WYF:Tea time snack event announcement

Are you always in search of quick and tasty snacks for teatime..Here is an opportunity to share what is your favourite tea time snack and also learn more varieties of such snacks from other bloggers..Pamper yourself by preparing your favourite snack anytime during the month and send it over for the WYF:Tea time snack event this December..

The rules are the same as always -

1) After posting your recipe on your blog, please link it back to this announcement and add the logo if possible. In case you wish to send some dish that you have posted earlier, please repost it with the link to the event and the logo. Please restrict the number of entries to three.

*** Adding the event announcement link is a must in your post and also reposting in case of archives.

2) Please post only vegetarian recipes for the event since this is a 100% Vegetarian blog. No eggs please. If you are a non-blogger, you can mail me the recipe and the picture.

3) Mail me the following details -

** Please follow the same order in your mails as it helps a lot during the roundup

Subject: WYF: Tea time snack

Your name:

Blog name: (not url)

Dish name:

Link to the post:

For archived entries, the reposted link:

to easycrafts@gmail.com by 31st December '09. I will pick up the picture from your blog...you neednt send it. The roundup would be published during the first week of January.

Looking forward to your participation in the event.

Super Blogger Sunday: Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons

This week's featured super blogger is Srivalli from Cooking 4 all seasons. Hardly anyone in the blogging circuit might be unaware of her blog and her melas. The MEC events for Microwave cooking, a contributor to Beyond curries, various Melas, the Indian cooking challenge, two other blogs - she has her hands full and yet manages to efficiently provide time for each of them..

EC: Tell us something about yourself

Srivalli: I got hooked on the idea of a blog after seeing my friend's personal blog. I created first my personal blog, Journey Called Life, wanting to update my daily journals. I have always been interested in cooking and have many cookbooks, paper clippings. So creating a cooking blog was only natural. I started blogging "Cooking for all Seasons" from May 2007, that makes it about 2 years 6 months. For about a year and half, I was posting daily in C4AS. But with my kids growing up and the work on two more blogs, I try doing atleast two - three posts per week.

One day when my elder twin saw his brother's picture on my profile. he asked me where his picture was. So that actually led to creating a new blog "Spice your Life" so that I can upload his picture. With the new blog I thought I could expand the topics, so Spice your Life, has every element that is meant to spice one's life! I even got my dad to write and educate on Diabetes and I try thinking further on parenting, Indian culture and traditions etc.

Journey Called Life is purely a personal blog about my paintings, poems and writings, which are my other hobbies.

Yes there was a time when I used to cook specially for blog and blog events. These days I try but mostly can't.

EC: Who and what inspired you to start food blogging ?? Which blogs inspire you ??


Srivalli: I wanted to write a cookbook, but with everything I had already on my plate, venturing into it then, was not possible. So I thought I would record my recipes online.

EC: How do you think blogging has changed your perspective and exposure ?

Srivalli: In a way, starting with blogging on food, has helped me know how much more work is involved in creating a cookbook. Blogging experience has given me the confidence and audience for my cookbook.

EC: How do you manage balancing your job, family and blogging ?

Srivalli: I think it all depends on how much we want to do something. I mostly blog during nights when my family sleeps. The days I don't post, I get my content ready with pictures. So sometimes I schedule posts when I know I won't be able to do right then.

EC: Your melas are very popular..tell us something about it.

Srivalli: Thank you! I started with Dosa Mela, because I love dosas and am always on the look out of new ones. I was surprised to see so many dosa lovers. And they wanted more such melas! so the series continued..

I was enjoying the fact that I was able to annotate each entry, which my readers liked too. I tried doing that for the next 4 - 5 melas, but with 350 entries, though I read each one of them, writing something about it was too exhausting.

Then I wanted to do something different. So I created a program to link the pictures directly in a collage. In the melas collages, you can directly click on the picture to the blog.

EC: You have been affected by plagiarism..How do you think we can fight and deal with it ??


Srivalli: Plagiarism is horrible. When it happens online and is hosted on the free services, you can file complaints with the service provider, who will take down the site. But with print media lifting your content, you are so helpless to do anything. We need to have stronger cyber laws in India.

Naturally fellow blogger's help and spreading the word helps.

