Introducing event "Flavours of" series 2- Asia

Image courtesy of mwcsk12.org

"Flavours of " series 1 was born in August last year, our culinary journey took us travelling around India. We  have sampled wonderful  Gujarati, Punjabi, Goan, Maharastrian ,Bengali  and Rajasthani dishes already. . Our last lap of journey will complete after our visit  to South Indian which is currently being hosted at home blog simply.food . The flavour some, array of dishes we have seen so far are simply delectable and brought us a delightful culinary experiece straight into the comfort of our homes.

With the success of "Flavours of " series one , I would like to introduce "Flavours of" series 2. In series two we will be journeying around Asia to sample some new and varied tastes.I am inviting all my blogger friends to accompany me on my travels to cook up a feast.You can do this by guest hosting one of the events on your blog or simply just participating in the event. Each event will run for two months, same as series one and the guest host will need to host the event on their blog for two months and post around up after the event completes.
Our itinery is as follows:

1st October 2011- 30th November 2011 -Flavours of Indonesia

1st December 2011 - 31st January 2012-Flavours of Sri Lanka

1st February 2012- 31st March 2012- Flavours of Nepal

1st April 2012 -31st May 2012 - Flavours of China

1st June 2012- 31st July 2012- Flavours of Thailand

1st August 2012 - 30th September 2012 -Flavours of Malaysia

1st October 2012- 30th November 2012- Flavours of Turkey 

If you are interested in joining me on my travels and would like to guest host one of the above events please contact me with the event you would like to host. Please include in your request 1st and 2nd choice of the event you would like to host.
Looking forward to your participation .

Announcing Event Flavours of South India.

Having completed our stay in the vibrant state of Rajasthan during our Flavours of Rajasthan Cuisine, we are packed  and on our travels to tantalise our taste buds  with Flavours of South India.

South Indian cuisine is made up from four different states of South India ; Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Naidu. The food is famous for its various spices and also spicy foods. Some of the chief varieties of spices produced here include cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Of course we can't forget the many varieties of Dosas ,Vadas , the Uttappam and of course the  tasty Sambhars.The variety of recipes are too numerous to mention , each and every dish is a culunary delight so this visit is going to be a real treat for our palates.

The South India is equally famous for the availability of coconut, a wide variety of fishes and root tubers. The south Indian food is mainly rice that can be cooked in minutes utilizing a rice cooker.The rice is served with a combination of Sambhars or curries.

To participate in this event, make any vegetarian dish (eggs allowed) and post it on your blog.

Send it in the following format to simplysensationalfood@gmail.com. Please put Flavours of South India in the subject box.

Your Name-

Blog Name-

Post Name-

Post URL-

Image no larger than 300 pixels.

• Please link this event announcement with your post, this is mandatory.
• Multiple entries are allowed.
• Archived posts are allowed if reposted and linked up to this event.
• Non bloggers can participate by sending their recipe and image via email.
• Use of logo is appreciated as it helps to spread the word.

We have travelled far and wide through India and on our  journey we have sampled rich, flavoursome, vibrant, spicy and a fantastic array of regional cuisines. This visit to South India will conclude our Flavours of Series 1. Please Watch out for "Flavours of" series 2 coming soon where we will journey through Asia.

 Lets get cooking. Looking forward to your participation.

Lemon Cheese cake

Refreshing citrus cheese cake with lemon scent.Creamy smooth filling on a wonderful crunchy ginger biscuit base makes this cheese cake summery and fresh.

Ingredients:

For the base:

125grams digestive biscuits
125 grams ginger biscuits
100g butter melted
250g cream cheese (mascarpone)
100g icing sugar
100 ml pot double cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon essence or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest for adding to cream
1 teaspoon lime zest for garnish

Method:

Make the base:

1. Butter and line a loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.
2. Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to make crumbs using a rolling pin.
3. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter.
4. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Transfer them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer.
5. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour to set firmly.

Make the filling:

6. In a bowl add the cream cheese, the cream, the lemon essenceor the lemon juice , lemon zest and the icing sugar .
7. Whisk thoroughly till its thick, smooth and creamy . Keep aside in fridge until ready to use.
8. Remove the base from the fridge and spoon the cream cheese mixture onto the chilled biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles.
9. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula.
10. Leave to set in the fridge over night.

To serve:

14. Remove cheesecake from fridge and bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 minutes before serving.
15. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can, and then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. Slip the cake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base.
16.Garnish the cheese cake with lime zest.

Serve with Vanilla ice cream or just cream.

You may like:
Chocolate - Vanilla cheesecake

Rajasthani Sweet Rice

Delicious saffron scented  rice with a fragrant sweet flavour of cardamom and  almonds.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
3 tablespoons jaggery (gor)
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon almond slivers
1/2 tablespoons almond flakes
1/2 teaspoon saffron.
2 cups  boiling water

Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice for 1 hour.
2. Drain the soaked rice and keep aside.
3. Heat clarified butter in a pan and  when it is hot add the rice and stir fry till all grains are coated in ghee and slightly toasted.
4. Add half the saffron and  and 2 cups boiling water to the rice.
5. Cover and cook rice for 20 minutes on the lowest heat setting.
6. After 20 minutes of cooking time add the jaggery to the rice do not stir it in just cover and cook for another 5-8 minutes. The heat from the rice will melt the jaggery.
7. After the final cooking time, add the almond slivers and cardamom powder and gently stir the rice to separate the grains.
8. Transfer rice to serving platter and garnish with almond flakes and remaining saffron strands.
Serve hot.

You may like:
Mohanthal

Mixed Dhal Pudlas (Pancakes)

Rich in protein and very light these pancakes with added vegetables makes them a wonderful and tasty snack.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons tuvar dhal
8 tablespoons chana dhal
4 tablespoons moong dhal with husk
4 tablespoons moong dhal without husk
1 small red onion finely diced
1 small carrot peeled and grated
1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste
2 tablespoons fresh chopped fenugreek (methi)
1.5 teaspoons salt
4 green chilles finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
 6 tablespoons Oil (for cooking pancakes)

Method:

1. Wash and soak all four dhals  in hot water for few hours.
2. Drain access water and grind the dhal in a grinder.
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl  and add the salt, turmeric, chilli powder and mix.
4. Add the finely chopped onion, grated carrot and the chillis and ginger paste.
5. Add enough water so make the batter of pouring consistency.
6. In a non stick frying pan , oil the frying pan and pour a adle full of the pancake mixture. Swirl around till mixture forms a  thin pancake .
7. Drizzle a little oil around the pancake, when it is set and bubbles begin to form, flip the pan cake over and cook bottom side ,drizzle a little more oil as required.
8. Remove pancake when it is cooked and  repeat for remaining batter.
Serve with pickle and yoghurt chutney.

You may like:
Moong dhal pudlas