Weekend Wokking: Tofu - Delicious Round up

Tofu or bean curd as it is also known is a delectable food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curd into blocks.Originally from china it has spread to other East Asian countries and has been a part of their diet. It is low in calories and has a large amount of iron.Lets see what delish dishes our awesome bloggers has made with this nutritious tofu.The entries are in no particular order.

We start with delicious Tandoori Tofu Kebabs from Priya of Easy and Tasty Recipes.Tofu is marinated in chilli powder,pepper and spicy garam masala and is skewered and baked along with cubed bell peppers and onion chunks.Hearty and mouthwateringly spicy dish.

Then we come to Tofu with satay sauce from Christine of Kitschow.A delectable dish where tofu in a tube combined with pork and a dash of her favourite satay sauce ,this one is done within 10 minutes.

We have Mr.Zhengs Soupy Tomatoes and Eggs with Tofu where TS & JS of EatingClubVancouver have used Northern style Tofu which has more flavour,but also a soy milk aroma and have tried to recreate a traditional dish with a traditional Chinese combo of eggs and tomato.

Northern Tofu also makes an appearance in Steamed Fish and Tofu with Chinese Blackbeans where the ingredients like tofu and fish and thrown together along with fermented soybeans to make a hassle free dinner.

Tofu makes it appearance this time in Tofu and Squash Dumplings by EJL of Made with Optimism. Tofu mixed with banana squash,greenonions,watercress and soysauce is used a filling for dumpling and is cooked in boiling water and is enjoyed heartily.All this after accidently participating in a dumpling making class.Do check her pics for folding a dumpling.

Then we welcome Semur tahu of Central Java from Javaholic.Though tofu is almost a regular ingredient she almost forgot to post this dish.Tofu is browned and then mixed with tomatoes,shallots,garlic and sweet soy sauce and is topped with cellophane noodles and hard boiled eggs for a simple and satisfying meal.Do check the post for vegan options.

Next we have Vietnamese Dau Hu Chien Sot Ca Chua or Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Tomato Sauce from the creator of Weekend Wokking: Wandering Chopsticks.Here were have tofu lightly battered in rice riceflour and deep fried (or unadorned and pan fried as you like) and then added to a wonderful sauce of tomatoes to which soy sauce or fish sauce has been added. A perfect side dish to rice which can easily be made gluten free and vegan.

Last but not the least we have tofu as delicious Indian Style bites from Yours Truly.This has tofu cubes marinated in curry powder and baked to obtain healthy,spicy and tasty bites,all thanks to Madhuram whose recipe I adapted this from.

It was a simple and delectable round up.Now onto the next secret ingredient:
"Its Green in colour and is PopEye's favourite: -" SPINACH ".

Do send your entries to the creator of the event Weekend Wokking and also next month's host, Wandering Chopsticks at wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com by May 30th,2010.

Welcome to TastyCurryLeaf Greek Taverna

The AWED :Greek conducted here whole of March presents a simple round up with delectable vegetarian and vegan dishes. These are presented in 4 courses and I hope you enjoy the menu.

Mezze -
Meze or Mezzethes is the collective name of small dishes which are more than appetisers.These are served with wine or ouzo and can generally range from snack to light meals and includes dips,sauces,small sandwiches,etc.

1. Kolokythakia Tiganitas from PJ or crunchy zucchini battered in flour and soda water and deep fried to perfection


2. Tzatziki from Cooking Foodie -a classic Greek Dip made using thick Greek Yoghurt,cucumber and dill -perfect coolant


3. Spanakopita starters from Sumathy -Filo rolls with spinach and feta cheese filling baked and presented as a filling starter.


4. Greek Sauce from Niloufer a delicious sauce made with cucumber and yoghurt and she also sends


5. Greek sandwich -made with falafel,olives ,tahini and greek sauce rolled in Pita bread Hearty indeed


6. Bourou bourou from yours truly - a simple veg and pasta soup from Corfu

Simply Salads

1. Pantzaria Salata from Priya - Chilled Beet & Garlic salad perfect for summer and can be made quickly


2. Corn and Olive Salad from Marina -hearty and filling salad made from black olives,corn and white beans with salty feta this is simple and filling

Sensational Sides

1. Fasolia gigantes me plaki stou fourno from Ivy - a hearty dish made from lima beans baked in tomato sauce,this is a staple in almost all the Greek taverna and must not be missed.