EC: Can you give some tips for new bloggers to make their blogs popular ?? How do you stay in contact with your readers ?

Srivalli: As the cliché goes, "Content is the King". I strongly believe in that. Decide what you want to share and how private you want to keep things. Remember you are publishing to the whole world to see. So take responsibility on what you say on your blog. It might be your own space, still credibility and accountability is more important.

Writing may not be everybody's forte. But checking for grammar and typos are least anybody can do. Try to write what you want in simple language.

Give content that is well received. Like documenting your family treasures will surely get everybody sit back to read and in due course of time, you will get lot of interactions. Be part of the community. Have an interactive post. When readers see that they are asked something, they will surely respond.

Though I do have lot of email contacts, I now have most of them on Facebook, Twitter. But one should again know what is important.

EC: Your favorite vegetarian recipe

Srivalli: I love all the ones that I posted..but the simplest one would be this complete meal!

Methi layered paratha

Ingredients

2 cups wheat flour

Salt to taste

1 cup cleaned and chopped methi (fenugreek leaves)

Oil as required

Make a soft dough of wheat flour, salt, methi leaves and water. Remember not to cut the methi leaves in advance as it turns out bitter. Keep aside for 1/2 hour. Make medium sized balls of it.

Dust with flour and roll into chapati. Apply a little oil/ghee and sprinkle some flour over it. Fold it into half and then once again apply oil and sprinkle flour. Fold once more into half to get a triangle. Dust with flour and roll it into a triangle paratha.

Cook on hot tava with oil/ghee as required till you get brown spots on both sides. Repeat for rest of the dough.

Serve hot with side dish of your choice.

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Alu mattar (gravy)

Ingredients

2 boiled and cubed potatoes

1 cup cooked peas

2 tsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 small finely chopped onion

2 small onions pureed

1 big tomato pureed

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp ginger paste

Salt to taste

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Heat oil, add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add the chopped onions and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the onion and tomato puree and cook for 3-4 mins. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, ginger paste and salt. Add little water as required for gravy. Allow it to boil.

Add the potatoes and peas and cook for 5 mins. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis/pulav.

Following are the entries for various events

Paneer Manpasand is off to JFI:Paneer hosted by Cardamom.

Sending it over to Vaishali for her Its a Vegan world: Chinese event

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Alu palak paratha

Just 4 more days to go for the WYF: Specialty food event..Pls rush in your entries

Ingredients

For dough-

2 cups wheat flour

Salt to taste

For filling-

2 boiled and mashed potatoes

2 cups cleaned and chopped palak (spinach)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Bit of thymol seeds(ajwain)

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Oil/ghee as required

Make a soft dough of wheat flour, salt and water. Keep aside for 1/2 hr.

Heat the palak by sprinkling some water to make it soft. (dont add more water- it should be dry) Cool and add rest of the ingredients and mix well. Make medium sized balls of it.

Make balls of the dough. Roll into thick poori, place the stuffing inside and cover with dough from all sides. Dust with flour and roll again into thick paratha ensuring the filling doesnt come out.

Cook on hot tava with little oil/ghee till brown spots appear on both sides..Serve hot with curds and pickle

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Budding blogger : Muskaan & Sadhana

Budding blogger series introduces new bloggers (those blogging from Jan '09) every wednesday and promotes their blogs through Simple Indian Food. If you are interested in being a part of this series, please mail me a short description about your blog, the cuisine you specialize and your objective/inspiration in blogging to easycrafts@gmail.com.

This week we visit A2Z Vegetarian recipes blog of two neighbours Muskaan and Sadhana which is a treat for Vegetarians. A first visit to the blog and you will not feel it is a budding blog..Very neat and attractive layout, healthy vegetarian recipes, information related to ingredients, this blog has it all to be at the top.

Here is what the blogger friends have to say -

A blog all about A 2 Z in vegetarian cooking, you will also find Indian vegetarian recipes, simple and healthy cooking, desserts, drinks, cooking tips, kid friendly food, interesting food facts, nutritional information.

The blog tries to incorporate Indian, International, and fusion cooking like Indo-Thai/chinese/Mediterranean/jain/vegan/low-cal/high-protein...recipes for weightwatchers etc..

