Announcing the 'Kitchen Treasure Hunt' Event!

This event is now closed. The round-up has been posted in two parts.
Part 1 - entries from non-bloggers.
Part 2 - entries from bloggers.

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We invite you to participate in the Kitchen Treasure Hunt!

Isn't it but natural that all of us, who love cooking, also have an interest in cookware, kitchen accessories and gadgets? While shopping, we can't resist browsing the kitchen appliances section, or taking a quick look the crockery & cutlery shops. At fairs, and local farmer markets, crowds quickly gather around cooking gadget stalls to see how quickly onions, carrots and other vegetables get sliced, chopped, diced, and shred in a jiffy! At museums we seem drawn to the ancient urns, nut crackers and other early kitchen implements!

Today there are no limits to the evolution of kitchen gadgets and aids, from electric cookers, non-stick pans and even 'Ragi Mudde making’ machines'!!

While these innovations are exciting, it is always really interesting to look at some traditional cookware as well. If you've been reading our blog, many posts show some of the traditional vessels and equipment that were (and are) being used.

Recently we came across some very unusual uses of equipment as well. Did you know that your dishwasher can be used to cook?!!!! Take a look at this!!

Chitra Amma and I were chatting, and our curiosity and interest in looking at old and new cookware, and other kitchen treasures around the world led us to announce this KITCHEN TREASURE HUNT event!

What can be submitted?
We invite you to send us entries on any cooking / dining/ food storage utensils, kitchen implements, gadgets, and so on. They can be items you possess, or maybe you’ve seen it at your grandmother’s place, or perhaps during any of your travels. It can be from ANY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.

- They can be traditional, or ethnic vessels.

- They can be new, but perhaps some uncommon innovations. What is common in one part of the globe, is not common another।- so feel free to send in your posts anyway! For example a lotta and dabara is so common in South India for drinking coffee & tea, its not so anywhere else! We did a browse for Japanese teacups, to cite as an example here, and were overwhelmed to find more varieties than we could imagine !!!

- They can be unusual use of equipment in cooking, like the diswasher salmon example above!

It is okay to send in posts on electrical appliances; however the idea is not to just land up with a collection of the latest toasters, refrigerators and ovens! If you think it is interesting for the world to know about, then do send it in!

At minimum your posts should include details about:
- Name of utensil/ appliance / gadget
- Country / Place of origin or where you got from!
- Photo/s or illustration.
- A Description of what it is used for.

Of course, you can make the post verrrrrrrrrry interesting by showing photos or even video of the gadgets in action if possible. Include any information you want to share about it – what is it made of? Any special maintenance required? How useful is it? What’s good? What’s not? What make it unusual? Any associated anecdotes, memories or incidents that you want to share are most welcome.

What do you need to do?
- Make a fresh and independent post on your blog. Please link back to this event in Chitra Amma's Kitchen. We’d happy if you used the logo, but its optional! We’ve provided three different colour schemes for you to choose from.

- Ensure that your entries and photographs are original, and do not violate any copyrights.

- Drop us a mail with a link to your post at chitra.ammas.kitchen@gmail.com or chitra(dot)ammas(dot)kitchen(dot)com, with the following details.
Your Name:
Name of your post:
URL / Link:
You need not send any details or photos, as we will directly pick it up from your post.

- You may send as many entries as you wish.
- In case you do not have a blog, you are still welcome to participate. You can simply send your entries to our e-mail address at chitra-ammas-kitchen@gmail.com or chitra(dash)ammas(dash)kitchen(dot)com.

- This event is open till 7th December '08, midnight, Sydney, Australia Time (so those in West actually get almost a day in addition). We will post a round up of all the entries within a few days after 7th December
- Feel free to contact us via mail or in the comments section with your questions if any.

So get started on the treasure hunt and take a fresh look at your favourite pots and pans, tongs, grinders, slicers, pasta makers, spoons, and chopsticks, coffee filters, bakeware! We are excited and eagerly look forward to your posts!

