Much awaited results are out…

To be selected among the best is an incredible achievement worthy of praise… Chacko’s Kitchen inaugural ’30 Best Recipes’ began at a time when recession was at its high, when we spoke about Food Business – including Food blogging as growing under these circumstances. A year down the line, after a lot of effort to create jaw-dropping and lip-smacking recipes, we thought one must draw a line to create the Best of the Best. Blogs are a great product of the internet age where committed housewives and professionals alike create and share innovative recipes. So, we decided to invite nominations for 2010 from the bloggers and a panel to select them.

This year to our pleasure we had Thasneen from Thasneen.com; Alka from SindhiRasoi.com and Smitha from LittleFoodJunction.blogspot.com who did a commendable job in promoting the event and creating this delectable list of ’30 Best Recipes’ for the common man.

Congratulations to all the bloggers who have made to the final list. We will see you all again in 2011 in a new pattern!

1. Sarah Naveen of Vazhayila- the plantain leaf, a Kerala food blog started in 2009, shares this Uzhunnu Vadarecipe along with her musing memories of childhood, when she was nicknamed as “Uzhunnu vada”…why?…well of course because of her love affair with these deep fried Lentils Onion, Curry leaves Donuts along with spicy Coconut Chutney ! Go take a look!
2. Tamari, the San Francisco area editor for ZenKimchi Food Journal and Jeff writes shares Korean recipes with Californian Spirit. The post shares two recipes of Tacos. One is of Kogi-style Korean Tacos, a warm corn tortilla, topped with bulgogi (savory-sweet grilled beef), shredded cabbage and the spiciest kimchi you can find.
3. And another is Namu-style Korean Tacos, nori — kim, in Korean — “taco shell” with a bit of sushi rice, bulgogi or boneless kalbi (grilled ribs) and kimchi on top, for the International Incident Party, having the theme ‘Tacos’. Amazing fusion recipes…must check it out if you love Tacos!
4. Namitha and Sunitha, two friends from different parts of United states, have this lovely place called Collaborative Curry, and their entry for ’30 Best Recipes of 2010′ surely tickles the sweet taste buds, with this food proof recipe of Boondi Ladoos. Boondi Ladoos are such an integral part of Indian Festivities, that no matter if its Diwali or Holi, marriage ceremonies,child birth or peaceful death of an elderly person in family, these ladoos are omnipresent on all occasions. So what are you waiting for ?Just grab the recipe by Namita, and enjoy this sweet bliss !
5. Rituparna from Chocolates and Dreams, a blogger from Delhi India, shares her food fetish with us via this spicy Curry of Mutton Rezala, her step by step pictures are of great help to novices in cooking. The recipe calling for all the lovely Indian spices like nutmeg, cardamom, mace etc, promises to be an aromatic Indian curry. So curry lovers, this is one recipe you cannot afford to give it a miss !
6. Deepti from Panchamrutham brings this citrus flavoured Orange and Poppy Seeds Chiffon Cake, an absolute fluffy and zesty cake, an ideal snack to enjoy with a cup of tea with your family. And if that is not enough of a reason to check out her recipe of chiffon cake, there is one DIY tip for making your own cake stand . Sounds cool ..No ??
7. Mina Joshi from Give Me Some Spice, shares this recipe of Chakri or chakli as some people call them ,a crispy and spiral shaped Gujarati snack usually made from Rice flour. The step by step pictures serves as an excellent guidance for this bit tricky to make, crunchy wonders. I doubt if there exists an Indian who haven’t tasted these heavenly crispy chakli. Loved by one and all, you must try this out…one word of caution though….these are highly addictive..No one can eat just one
8. Vaishali Sharma from Zesty Flavors, shares the recipe ofTri-color & Tri-flavor Cheesecake Now who doesn’t Love cheese cakes? And these are special ones because as Vaishali puts it “I decided to do something special this Independence Day and what’s better than making something sweet and in colors that represents the National Flag of India. The Orange (Saffron) stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and peace; the green for faith and fertility.” This cheesecake not only has 3 colors but 3 different flavors too. The bottom green one is Banana flavor, center is Vanilla Lemon and top most is Orange. What else could one ask for? Check out the lovely clicks of Tricolor cake..The tricolor makes you feel so proud of being an Indian.
9. Padma of Padma’s recipes shares an easy to make recipe of KajuKatli, one of the most popular, rich and nutty Indian Sweet made from cashew nuts. Diamond sweets as her adorable son calls these sweets, because of its shape, is one of the must eat Indian Mithais (Sweets)
10. Fatima from Thattukada, comes up with a traditional recipe of Kinnathappam, an Eid special, and is a traditional dessert made especially during special occasions.” It is a soft, slightly wiggly but firm, all white with specks of cumin, cardamom flavored,melt in your mouth kinda dessert”, says Fatima. The Dessert made from Rice, Eggs, Sugar and Coconut Milk promises to be decadent Dessert. The pictures of the deli-sh sweet, says it all !
11. Nivedita Thadani, a passionate blogger who blogs at Nivedita’s Kitchen, shares this excellent recipe of TomatoRasam Cubes. A simple way to make your life simpler by freezing tomato rasam into cubes, to be used later to spice up the meals. Now considering that almost every South Indian has a weakness for this tangy and spicy curry, this recipe surely will work great for busy bees , to whip out a comforting meal in no time with these handy, frozen Rasam cubes!
