Dil Se..: February 2010

Feb 26, 2010

Tried and Tasted - March 2010 Edition

Hello everyone,
I am back with an event announcement for the month of March. This time it is Tried and Tasted event!
Tried and Tasted is an online event started by Zlamushka which features some amazing bloggers each month. Participants try and taste some of the recipes of the featured blogger. This month the featured blogger is Raaga who blogs at The Singing Chef. She has over 500 incredible recipes!!

Raaga describes her blog as "a mixed bag which is a treasure trove of traditional and fusion foods, all with two common ingredients, enthusiasm and love".
I don't think her blog needs much introduction. Her recipes are simple and very easy to make and she even makes exotic dishes sound simple to make. Hop onto her blog to find out more!!

The logo for this event was designed by Ksenia who blogs at Tales of a Spoon.

Going on to some guidelines for the event.
Cook any recipe from "The Singing Chef" and blog about it. Stay as true to the original recipe as possible. If you have already tried and tasted any of her recipes there is no need to repost it again. Simply link back to the original post.

Usage of logo is greatly appreciated!

Please link back to this announcement page and the original recipe page from Raaga's blog. Please always link to both sites, so both blogs are given credit.

Send me an e-mail divyablogs[AT]gmail[COM] with your name, your post URL as well as the original URL and a picture (300px by height, please) by March 31st.

Non-bloggers are more than welcome to participate Simply e-mail me picture and the link to the original recipe.

Another reminder! Do send in your entries for Show Me Your Salad and Sunday Snacks:Healthy Snacks by Feb 28th. Looking forward to your entries.

Feb 22, 2010

Simla Mirch Paneer / Cottage cheese in a bellpepper curry

This is yet another dish I made in the process of cleaning out our refrigerator before our move. I admit I hoard things in my fridge and freezer and I am glad I finished almost all the ingredients without having to throw away any. I was out of tomatoes and I had some paneer and red bell peppers to finish. I found this recipe on googling and we had this smooth, decadent and vibrant curry with some frozen parottas. It was an instant hit and I will be definitely making this again. It is a very simple curry with very few ingredients and can be made in a jiffy. Can be served in parties as well.

Ingredients
Paneer (cubed)- 2 cups
Red Bell Pepper/Capsicum - 1
Cashews - 1/3 cup
Green chillies - 4
Cardamom - 2 pods
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves - for garnish

Directions
Cut the red bell pepper into 1 inch pieces. Also cube the paneer. You could fry the paneer in a little oil until golden brown. this step is optional though.
In a saucepan, boil one cup of water. Add the cashews, cardamom pods, bell pepper and chillies to it. Bring it to a boil and cover and simmer for about 5 to 6 minutes until the bell peppers turn tender and gets cooked.
Allow the entire mixture to cool and puree it using a mixie or hand blender. Bring it back to the saucepan on medium heat. Add the salt, red chilli powder and the sliced paneer cubes. Simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes until the paneer absorbs the gravy.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve warm with some parathas, rotis or chapatis.

Sending this recipe to Healing Foods: Avocado hosted by Siri
Guacamole
Homemade bean burritos

Do send in your entries for Show Me Your Salad and Sunday Snacks:Healthy Snacks by Feb 28th. looking forward to your entries.

Feb 19, 2010

Tomato Sevai/Idiyappam

This is one quick and delicious South Indian breakfast made with rice noodles. I got the readymade sevai/idiyappam from the stores. So this can be made in a jiffy. I usually like to have my idiyappam with coconut and sugar, but this savory tomato sevai has become a new favorite.

Ingredients (makes 1 serving)
Rice sevai/idiyappam - 1/2 packet
Tomato - 1
Green chilly - 1
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - for garnish

Directions
Cook the sevai/idiyappam as per the instructions in the packet. Usually it requires adding the readymade sevai to boiling water and then draining the water after a minute.
In a pan, heat the oil and do the tadka with urad dal , mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the finely chopped tomatoes, green chillies and salt and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy.
At this point you could add any cooked vegetables like carrots and peas if you like. I did not add any.
Remove from heat and stir in the cooked idiyappam and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves and roasted cashews if you like.
Serve warm as it is or with any chutney.

Sending this to Semi-homemade cooking-Indian hosted at Lazzat.

Also sending the following soup recipes to Healthy Inspirations Event - Soups
Wheatberry kidney bean Soup
Creamy Zucchini Soup
Pumpkin Zucchini Spaghetti Soup
Creamy Broccoli Soup with mint and thyme

Feb 17, 2010

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Am back after a short break! We are buy with packing things since we will be moving to a new place next week. So I have been hardly cooking except trying to clear out my freezer and pantry a bit. I had some sour cream and eggs lying around waiting to be finished. So I decided to make this rich sour cream pound cake adapted from Taste of Home. It is not that healthy but is definitely worth trying since it is a fool proof recipe and tastes great along with some tea!

Ingredients
All-Purpose Flour / Maida - 3 cups
Butter - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cups
Large eggs - 3
Sour Cream - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy for about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in one egg at a time and beat well until well incorporated. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Add to the wet mixture alternating with the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low just until completely combined.
Pour into a greased loaf pan or bundt-cake pan and bake at 350 degree F for about 1 hour. Insert a skewer to see if cake is completely baked.
Cool completely before slicing the cake..

Sending this to Bread Mania

Feb 5, 2010

Show Me Your Cake Roundup

Finally here is the roundup of Show Me Your Cake Event! Thanks for all the lovely delicious cakes baked by the professional bakers out there! Also do check out my ongoing events at Dil Se..