2. Patates stou fourno from DK -the Chief Chef of Awed has baked lemony and garlicky potatoes thats another staple side in the tavernas or if you ask me this mouthwatering dish can be served even on its own.


3. Greek roasted potatoes from Priya Mitharwal is a perfect dish as a side or stuffing or snack or whatever way you like it and from what I read is definitely kid friendly.


4. Arakas me Anitho from Yours truly is simply sensational dilled peas with bell peppers and a perfect side or as itself.

Tantalizing Mains

1. Kritariki me Fakkes by Peter Minakis -a hearty combination of orzo pasta and lentils this is the dish perfect for lent and or any season comfort food as per me.
   
2. Whole grain Spanakopita Pie from Yasmeen - made from scratch using whole wheat flour rather than the easier filo sheets and filled with lots of healthy greens and low fat feta this is heaven and is guilt free main course.


3. Spankopita Pie from Nisha Thomas - never a great fan of Greek cuisine,she fell in love with this and made from the tradiotional filo and spinach-feta filling this has become a regular in her brunch sessions and I suppose she may be trying other Greek recipes as well :D


4. Vegetarian Moussaka from Swathy- A classic three layer dish of eggplant,meat and bechamel sauce she used a combo of potatoes,mushrooms and zuchhini replacing the meat layer and reduce the amount of cheese to make it less in calories but definitely hearty and filling and more tasty.A time consuming preparation but hearty and a must try.


5. Vegetarian Moussaka from Cooking foodie - A tasty twist on the classic dish this one has eggplant,potato and zucchini and the meat layer is replaced with split yellow lentils which makes the dish more more hearty and filling.


6. Greek Macaroni and Cheese from Lisa -A Greek touch to the tasty mac and cheese makes it more hearty.Made from a combination of cheeses like Gruyere and feta along with fresh spinach and kalamata olives this is an excellent main course.


7. Couscous Salad from Nayna -she fell in love with it whilst on a holiday in Greece and later tried at home.A hearty and simple and filling salad made with couscous,cucumber,bell peppers,etc this is another dish that can be put together easily.


8. Spanakorizo-Greek Spinach Rice from Yours Truly - a hearty rice dish made with long grain rice and fresh spinach,dill and parsley this is mouthwatering and filling.


9. Lagana-Greek Flatbread for Lent from Yours Truly - the finest of Greek breads attempted here and though amateurish the bread was hearty.

Delicious Desserts

1. Revani-Greek Semolina Cake with Syrup from Priya - A rich semolina cake which is soaked in lemony sugar syrup and is perfect with a cuppa or post lunch dessert.
   


2. Loukomades- Greek Honey Puffs from Priya -a deep fried pastry drizzled with honey or served with sugar syrup this is a gastronomers delight. I can't wait to try this out


3. Galaktoboureko-Greek Custard filled phyllo pastry from Priya - A milk or custard pie this has buttered phyllo/filo layered in a pan stuffed with a rich custard made with semolina,eggs and sugar flavoured with orange or lemon and baked -a rich lipsmacking dish indeed.


4. Halva Moraitikos-Greek style Semolina Halva from Yourstruly -a fuss free dessert made from semolina,butter,sugar and water spiced with cinnamon and baked studded with almonds.

Complete Platter

Kalyani of Adiruchi celebrates Greek cuisine with a delectable platter having Pita bread,Hummus, baba ghaoush and Mujjadara. Greek was her favourite cuisine but when she found she has not cooked much Greek she went ahead and gave us a complete feast.

The taverna has 17 chefs who has ready a total of 29 dishes what more do you need to enjoy one of the finest cuisines of the world.Hearty Thanks to all the contributors and do let me know if I has missed anyone or given a wrong link.

Do stop by at AWED: African Cuisine all this April after a hearty Greek feast
Hope you enjoy heartily from this simple taverna with a delectable hearty menu.Kali Orexi!

Culinary Train Through Switzerland

The culinary train through Switzerland started one fine morning last month and the train which normally takes hours to go through the several cantons (states) of Switzerland took almost a month but was filled with culinary delights.

