes. Who can resist this sweet sour combination?


Related Links:
Recipe Review August 2009