12. Shivani from Subiksha (a Sanskrit word for abundance of food) , shares this tongue tickling ‘Kairichi Chatni‘. ‘Kairi’ in Marathi language means Raw green Mango and this Indian Dip is a hot favorite of many. The recipe made me feel nostalgic as many childhood memories gushed in on hearing the word Kairi. The raw mangoes always made our Summers special, be it because of the secretly plucked raw mangoes from the mango tree of neighbors, or the cool and refreshing Aam Pana (A cooler made from boiled raw mango and sugar syrup) lovingly served by the neighbouring Aunt after a tedious gaming sessions with friends in hot afternoons. The presentation of chutney is beautiful, nice job done, Shivani !
13. Priya of Priya’s Easy and Tasty Recipes is probably one of the most active Blogger in blogosphere. Her contributions to various events is remarkable and deserve an applaud. This time she contributes lovely SweetAlmond buns, some great looking buns made from Almond powder and almond flakes, nicely baked to perfect brown tinge, that will go well with a cup of tea or coffee. A blissful way to enjoy winters with near and dear ones !
14. Nandini From UshaNandini, contributes to the event a perfect homely meal of Vegetable biryani, Potato Kurma, Raita and Curd rice. The platter looks ideal for a cozy family Dinner and one can imagine the picture perfect family enjoying an Indian meal, over some giggles and talks. Awesome !
15. Shirley from Enriching Your Kid, shares this Kid certified snack made from Chicken, called ChickenCornKebabs, healthy, tasty, low on spices , finger food, and served with a healthy Mint Chutney (Mint Dip), a killer combination to woo the little masters. Ideal for kid’s parties and lunch-boxes, a must try recipe from Shirley !
16. Indrani from Recipe Junction, contributes this “BaltiChicken“.If the name sounds strange to you, here is a brief by Indrani ‘Balti’ translates literally as cooking bucket, and the balti dish, known as a karai, is a two handled pan like a small, shallow wok in which the dish is both cooked and served. This cuisine is greatly influenced by the neighboring cuisines of India, China,Iran and Afghanistan. This finger licking dish is rich in flavors and have all the elements to be hit for any get together, potluck or family meals.
17. Ria Mathew of Ria’s collection is arguably the most talented baker and blogger from India. Currently residing in US, this gifted lady whips out heavenly cakes, cookies and innovative sweets and savories and her food pictures are talk of the town. So it is but natural that her entry for the Best Recipes of 2010 is indeed one the best recipe from her. This marvelous looking Honey Comb Cake, will woo you with its rich and perfect look and I bet you cannot help but drool over her culinary creations !
18. Damaris from Kitchen Corners penned this wonderful post for Thanksgiving and Christmas ‘Dear Santa, I know what you eat in the North Pole’. What a fun idea with kids? Truly I must admit I viewed her video filmed on her two children enjoying in the in-house swing, at-least 3-4 times. Memories of childhood!!
19. Nithya with her Perfect Chocolate Cake is one blogger I (abraham) personally like a lot, her recipes are so effortless, with such great photos and presentation, makes me go back there. Obsessed to Chocolate, Nithya’s Chocolate Cake makes a perfect home-made gift for any occasion.
20. Anamaris at “Chef It Yourself” with a passion for cooking and photography submitted“Bacon and Asparagus Roll”. This is what she has to say about this dish: “Here’s one of my favourite side dishes. I love asparagus and I have a fascination with bacon, why not put them together? This is also a super easy to make side, but still looks fancy-pantsy!”
21. Gina at “Simply Life” never lacks time for cooking as she plans out all her meals each week. She submitted“Whole Wheat Mushroom Apple Smoked Gouda Pierogies From Scratch! She says: “When you have a lazy weekend afternoon and want to blow your taste buds away, I highly recommend spending an upcoming chilly fall day inside the warmth of your kitchen with the scent and fresh taste of these…”
22. Anncoo at “Anncoo Journal”, an incredible baker whose inspiration has been her Aunt. She makes everyone who stumbles upon her website drool with the pictures of cakes and cookies. She submitted“Almond Cheesecake and this is what she has to say about this cake: “I love almond very much as well as cheese and this is absolutely delicious cheesecake that I made often for my friends and family”.
23. Nayna from Simply Sensational Food, created this Simply Sensational Strawberry Ice-Cream, reminding me of the wonderful Summer we had in London this year. It is certainly a treat to the eyes.
24. Who would not love to have Butter Cookies? Or is there a season or reason to have this wonderful cookie? If you answered these questions correctly; head straight away to Sandhya’s Kitchen for the recipe.
25. A winner from Vaishali at Zesty Flavors. She has been on the TOP 9 list at FoodBuzz 11 times. And her Eggless Pumpkin Pie is certainly for all the Vegetarians, can’t get any better.
26. This is a second from Nithya’s 4^th Sense Cooking. A Jackfruit Dessert (Chakka Pradhaman), made mainly for ONAM, the Harvest Festival of Kerala, South India. It’s not just the recipe, but her wonderful photography that makes it more delectable and eye-popping.
27. Nandini created this wonderful Healthy Sprouted Green Gram Paniyaram, which is mouth-watering. A simple traditional recipe – recreated and a nice lunch-box menu for children!
28. Still not decided what to have with Naan? Mostly one would prefer a non-vegetarian Curry, why not try Cauliflower Butter Masala for a change. Pari from Foodelicious shares this wonderful vegetarian recipe, and a Mom-blogger.
29. Garganelli – is a type of egg-based pasta formed by rolling a flat, square noodle into tubular shape. You must be thinking it is tough. It is. Once you have read Alison post and see the step-by-step photo it will be an easy adventure for anyone who likes a bit of challenge for 2011. This is Alison for you from AlisonTrails.
30. The Ng sisters at “Cookng”, with food always on their minds shares recipes, restaurant reviews and stories through their website. They submittedKing Crab Corn Salad and proved everyone how leftovers can still be tasty.