All the passengers were welcomed by delicious,yet sinful hot chocolate by Simran of BombayFoodie.

Following this they had a choice of perfect breakfast-microwave muesli by Priya

or uncooked yet fruity yogurt muesli by yours truly.

The second breakfast course were traditional rostis by Priya

And cheesy mini bellpepper rostis by yours truly.

As the train chugged on and hours passed,we were served light fruity refreshment and what do we have on its side ,delicous chocolate fondue by Priya

and another delicious chocolatefondue by Shri of TastyTouch.

By the time the fondue was polished off,we had reached our midpoint of Graubunden and it was lunchtime.What do we see ,Yasmeen welcomes us with traditional Graubunden Barley soup

accompanied by WholeGrain Rosemary Zopf. Too perfect and hearty

But wait,Lunch is not over yet.We have another choice of soup in Oatmeal soup by Rekha of Plantainleaf.

After heartily partaking the soup as the trains moves on to Tincini Rekha again presents her hearty and aromatic saffron rissotto

After such heavy lunch our eyes close and the train slowly inches forward only to be rejuvenated by the tasty yet amateurish magenbrot by yours truly.

This will be enough for us till suppertime just before our final destination where breads and pastas are awaiting us.

At suppertime,we are greeted by AWED Chef DK of ChefInYou with here beautiful zopf-I literally could not take my eyes off the pic.

Abhirami of Soulful Creations also presents her zopf which is equally hearty.

Other options in the supper are AeplerMagaronen orSwiss Farmers Pasta by Dipali where she serves it with tradional applesauce and also studded it with mushrooms for a different taste.

We also have another AeplerMagrone by Yours truly as well.

After stuffing with these goodies which were smaller in number yet very hearty we arrive at the final destination.There are several more vegetarian recipes in Swiss cuisine and several baked goodies.Do checkout Rosa's YummyYums and FXCuisine for more recipes and also the history behind them.Also if someone sends me another Swiss vegetarian recipe I will be updating the round up including them as well.

UPDATE on July 18th,2009.Few days back I received a late entry of Swiss Potato Gratin from Minu (better late than never,the gratin is simply delicious) and I am including it here

By the Way our final arriving place is Britain and we are AWED to see Simran waiting for us with AWED:Britain.

FIC :Favourite Colourful Round Up

Red and yellow, pink and green,

Orange and purple, and blue,
I can sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow,
See a rainbow too.

Colours bring us joy and happiness.We think in colours.The word rainbow brings an assortment of colours into our mind.Sun,we relate to orange, night/darkness to black etc.Generally we see everything in colours.They often reveal human nature and speak about us as well.We can turn green with envy or red with anger or we can paint the town red and then go white with embarassment.Well lets see what the food in colours -especially favourite colour reveals about us.

WHITE
"White is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white."
-Gilbert Keith Chesterton(British journalist)
The symbol of purity,joy,snow,neutrality and humility,lets see the wintery white dishes:

Mosaru Vade (Dahi Vada) from Asha

Summery Curd Rice with mango from Lubna of KitchenFlavours

Nellikkai Pachadi from PJ of SeduceYourTasteBuds:
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RED: When in doubt wear red. - Bill Blass (fashion designer)

It is the colour of desire,anger,romance and intense energy.It indicates danger and has high visibility/attractiveness.It increases confidence and hardwork and is found to have a physiologial response by increasing the heart beat .The ladies in Red who increase our heart beats are:

Srilakshmi of Annapurna presents:
spicy and fiery Avakaya
Tomato Pickle

Pav Bhaji
Eggplant Parmesan

quick and Easy Tortilla Pizza

The next in line is Delicious Veggie Lasagna from Sumathy of SumiKitchen :

And my very humble tomato and roasted pepper salad :
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Brown: Moralistic is not moral. And as for truth -- well, it's like brown -- it's not in the spectrum. Truth is so generic." -- Iris Murdoch

Brown,the colour of earth,of survival and most of all chocolate.It shows dedication, commitment and sacrifice.Let see the earthy delicacy in brown:

