Monday, October 29, 2012

Indian Tea Party!

Care for a cuppa?

Time to Whip up a spiced tea and/or snacks for tea-time. 

Indian tea is called chai, and is often made with spices and milk. It is served with a variety of snacks, both savoury and sweet, and is a fun way to celebrate a get-together.


From Wiki:

India produces and consumes more tea than any other country in the world, except for China, including the famous Assam tea and Darjeeling tea.

The cultivation and brewing of tea in India has a long history of applications in traditional systems of medicine and for consumption. The consumption of tea in India was first clearly documented in the Ramayana (750-500 BC). For the next thousand years, documentation of tea in India was lost in history. Records re-emerge during the first century AD, with stories of the Buddhist monks Bodhidharma and Gan Lu, and their involvement with tea. Research shows that tea is indigenous to eastern and northern India, and was cultivated and consumed there for thousands of years. Commercial production of tea in India did not begin until the arrival of the British East India Company, at which point large tracts of land were converted for mass tea production.

Today, India is one of the largest tea producers in the world, though over 70% of the tea is consumed within India itself. A number of renowned teas, such as Darjeeling, also grow exclusively in India. The Indian tea industry has grown to own many global tea brands, and has evolved to one of the most technologically equipped tea industries in the world. Tea production, certification, exportation, and all other facets of the tea trade in India is controlled by the Tea Board of India.
So whip up a great tea party - spiced Indian tea and/or snacks to go with it - from one of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. Post on or by Sunday, November 4th, and link up to Mr. Linky below. Don't forget to leave a message, so we can all come visit your fabulous Indian Tea Party creation!

If you'd like more information, check out our Welcome post!

And did you get a chance to see all the yogurty creations from last week?

all photos from google images

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Indian Tea Party* Participants
1. Kitchen Flavours - Masala Chai
2. Michelle ~ Easy Masla Chai
3. Kaye - Salabat (Ginger Tea)
4. Heather - Masala Chai
5. You Are Here - Chai Movie Night!
6. Deb in Hawaii--Lemongrass Tea (Leelee Chai)
7. Margaret - pakoris
8. Glennis - Masala Chai

Monday, October 22, 2012

Everything's Better with Yogurt!

Indian cuisine is proof that Everything is better with Yogurt!  
There are so many different ways to showcase yogurt in Indian cuisine.
 Blend your yogurt into a creamy, fruity, and healthy Mango Lassi. 

Cool things down with a dunk in some Indian yogurt and cucumber sauce.
Add yogurt to your curry or use it as a garnish on top.
 Or use yogurt as a marinade for some delicious Tandoor chicken!

Open up your books and find a way to incorporate yogurt into your dish this week.  Make and post your Everything's Better with Yogurt dish by Sunday, October 28th.  Remember to leave a comment after using Mr. Linky so that we don't miss out on your dish.  

If you'd like more information, check out our Welcome post!

Head over to last week's Lentil Love if you missed any of our comforting lentil dishes.


I Heart Cooking Clubs *Everything's Better with Yogurt* Participants
1. Michelle- Grilled Eggplant Slices with Yogurt Sauce
2. Kitchen Flavours - Royal Chicken Cooked In Yoghurt
3. JamieK - Cod Baked in a Yogurt Sauce
4. Deb in Hawaii--Pale Green, Spicy, Minty Lassi
5. Kaye - Sweet and Sour Chick Pea Flour Soup
6. Margaret - Lassi
7. You Are Here
8. Natashya - Indian Spiced Spinach with Yogurt
9. Kim - Mango and Cardamom Lassi
10. Sue - Yoghurt Marinated Baked Lamb

Monday, October 15, 2012

Lentil Love!

Whether green, brown, yellow, red or black, lentils have been part of the human diet since Neolithic times.  

So, it's high time they get some...  Lentil Love!


Pick your favorite color of this lens-shaped legume and love it up with a Madhur Jaffrey recipe from on-line or one of her plethora of cookbooks. 

How do you love your lentils? 


Make and post your Lentil Love! post by Sunday, October 21st Don't forget to link your post of the week's with Mr. Linky below, so we can all enjoy your fabulous creation! Remember to leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Not sure what a permalink is? Check out our Welcome post.

If you missed our Spice Bazaar theme last week, be sure to head on over and see all of the delicious dishes everyone brought!  Don't forget, we're cooking through the recipes of Madhur Jaffrey right now...so if you've linked up, be sure that you've used/adapted one of her recipes for your post!
I Heart Cooking Clubs *Lentil Love-Jaffrey* Participants
1. Kaye - Greek-Style Lentil Salad
2. Kitchen Flavours - Tarka Dal and Flaky Flatbreads with Cumin Seeds
3. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Tex-Mex Vegetarian Lentil Chili
4. Kim - Green Lentil and Veggie Curry
5. Glennis - Green Lentils with Lemon Slices
6. Margaret
7. Natashya - Masoor Dal
8. Deb in Hawaii--Masoor Dal

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Monday, October 8, 2012

Spice Bazaar

Spices are woven into the fabric of Indian food and culture, so what better avenue is there to explore as we start this journey with our new chef, Madhur Jaffrey?  Be it a spice new and exotic to you or one that is familiar and comfortable, let's dive head first into the overflowing bags and bowls of spices proudly displayed at any Spice Bazaar.