Semiya Pulihora

If you like tamarind rice, you will also like this. I came across Siri's Vermicilli pulihora recently and bookmarked it. I really enjoyed my dinner today.. Thanks Siri.

My method is slightly different.

Ingredients:
Vermicilli(Semiya)-1.5 cups
Tamarind-small lime size
Water(3 cups approx)
Salt
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Sesame Oil(gingely oil)-1.5 tbsp
Pepper powder-1/4 tsp

To Tamper:
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Jeera-1/2 tsp
Urud dal-1 tsp
Hing-a pinch
Curry leaves-a few
Red chillis-2
Peanuts(unsalted roasted)-1 tsp

Method:
Soak tamarind in warm water. Set aside.
Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan. Roast semiya to golden brown. Remove and set aside.
Heat rest of the oil, tamper with the above ingredients. Extract tamarind water(about 3 cups) and add it to the tampered ingredients. Add salt, turmeric powder,pepper powder and let the tamarind water boil for 10 minutes till the raw smell is gone. Add roasted semiya now and continue heating till it is cooked well.

If you add excess tamarind water, then semiya pulihora might become mushy. So add just the right amount(just like you would add water for regular semiya upma). Don't blame me if you didn't get it right :-)

Thair Vadai - Savoury Doughnuts in Curd

THAIR VADAI - Savoury doughnuts in curd

Those were the days when I never managed to get a hole in my vadai!! Since my family loved Thair Vadais, I prepared them quite often, but with the distinctive holes missing! However, it was compensated by the coarse chilly, coconut and ginger paste, green coriander dressing, and the spicy seasoning in a thick curd base.

As my babies grew up and were ready to taste Thair Vadais, I started making them with minimum spice and a smooth curd base. This became a hit with the rest of the family members as well, since then my thair vadais on popular demand remain the same - without holes, and without the heavy masala paste. These blobs in smooth curd, can easily be mistaken for some nice desert or sweet! I still remember the surprised look on the face of my daughters’ music teacher when he had the first bite of my Thair Vadai, expecting it be a sweet. But he did enjoy it after all and even requested for a second piece.

INGREDIENTS:
Black gram dal – 1 cup
Fresh ginger – 1” piece
Salt - 1tsp
Thick curd – 3 cups
Chilly powder – 1 pinch
Cumin powder – 1 pinch
Coriander seed powder – 1 pinch
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
Carrot - 1 (grated)
Sugar – ¼ tsp
Fresh coriander – a few
Oil - for frying

METHOD:
1. Soak the dal for half an hour.
2. Grind into a smooth batter adding little water at a time, along with ginger and 1/2tsp of salt, and leave it aside. The batter can be of idli batter consistency (this is more thin than what is traditionally made for vadais, but gives spongy vadais).
3. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and sugar to the thick curd and beat well to a smooth paste, without any lumps.
4. Take 2 tbsps of this curd and dilute it with 2 glasses of water, and keep the rest aside.
5. Heat oil and drop one spoon of batter into it and fry into a golden brown vadai.
Six to eight vadais can be fried at a time.
6. Drain the first batch of vadais, and immediately immerse them in the watery curd, prepared in step 4.
7. Now start frying the next batch.
8. Remove the first batch of vadais, which have now bloated, by absorbing the diluted curd, and arrange them in a shallow dish. This creates space for immersing the second batch of vadais.
9. Arrange all the fried and soaked vadais in the shallow dish.
10. Mix in the carrot gratings and chopped coriander into the thick curd that was set aside.
11. Sprinkle the chilly powder, cumin powder and coriander powder on top of the curd. Don't mix yet.
12. Heat 2 tsps of oil and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
13. When the seasoning splutters, pour it all over the spice powders on the curd cooking them. You can now mix well.
14. Now pour the seasoned curd mixture covering all over the vadais.

Enjoy these spongy luscious Thair Vadais with loved ones.