I had participated in the January Joust and the 3 ingredients with which I had to create an original recipe, chosen by the previous winners were Mushroom, Orange and Wine or Sparkling Grape Juice. As soon as I read about the ingredients, I had the urge to participate in this joust, though I wasn’t quite sure about the recipe I would come up with these ingredients. I only cared about being a part of this contest and to have some fun with these ingredients in my kitchen. I entered my kitchen with a blank mind and before I knew I combined these three ingredients with the Mussel, found in my freezer and in no time the dish was ready on the dining table. I had a lot of fun making this dish and didn’t expect this would turn out to be a winner.

Here is my recipe that won: Mussel Mushroom in Sparkling Red Grape juice.

My heart felt Thanks to all the fellow bloggers who voted for my recipe, Foodie BlogRoll, Leftover Queen and all the other participants who inspired me to participate in this contest.

I can’t wait to receive the award which is an awesome Royal Foodie Joust Apron. The 3 ingredients that I had chosen for the next month’s Joust are Fish, Nutmeg and Coconut Milk. Honestly, I had a hard time choosing the ingredients than coming up with an original recipe:) Hoping to participate in many more Jousts  in the future.

Thanks to all my friends and family who constantly support me and encourage me, I am fortunate to have such friends and a great family.

Mussels, Mushrooms, Orange peels and Sparkling red grape juice thrown into the same pan…

Today, 12 noon is the deadline for the Royal Foodie Joust and and here I am rushing for it. The ingredients for this month are Mushroom, Orange and Wine (or non-alcoholic sparkling wine). When I read about the ingredients, I had no idea and honestly quite confused about how to combine these to make an interesting dish. If I had to make dishes with these ingredients separately, there wouldn’t be any scarcity for the recipes. I would have come up with many recipes. As usual, I stood still with my refrigerator open and looked inside with my eyes wide open and of course thinking about how to throw these into the same pot. When I saw the Mussels getting ready to come out of the freezer, I first grabbed that and the other ingredients. After that I don’t know what happened in my kitchen and here is what was ready on the platter for dinner.

The combination of Mussels, Mushrooms, orange and sparkling wine did work and this was the dish, which got finished first for dinner.

Mussel Mushroom in Sparkling Red Grape Juice:

Ingredients:

• Mussels, with the shells, cleaned thoroughly-12 no’s

• Button Mushrooms halved- 1/2 cup
• Onion, minced-1/2 onion
• Garlic minced-1tsp
• Tomato paste-2 tbsp
• Sparkling red grape juice- 1/2 cup
• Orange peel, cut wide without the white part- 3 wide slices.
• Olive oil- 1-2 tbsp
• Salt- to taste
• Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp
• Parsley chopped or cilantro chopped, for garnish- 1 handful

Preparation:

• Clean the shell of the mussels with a brush or paper towel and pick only the good ones.
• Heat a wide non-stick pan, when it gets hot, add olive oil.
• Add the onions, garlic and saute until translucent.
• Add the mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are tender.