And don't let the term spice fool you - spice need not be fiery hot (though it can be, should you choose), there is a vast range of flavors just waiting to explode on your palate.  So grab Madhur Jaffrey by the hand and bring something inspired by a Spice Bazaar to the table this week.  We can't wait to see what you make!
Make and post your From the Earth post by Sunday, October 14th. Don't forget to link your post of the week's with Mr. Linky below, so we can all enjoy your fabulous creation! Remember to leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Not sure what a permalink is? Check out our Welcome post.

If you missed the Welcome Madhur Jaffrey theme last week, be sure to head on over and see all of the delicious dishes everyone brought!  Don't forget, we're cooking through the recipes of Madhur Jaffrey right now...so if you've linked up, be sure that you've used/adapted one of her recipes for your post!
I Heart Cooking Clubs *Spice Bazaar* Participants
1. Deb in Hawaii--Soothing Cauliflower Soup w/ Coriander...
2. Kaye - Potatoes Cooked with Garlic and Sesame Seeds
3. Anshu
4. Anshu - Thai Green Curry Chicken
5. Margaret - Potatoes with Asafetida
6. Kim - Delicious Chicken Bits
7. Spicy Grilled Chicken w/ Tomato Cucumber Raita
8. Kitchen Flavours - Creamy Chicken Korma and Stir-Fried Cauliflower
9. Glennis - Tandoori Style Chicken
10. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Banquet Cauliflower and Potatoes - Gobi Aloo
11. Sue - Spicy Vegetable "Samosas"
12. Natashya - Yogi Tea

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Monday, October 1, 2012

Welcome Madhur Jaffrey!

You are invited to a potluck party of welcoming treats 
for our new featured chef!

Who is Madhur Jaffrey?

From Amazon's Wiki Page:

Jaffrey is the noted author of cookbooks of Indian, Asian, and world vegetarian cuisines, many of which have become bestsellers and several of which have won James Beard Foundation awards. She has presented several cookery series on television, including Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery in 1982, Madhur Jaffrey's Far Eastern Cookery in 1989 and Madhur Jaffrey's Flavours of India in 1995. She lives in Manhattan and has a home in upstate New York. As a result of the success of her cookbooks and TV, Jaffrey also developed a line of mass-marketed cooking sauces.
Ironically, she did not cook at all as a child growing up in Delhi. She had almost never been in the kitchen and almost failed cooking at school. It was only after she went to London at the age of 19 to study at RADA that she learned how to cook, using recipes of familiar dishes that were provided in correspondence from her mother. In the 1960s, after her award-winning performance in Shakespeare Wallah, she became known as the "actress who could cook" and was hired by the BBC to present a show on Indian cooking. After an article about her and her cooking appeared in the New York Times in 1966, she received a book contract that produced An Invitation to Indian Cooking, her first book. The recipes in that book came from her mother, although she adapted them for the American kitchen. During the 1970s, she taught classes in Indian cooking, both at the James A. Beard School of Cooking and in her Manhattan apartment. In 1986, the restaurant Dawat opened in Manhattan using recipes provided by her.
She has certainly earned her place as a celeb chef. Just ask Emeril!

She has tons of books
For a full list of all of Madhur’s US publications, visit her Amazon shop

Of course Indian cuisine is all about the spices, and we are looking forward to exploring the broad range of seasonings the cuisine has to offer. So get out your spice boxes - it's going to be a delicious season! 

Make and post your Welcome Madhur Jaffrey potluck party dish
 on or by Sunday, October 7th and link up with Mr. Linky below!

Need more info? Check out our Welcome page. 

See you at the party!

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Welcome Madhur Jaffrey!* Participants
1. Deb in Hawaii--My Cream of Tomato Soup
2. Kaye
3. Kitchen Flavours - Turmeric Rice
4. Glennis - ”Indian-style” Scrambled Eggs
5. Heather - Sour Chickpeas (Khatte chhole)
6. Natashya - Sri Lankan Eggplant Curry and Onion Fritters
7. Tea and Scones - Fried Eggplant Slices
8. Sue - Prawns in a Dark Sauce
9. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Parathas
10. Kim - Chicken Patties with Ginger and Sesame Seeds with Korean Dipping Sauce

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