The key objective behind blogging is to exchange ideas on healthy vegetarian recipes. We live in faced pace and high stress life facilitating so many chronic diseases like diabetes gaining epidemic proportions. Asian Indians being genetically more Insulin resistant it is really important to watch out on what you as well as your children eat. Our " Know What You Eat" section is very interesting. It not only educates ourselves but our readers as well & provide adequate knowledege of "food facts", & healthy eating habits.Through blogging we share what we cook and come across lot of healthy recipes from our other blogger friends to try.

Paruppu rasam

Ingredients

2 tsp rasam powder

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 tsp tamarind paste

1 small tomato chopped

Finely chopped coriander leaves

2-3 tbsp redgram dal (cooked tur dal)

Few curry leaves

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Mix rasam powder, salt, asafoetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves, tamarind paste, tomatoes with 2 cups water and heat on low flame till the tomatoes get soft. Add the cooked dal and another 1/2 cup of water and allow it to come to a boil.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add to the rasam. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice or as a soup.

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Cauliflower biriyani

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice

2 onions sliced lengthwise

1 small cauliflower-cut into florets

2 tsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 green chilli slit into half

Bit of asfoetida

Few cashew nuts

Few curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1/2 cup beaten curds

Finely cut coriander leaves

Soak the rice for 1/2 hour in sufficient water. Heat oil and add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add green chillies, cashews and roast till it starts turning golden brown. Add asafoetida, curry leaves, onions and fry for 2 mins. Add the cleaned cauliflower florets, rice (after draining the water) and cook for 2 mins. Finally add 2 cups of hot water, salt, turmeric, curds, garam masala powder and mix well.

Transfer to a vessel and pressure cook. Garnish with fried onions, cashews and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with raita and papad.

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Super Blogger Sunday: Deeba of Passionate about baking

This week's featured Super blogger is Deeba from "Passionate about baking". Beautiful pictures, attractive food site, wonderful garnishing skills, a super baker, a prominent face of several blogging communities- thats Deeba for you..Read more about her and visit her blog for a fascinating experience ( but remember you will get to only see her tempting cakes on your screen and not have them)

EC: Tell us something about yourself

Deeba: I’ve been food blogging since August 2007. My blog is about my passions in life...baking, cooking, photography, nature, and art. I believe in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. I enjoy blogging immensely, & am part of a wonderful online community.

I blog from India, where my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients. I have to admit that I now cook to feed my blog, and try to post at least twice a week.

Join me in my adventures as I wriggle my way through the kitchen!


EC: Who and what inspired you to start food blogging??

Deeba: I began blogging just over 2 years ago; a meek attempt to document my adventures & misadventures in the kitchen, and record basic recipes as I had time on hand. Little did I know that blogging would take over my life? I am ambitious as far as blogging goes, am addicted to it, and enjoying it thoroughly. It has enriched my life beyond belief, put me in touch with beautiful and fun foodies, made me a Daring Baker, and made me look at the camera with new eyes. I have learnt that there is more to 'macro' than what I learnt in university while doing my honours in economics, and this macro is certainly more fun! The camera is my best friend, and has escaped many a threatened fall into curries and cakes. I love it! I have a long way to go, and want to write cookbooks, improve my photography skills, learn to make macarons like French pastry chefs...ah I love this life!


EC: Like the name of your blog and your recipes suggest, you do a lot of baking..Can you share some tips about baking.

Deeba: As people who now know me, baking is my passion, the joy of my life. The name is a reflection of my passion. The most important tip for baking is to know your oven. It's usually oven temperature & over beating that messes up the end product. If you are a beginner, then try an easy muffin or pound cake to gain confidence. An apple/pear crumble is also a good way to begin. If you need help, please feel free to ask me. I am always willing to share whatever little I have learnt along the way.


EC: The photographs and garnishing on your dishes are superb..Some tips on it please

Deeba: Thank you. I have a long way to go, but basically enjoy shooting in natural light. I don't have fancy SLR. Just a Canon G9, which is a slightly higher end point & shoot camera. I shoot in macro, mainly using a sheet of white cartridge paper as background. My skills in photography are non-existent, so I still shoot in auto, but do try & experiment. I edit my pictures in Picasa, and sometimes in Photoshop.

For some tips on garnishing, please see my post on Food talk, at Daring Kitchen here,

EC: Your views on plagiarism and how can we fight it??