Bourbon Biscuits from Nithya of Aromas From my Kitchen

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Purple: "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it." -Alice Walker
the colour of royalty ,nobility,envy,spirituality,creativity.Rare in foods but always associated with exotic and royal things like Tyrian Purple -a purple coloured dye originally from Greece was available only to the elite.It is supposed to be Cleopatra's favourite colour.The royal dish in purple is
Plum Jam from Yasmeen

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Green:

He had that curious love of green, which in individuals is always the sign of a subtle artistic temperament, and in nations is said to denote a laxity, if not a decadence of morals. -Oscar Wilde (poet)

Green,the colour of nature which symbolises goodness and provides a calming effect.But wait extreme green colour is also associated with envy.It symbolizes youth,intelligence,wealth,fertility etc.One can go on and on,but lets see the green dishes that make us go green with taste(not envy this time)

Ning Ryes of Heartand Hearth has a healthy Salad Greens with Orange Balsamic Dressing

Cham brings her healthy Greens Stirfry and Puree

Prathibha comes with a delectable AlooPalak:

Ivy of Kopiaste presents vegan Nistimi Spanakopita from scratch

Priya again with an amazing range of dishes:
Bok Choy StirFry
Srilankan Broccoli Fry :
Coriander & Paneer Pulao
CurryLeaves Rice (Ahem!)
Minty Cashew & Peas Pulao:
Microwave Beans Raita
Spiced Creamed Spinach
and to finish off a healthy kiwi lassi

Chaitra of Aadhithyam has delectable and creamy Pista Milkshake

Bhawna of FromMyPalate tempts us with spicy Sarson Ka Saag

Usha of SpicyKitchen celebrates her blog anniversary by making healthy
Green Chard Stirfry
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Yellow: "How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." --Vincent Van Gogh
the colour of happiness,summer ,joy,friendship,gold and hope.Here comes the dishes in summery Yellow

Sunny SunshineMom,true to her colour and her own event tempts us with vegan bundt cakes :
Vegan Mango Bundt Cake

Vegan Orange Coconut Cake
Vegan Orange Mango Coconut Bundt Cake

Malini presents delectable and healthy besan chillah and
spicy hariyali paneer tikka

Kaya Arul brings healthy Rava kichidi

EasyCrafts simply and easily presents healthy BlackEyed Pea Rice

Priyanka of AsanKhana who always presents a full meal has instant drumstick pickle and Aloo Gobhi Tamatar Subji

Yachna of SwissCafe tempts us with yummy Fried mushrooms

Rekha of PlantainLeaf comes up with super yellow vegetable poha ,quick and healthy and very tasty

Kalva of CurryInKadai tempts us with very delicious Semiya Kesari -Vermicelli Halva with Cashews and Raisins

Jyothi of FoodSeasons brings with her Mango Passion Kulfi


Sudha of MalaysianDelicacies tempts us with Tempting Mango Pudding with a beautiful Mango rose in it.

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Orange:Orange is the color of the sun. It is vital, and a good color generally, indicating thoughtfulness and consideration of others. - Edgar Cayce
the colour of fire,hot sun and the fruit with the same name.It represents energy though not as intense as red and also has more brightness than yellow.It also represents arrogance and is also a sign of royalty as well as religion in certain countries.the bright orange parade includes:

Simple Cauliflower Curry from Graziana

Healthy Carrot Lentil Soup from Deepika of Recipes4Deesaster

Delicious Papaya Halwa from Pooja of SaiKitchen
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Pink:Pink is the color of romance and a friend tells me that the girl with the pink dress at the party is the one who is selected for each dance -Alfred Carol Hottes

Pink is the sister colour of red,always associated with girls,and why not as pink represents admiration,appreciation,spring,socialism,innocence etc.The pretty pink dishes are
Pretty Pink Super Healthy Refreshing Cooler
and a super sparkling strawberry cider from Muskaan of A2zVegetarianCuisine
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Of all God's gifts to the sighted man, color is holiest, the most divine, the most solemn.
-John Ruskin (Art Critic)

Do let me know if I have missed anyone or anything.And if possible do take the colour test here to find out what your favourite colours tells about you.And also prepare delectable combo dishes for FIC -Delectable Combinations by Kamalika this month