Healing Foods Event - Broccoli :)

Posting this event again and waiting for your entries...

'Healing Foods Event' aims at focusing one food item, every month by highlighting their health benefits and challenging you to come up with recipes in their most 'healthy form'. It was started by Siri and this month I am guest hosting the event with the theme Broccoli.

The reason I chose Brocoli is I myself want to know different recipes of it. I hardly know any recipe from brocoli :). So this event is going to help me by adding to my food knowledge.

Broccoli (from the Italian plural of broccolo, referring to "the flowering top of a cabbage") is a plant of the Kale family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). It is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli has large flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. The mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves. Many varieties of broccoli are perennial. Broccoli most closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivar group of the same species.

Broccoli's noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and fiber. While the calcium content of one serving doesn't equal that of a glass of milk, broccoli is an important calcium source for those who don't consume dairy products. Calcium does more than build strong bones. Research shows that this mineral may play a role in the control of high blood pressure, and it may work to prevent colon cancer.

Beta-carotene and vitamin C are important antioxidants that have been linked to a reduced risk of numerous conditions, including cataracts, heart disease, and several cancers.

Come let's go green this November and make some special dishes (simple or complex , rice or daals, sandwiches or noodles) ....which must contain Broccoli.
If your dish contain Broccoli as main ingredient it would great :).

Guidelines for the event: (I will accept entries till  7 Dec 10 - Hurry :))

1. Create any dish using Broccoli and post the same in your blog. You could use any variety of spinach. Non-Bloggers can send their recipes with the details mentioned below to the same email address.

2. Please link this announcement in your posts. Also link to Siri's blog.Usage of the logo is optional.

3. Multiple entries are more than welcome - more the merrier!

4. Send your details - Name, Recipe URL and Photo (any size, optional) to spicemantra(at)live(dot)com before Nov 30th 2010, midnight.

5. You can send previously blogged entries, provided they are re-posted!

Happy Cooking!

Healing Foods Event - Broccoli :)

'Healing Foods Event' aims at focusing one food item, every month by highlighting their health benefits and challenging you to come up with recipes in their most 'healthy form'. It was started by Siri and this month I am guest hosting the event with the theme Broccoli.

The reason I chose Brocoli is I myself want to know different recipes of it. I hardly know any recipe from brocoli :). So this event is going to help me by adding to my food knowledge.

Broccoli (from the Italian plural of broccolo, referring to "the flowering top of a cabbage") is a plant of the Kale family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). It is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli has large flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. The mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves. Many varieties of broccoli are perennial. Broccoli most closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivar group of the same species.

Broccoli's noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and fiber. While the calcium content of one serving doesn't equal that of a glass of milk, broccoli is an important calcium source for those who don't consume dairy products. Calcium does more than build strong bones. Research shows that this mineral may play a role in the control of high blood pressure, and it may work to prevent colon cancer.

Beta-carotene and vitamin C are important antioxidants that have been linked to a reduced risk of numerous conditions, including cataracts, heart disease, and several cancers.

Come let's go green this November and make some special dishes (simple or complex , rice or daals, sandwiches or noodles) ....which must contain Broccoli.
If your dish contain Broccoli as main ingredient it would great :).

Guidelines for the event:

1. Create any dish using Broccoli and post the same in your blog. You could use any variety of spinach. Non-Bloggers can send their recipes with the details mentioned below to the same email address.

2. Please link this announcement in your posts. Also link to Siri's blog.Usage of the logo is optional.

3. Multiple entries are more than welcome - more the merrier!

4. Send your details - Name, Recipe URL and Photo (any size, optional) to spicemantra(at)live(dot)com before Nov 30th 2010, midnight.

5. You can send previously blogged entries, provided they are re-posted!

Happy Cooking!

Happy Diwali and a recipe for "Chakali"

Its time of Diwali. Lights, special mithais, Pujas make a wonderful environment at home. Everybody just enjoys the 5 days of this auspicious festival and hopes for a bright future. I just love all the aspect of Diwali. Drawing rangolis, lighting diyas in evening, crackers, "Dhanteras" , "Laxmi Pujan" , "Abhyang Snan", "Bhai beej" getting "ashirwads" from elders. This one festival of lights is always so much awaited. Last but not the least the mithais and special namkins which we make for Diwali. Before getting married I just used to eat everything. I never new the techniques, the ingredients and tricks of making them. This year I got this chance to try my hands on "Chakali" . This one has various different recipes. Some make if of wheat flour, some make it of mixed flours and some make it of maida (white flour). Below is the recipe for the white flour.

Ingredients:

Makes about 40 Chakalis.

3 Cups of white flour
Red Chili Powder as per taste
Salt as per taste
Little sugar
1 tbsp Sesame seeds
2 tsp turmeric powder (Haldi)
Just 1 tsp of oil

Method:

1.  Place the white flour in a clean cloth and pack this cloth and tie knots.

2.  Place this in a steamer for about 20 minutes. 10 minutes each side down.

3. Let it cool. Then with the help of grater grate this flour and then mix all the ingredients.

4. Make a dough (this should not be sticky like the regular one).  This is the important step and your dough should be of proper texture. It should be easy to divide this dough into parts.

5. Then make the rolls out of this dough and put them in a chakali maker. (Get idea of what this machine is here)

6. Now you can make chakalis.

7. Heat oil in a frying pan and then fry these chakalis.

Tips:

Making a perfect Chakali will take lot of trials and errors. But sooner or later you will get it. 
Try making this out of different flours.

Happy Diwali To All My blogger friends and foodies. :)