Deeba: Don’t be shy to step onto the blogging platform; don’t be intimidated. It’s a whole world out here, with a lot of bloggers, but there’s always room for more. Bloggers share a wonderful camaraderie, and are more than willing to share their world with others. Do remember though, to always ask before you use any ones work, and always give credit when you do. There is no place for plagiarism here. We need to take a united stand against it.


EC: What are your sources of recipes and which is the dish that is a hot favourite among ur family and friends.

Deeba: My recipes are often inspired by the season, and from blogs I visit. I am a free spirit and find it difficult to follow a recipe exactly. I often make changes as I work my way, and tend to take pictures at every stage to record what I do. My iced cakes are a hot favourite with my family & friends, as are my iced cookies.


EC: Any interesting incident/experience that you relate to blogging.

Deeba: My first attempt at making successful French macarons nearly drove me to tears. I made 6 batches on one morning, and I had the whole bunch of twitter friends holding their breath. That was the most interesting & trying day of my baking life. I finally found my ‘feet’. You can read the chronicles here if you like...


EC: Your favourite vegetarian recipe

My favourite vegetarian recipe is a dessert, 'Apricot Cherry Mini Crumbles', a recipe easily adaptable with seasonal fruits like apples and pears also. I have made a mango & ginger version in the past as well. I like this recipe as you can make individual servings in ramekins, or then one large portion in a pie dish.

Gobi mattar samosa

Ingredients

For the dough-

1 cup Maida
Salt to taste
3 tsp oil
1/2 tsp thymol seeds

For the filling-

1 cup cauliflower florets (cleaned and cooked)
1/4 cup boiled peas
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Finely chopped coriander leaves

Oil to fry

Add salt, thymol seeds and oil to the maida and mix well. Add very little water to get a stiff dough and keep it covered for 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix all ingredients for stuffing well.

Roll out the dough into medium sized chapatis and cut it into half. Apply little water on the sides and fold it into cone shape. Fill in the cauliflower peas mixture and close the other ends as well. Ensure that it is closed well on all sides, else the filling will come out. Repeat for the rest of the dough.

Heat oil on a low flame and fry these samosas. When cooked on a low flame, the samosa get cooked well and also crispy.

Serve with green chutney or sweet chutney or tomato sauce.
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Shahi korma biriyani

Thanks SE, Kanchan and Sandhya for the awards-have posted them here

Recipe source: Tarla Dalal's recipe with changes for convenience

Ingredients

1 cup basmati cup
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 cloves
Small piece of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 medium tomato
1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, carrot, beans, potatoes)
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp cashews
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp ginger paste
Finely chopped coriander leaves

Soak the rice for 15 minutes and pressure cook with turmeric, salt, 2 cloves, piece of cinnamon and 1 bayleaf.

Make a smooth paste of cashews, onions, tomato and poppy seeds. Heat non stick pan, add cloves, bayleaf and heat for a minute. Add the ground paste, ginger paste, salt and cook on low flame till raw smell goes off and it is dry. Add cooked vegetables and mix well.

Divide the rice into two portions. Put milk in the bottom, spread one layer of rice, then the cooked shahi korma and then finally the remaining rice. Microwave for 2 minutes. Turn on the serving plate and garnish with coriander and fried onions.

Serve with raita
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Fada nu kichadi (zero oil)

This recipe is adapted from Tarla Dalal's Zero oil dal chawal (click to read the review) recipe book with slight changes to suit our taste

Ingredients

1/2 cup dalia (bulgar wheat)

1/4 cup green gram dal (moong dal)

Salt to taste

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cloves

1 tsp ginger paste

1 finely chopped onion

1/4 cup green peas

1 small tomato chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Soak the dalia and dal for 15 minutes. Heat a non stick pan and add cumin seeds, cloves and roast for half a minute. Add the onions and fry for a minute. Add ginger paste, dalia and dal (after draining the water), tomatoes and fry for another minute. Finally add rest of the ingredients and 2 cups of boiling water. Mix well and transfer to a vessel to pressure cook it.

Serve hot with curds.

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Budding blogger : Padhu

Budding blogger series introduces new bloggers (those blogging from Jan '09) every wednesday and promotes their blogs through Simple Indian Food. If you are interested in being a part of this series, please mail me a short description about your blog, the cuisine you specialize and your objective/inspiration in blogging to easycrafts@gmail.com.