• Add salt and ground pepper and give it a stir.
• Now, add the tomato paste and combine everything well.
• Add the sparkling grape juice  and the orange peels to the veggies.
• When it starts to boil, add the cleaned mussels and close the pan with its lid.
• Let the mussels simmer for about 3 minutes.

• Transfer the mussels to a serving bowl, ladle the sauce over the mussels and garnish with Parsley or Cilantro.
• Enjoy the mussel, mushroom, sparkling red grape juice together with a hint of orange.

Tips:

• You could even use dry white wine instead of sparkling grape juice.

Chicken and Pear found in tranquility in this sweet and savory dish…

Had it not been for the Royal Foodie Joust contest at the leftover queen forum, I wouldn’t have dared to put chicken and pears together. And that’s the one thing I love about this contest, it challenges me and wakes up the daring Me to cook with ingredient combination that I’ve never thought of. This is the first time I am participating in this contest and so I am really excited about the whole thing. The winners of each month gets to pick the ingredients for the next month contest, so the ingredients for this month  picked by the winners are Ginger, Fennel and Pears. Pretty interesting ingredients I must say.

Fennel and Ginger are two ingredients which I use in my everyday cooking. Most of the Indian dishes I cook, Kerala dishes to be precise call for these ingredients most of the time. Hence, I can effortlessly list many recipes with these two ingredients. But when I saw pear as the third ingredient to be used, I knew it’s going to be little tough, but certainly not impossible. I’ve never made a savory dish with pear, it has always remained as a fruit or a dessert ingredient for me. And so I immediately felt this is the only chance for me to make something different with pear.

I made Pear Chicken, along with other ingredients ginger and fennel powder. I pan seared the chicken seasoned with fennel powder and made a sauce with pears and then allowed to cook the chicken in the sauce. As soon as I took a bite of this chicken with the pears, my eyes opened wide with astonishment, it tasted really delicious. My husband and I loved the sweet and the savory taste the chicken had.

Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken breast fillets- 6
• Fennel powder- 2 tbsp
• Ground black pepper- 2tsp
• Salt- to taste
• All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
• Butter- 1 tbsp
• Olive oil- 2 tbsp

For Sauce:

• Onion, finely chopped-1
• Ginger chopped- 1tbsp
• Low sodium Chicken stock- 1cup
• Pears canned in light syrup, rinsed or fresh pears-2

Preparation:

• Season the chicken generously with fennel powder, ground black pepper and salt.

• Spread the all purpose flour on a plate. Dip the chicken in the flour and coat all over the chicken with the flour. Shake off the excess flour.

• In a wide deep skillet, add butter and oil, place the chicken and brown on both sides until it is no longer pink inside, in medium heat.

• Keep aside the browned chicken.

• In the same skillet, add more oil if needed and add onion, saute until translucent.
• Add chopped ginger and cook till ginger is tender.
• Add the chicken stock, when it starts to boil, add the pears and cook until the sauce thickens, don’t over cook the pears.
• Place the browned chicken in the sauce, cover with the pan lid and again cook for 2 more minutes and turn off the heat.
• Plate the chicken topped with pears and pour the sauce over it.
• Serve the chicken with couscous and baby carrots or steamed veggies of your choice.

Tips:

• Leftover Chicken tasted even more better with the sauce completely infused in it, so this can be made 1 day ahead.

I had participated in the Halloween giveaway contest sponsored by ‘The Ginger People” hosted in Foodie Blogroll and had won their tasty gift basket of warming ginger treats. I had submitted my Homemade Herbal coffee recipe for this contest.

The amazing thing was, this was my first ever participation in a food contest and I was lucky enough to win the contest as well. This was such a thrilling moment for me. Their gifts were all awesome ginger products. Everything tasted real yummy. In the gift basket they had included:  Ginger Shortbread, Ginger Delight, Ginger candies, Chocolate Ginger and Crystallized ginger. If you ask me which was my favorite among these, it is definitely tough to pick one, but  with little more pressure,  I have to pick not one but two, Ginger Delight and Chocolate Ginger as my top favorites among these. Ginger Delight was very  soft, velvety jelly textured ginger bar, topped with glucose and it was moderately sweet. While,  Chocolate ginger had the sweetness from the chocolate and the mild spiciness from the ginger. Again, all their products tasted really incredible.

Visit their website http://www.gingerpeople.com./ to browse their products.

I am looking forward to participating many more contests in the near future. “Wish me luck guys”.