This week's featured blogger is Padhu from Padhu's kitchen. A very neat, simple and elegant template, beautiful pictures and recipes for amateurs to try are the highlights of her blog..Here is what Padhu has to say-

Hello everybody

I am Padhu from India, who has entered the blogging world since August 2009.

I am married and a mother of 2 wonderful kids. I started blogging to share my cooking experience with others and it is also a creative outlet for me.

I am very particular about health and try to make my recipes as healthy as possible without compromising on the taste. I also wanted to bring back Traditional Indian recipes in this era of fast food.

My blog is all about easy to cook vegetarian dishes and tips for the novice to kitchen. My interest in cooking developed when my kids started enjoying my cooking.

I am very particular about the quality and content of my blog and will never compromise on that. After I started blogging I have developed interest in food photography also.

I hope you will support me and encourage me with your feedback and comments to make my blog more useful and appealing.

Cabbage sabzi

Ingredients

1 small cabbage chopped

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp bengalgram dal

1 tsp blackgram dal

Salt to taste

2 red chillies

Few curry leaves

Bit of asafoetida

Cook the cabbage till soft and dry.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, bengalgram dal and blackgram dal. When it splutters add curry leaves, red chillies, asafoetida and then cooked cabbage.

Add salt and mix well. Serve with rice.

If you want it a bit spicy, add 1 tsp garam masala powder and it can be served with rotis too..

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Milk cake

Ingredients

1 ltr full cream milk
1/2 cup milk powder
1 small cup sugar
Cardamom powder

Heat the milk on low flame and stir continuously till it gets thick..It would take about 1 hour 15 mins for 1 ltr milk. Add sugar, milk powder and cardamom powder. Mix well and stir till it gets thick.

Pour into greased plate and cool. Cut into desired shape pieces. Garnish with chopped nuts.
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Super Blogger Sunday: Padma rekha of Plantain Leaf

Meet Padma Rekha of Plantain Leaf (Andhra recipes) blog this week at Super Blogger sunday series. She attributes the drastic changes in her style of writing and food photography to her objective of coming up with a recipe book. You can look forward to some traditional Andhra recipes and also some interesting International cuisines on her blog apart from other regional cuisines.

EC: Tell us something about yourself

Padma: I am a home maker and cooking is my hobby, profession and interest. I have been blogging since May 2008 and my blog is one and half year old. Actually I wanted to write a book on Andhra traditional cooking from a long time and to collect all my Andhra recipes in one place, I started this blog. However in the past one and half years I have seen many bloggers more talented than me. I am working on that project with traditional Andhra recipes. Hoping to finish it soon.

I love to learn more about cuisines and consider it as a big ocean. What I learnt in this ocean is just a drop and there is so much more to explore - it is to be seen how much I get to learn.

My other hobbies are travelling, crafts and yoga. I am a person who believes in God. I have one more blog Yatra, where I write about my holiday tours and devotional, though not frequently. My main concentration is on my food blog.

EC: Who and what inspired you to start food blogging ?? Which is the most inspiring food blog ?

Padma: Nobody inspired me to start this blog. Its my interest in cooking and my cooking book. Also I wanted to explore Andhra cuisine in an easy way.

After I started my blog I got inspiration from so many bloggers and my culinary skills have also improved a lot.

EC: You have tried out in all more than 400 recipes- a lot of International recipes as well as explored various Indian cuisines..Which is your personal favourite cuisine among them ?

Padma: Yes I have more than 400 recipes in my blog. Andhra cuisine is my all time favorite. Other than that I like all Indian cuisines and also French and Italian.

EC: What are your sources for recipes ? Do you follow the recipes exactly as given or make changes to it ?

Padma: Most of my Andhra recipes are from my Mom, my grandmothers, aunts and some fusion recipes are from my sister. Few recipes I tried from cook books (I have a good collection of cooking books) and TV cookery shows which is the only program I watch on TV. Most of the other Indian recipes are from my friends - all of them tried and tested. After I started my blog I tried some from my fellow bloggers too. Some times I make changes to the original recipe, but most of the recipes I follow as it is.

EC: You have been baking a lot too..Any tips of baking ?

Padma: Yes I just love baking. Weekly once I bake some bread, cookies and tea cakes. Correct measurement and time is very important in baking.

EC : What have you learnt after you started blogging..Tell us what changes blogging brought about in your life

Padma: I learnt so many things after I started my blog. Mainly, I learnt about writing a perfect recipe (according to that I am changing my recipe style now and you can see more improvements in my blog within few days) and food photography(I have to still improve). So my blog has become a part of my life.

EC: Your favourite vegetarian recipe

Padma: Since I am a food lover I have a big list of my favorite foods. In that list, Rice comes first and any mixed rice like Andhra pulihora is my all time favorite.

Alu mattar pyaz sabzi (dry)

Ingredients

3 boiled and cubed potatoes
1/2 cup boiled peas
2 onions chopped
2 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Finely chopped coriander leaves

Heat oil, add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add chopped onions and fry for 2 mins. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, garam masala powder, potatoes and peas. Mix well and cook for 5-7 mins mixing well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with rotis/rice.
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Cabbage dal

My mom sent in this dish made by her to bring a change in the usual dal

Ingredients

1 cup green gram dal (moong dal)
1 cup masoor dal
1 cup finely grated cabbage

1 small tomato chopped finely
2 tsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
2 red chillies cut into pcs
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Finely cut coriander leaves

Fry the cabbage in 1 tsp oil for 3-4 mins. Pressure cook it along with both the dals and tomatoes.

Heat ghee, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves, red chillies or green chillies, the cooked dal and cabbage, salt and turmeric powder. Cook for 2-3 mins and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
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Sabudana thalipeeth

Ingredients

2 cups soaked sago

1/2 cup roasted peanut powder

1 green chilli finely chopped

Salt to taste

Finely chopped coriander leaves

1 small boiled and mashed potato

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Oil as required

Mix all the ingredients except oil. Make balls and pat them into rounds on a greased paper with wet hands. Make small holes with the back of the spoon. Cook it on a hot tava with little oil in the sides and a drop of oil in the holes till brown spots appear on both sides.

Serve hot with curds or butter.

Thanks Curryleaf for the suggestion..Sending it over to Lakshmi for the RCI:Mumbai event started by Lakshmi of Veggie cuisine

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Budding blogger: Rohini

Budding blogger series introduces new bloggers (those blogging from Jan '09) every wednesday and promotes their blogs through Simple Indian Food. If you are interested in being a part of this series, please mail me a short description about your blog, the cuisine you specialize and your objective in blogging to easycrafts@gmail.com.

This week's featured blogger in the budding blogger series is Rohini of Curries and Spices - The blog with a simple and neat template, lovely pics and an increasing recipe count

In Rohini's words-

Originally started as a hobby to pass my free time, this blog is now my passion; A passion that beautifully compliments my other passion - Cooking. Being a hard-core foodie myself, the craving to please my beloved hubby and my own palates keeps me going to try new recipes.

About my blog: This blog mainly features simple, day-to-day cooking (both south Indian and north Indian cuisine) in our households and occasional specialities from over the world. As an amateur budding photographer, I have also tried to make all the posts visually appealing.

Hopefully my blog, with all the support from my fellow-bloggers and readers, would evolve into a more appealing and indispensable nook for all.

Kuttu (Buckwheat) poori

Ingredients

1 cup buckwheat flour/kuttu atta

2 small boiled and mashed potatoes

Salt to taste

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Oil to fry

Mix the flour, salt, potatoes and coriander leaves to make a tight dough. Add 1 tsp oil and mix well. Keep covered for 10 mins. Make balls, roll them into a slightly thick pooris and deep fry in hot oil till done. Made these small ones for fun..Can be made this way for kids.

Serve with some spicy side dish.

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Lemon Peas rice

Ingredients

1 cup cooked peas

2 cups cooked rice

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp bengalgram dal

1 tsp blackgram dal

2 green chillies cut into 2

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Few curry leaves

Bit of asafoetida

Salt to taste

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Few cashews

1 tsp lemon juice

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, blackgram dal, cashews and bengalgram dal. When it splutters, add green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add turmeric powder and then cooked peas. Add cooked rice, salt and mix well. Finally add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well.

Serve with raita of your choice. Ideal for travel and lunch boxes or a quick meal.

Sending it over to Sudheshna for Think Spice:Think Turmeric event, a series started by Sunita

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Super Blogger Sunday: Deesha of Vegetable Platter

This week's featured blogger is Deesha from Vegetable Platter. You can look forward to some good varieties of Indian and International cuisines in her 16 months old blog.

EC: Tell us something about yourself

Deesha: Vegetable Platter is a little more than an year old .. my entry into the blogging world was only after having got married. I would constanly google for recipes & I stumbled upon so many blogs. I have always been so passionate about food, so starting a food blog was very natural.

EC: Who and what inspired you to start food blogging ?

I would spend quite a lot of time online, thats when I felt I could post recipes as it would help me keep track of the new recipes I would learn rather than jotting them down in a diary .. when the blog started taking a good shape, It got me even more interested into various aspects of blogging

EC: How do you think blogging has changed your life and widened your exposure?

Deesha: It really hasn't changed my life in any way but I am definitely better aware about different cuisines now

EC: Tell us something about Chat Seva blog.

Deesha: My uncle started Chat seva to run a few advertising experiments .. they cover a wide range of topics, I write about food

EC: Your signature dish that is a favourite among your friends

Deesha: I think I make pretty good Veg Biryani & shahi pulao .. my husband is not a foodie at all, but he loves my aloo gobi

EC: What are your main sources of recipes ??

Deesha: I am always on the lookout for new recipes, it could be a newspaper, magazine, friends, mom & just anyone who cooks good food. I usually never hesitate to ask anyone for a recipe

EC: Your favourite vegetarian recipe

Deesha: It really is so difficult to pick one recipe, I guess I love Kodbales & I love Majjige Huli - total comfort food

Kuttu (Buckwheat) pakore

Ingredients

2 big potatoes (boiled and sliced into rounds)

Salt to taste

1 cup buckwheat flour (kuttu atta)

1/2 tsp pepper powder

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Bit of asafoetida

Oil to fry

Make a thick batter of the flour, salt, asafoetida and coriander leaves. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Dip the potato pieces and coat it with the batter. Fry in hot oil till done on both sides.

Serve hot with chutney.

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Palak vada

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Ingredients

2 cups blackgram dal

Salt to taste

2 green chillies

Piece of ginger

1 cup cleaned and chopped palak/spinach

Oil to fry

Soak the dal for 2 hours and grind to smooth paste with ginger and green chillies without adding water. Add salt and chopped spinach and mix well.

Make vadas and fry in hot oil till crisp and done.

Serve hot with chutney/sambar.

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Rice sevai tikki

Ingredients

1 cup cooked MTR rice sevai or homemade sevai

2 boiled and mashed potatoes

2 slices of bread

Bread crumbs

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Oil

Mix all the ingredients except oil and bread crumbs. Before adding the bread slice, dip for a second in water and squeeze out all the water. Now make balls of these mixture and flatten it to tikki shape. Coat with bread crumbs.

Cook with few drops of oil on a tava till crispy brown on both sides. Serve hot with sauce/sweet chutney.

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Budding blogger: Nivedita

Budding blogger series introduces new bloggers (those blogging from Jan '09) every wednesday and promotes their blogs through Simple Indian Food. If you are interested in being a part of this series, please mail me a short description about your blog, the cuisine you specialize and your objective in blogging to easycrafts@gmail.com.

This week's featured blogger is Nivedita of Nivedita's Kitchen with Simple and homely recipes

My name is Nivedita, I am from Karnataka, born and brought up in Hubli- Dharwad. After marriage, I stayed in UAE (Abu dhabi, Sharjah) for 11 years. Now back in India, for my children and their education.

Entered the kitchen at the age of seven, still loves to cook and experiment the food. I eat anything in the plate. I believe in simple living. Always ready to learn something new. Love to read books!

Even though I created my blog in December 2007, I started posting only in March 2009. It was delayed for many personal problems. But it was always in my mind to start it one day!!! So Here I am with my many recipes and my views on many issues. Still working on some events and projects and articles on current issues.

My motto to start a blog was to introduce many North Karnataka recipes and to try food from other blogs and share with others. And I wanted to express my feelings and views!! which is very easy in blog world.