Sunday, June 5, 2011

Falafel and a Cookbook Giveaway .....



Birthdays Then ........

The Birthday Boy/Girl is excited and begins the countdown months ahead. The father goes to the nearby grocery store and picks up a packet of hard boiled candy the day before. The packet is opened .... the birthday kid and the siblings gather around with sparking eyes. Father counts the candies and puts them in a plastic bag ...... enough for the classmates and the teachers. Remaining is shared or rather fought over to be shared by the siblings.

On the birthday morning ......... the birthday kid gets special attention, is also pampered by the parents and grandparents. Wears a new dress, goes to temple with his father's riding on their faithful Bajaj Scooter. A special puja is performed by the temple Pujari(priest). Comes back home, distributes the prasad and seeks the blessings of the elderly.
Again the candies are counted one last time before leaving for school. Friends and teachers at school sing the 'Happy Birthday'song. The Birthday kid goes around distributing the candies ....... tries to save some for his special friends.
Mean while ...... a cake is being baked at home. There is a little hustle bustle in the kitchen. The menu for the birthday is decided on the fly. Aunts and women from the neighborhood gather and deep fry Poori's, also a special curry is prepared to go as a side dish .... mostly it's alu, chanaa or chole and not to forget the kheer. The halwai at the street corner caters to the samosa which are served as snacks.
Kids from the neighborhood are invited a day before, may be some friends and cousins from the same city .....
Hanging of balloons and streamers is an optional affair ..... Kids gather during the eve. Birthday fella blows the candle and cuts the home made cake. Friends give gifts to the Birthday boy/ girl ..... They mostly were pencils, Diary Milk/ 5 Star Chocolates/ Amul Chocolates (Yah once upon a time people considered them as gifts), pencil boxes, lunch boxes .... sometimes one or two toys and books.
Mats and bedsheets are spread on the floor. Kids are served on steel plates with Poori and sabji. And in the end kheer is served as dessert.

The kids play and parents chit chat before they call it a day !! Simple isn't it .....

Birthdays Now .........

The Birthday Kid is excited and the parents are tensed. Budget is discussed. Search for restaurant / banquet hall begins months in advance. Parents squabble over choosing the venue and pay a fat cheque to book it. Menu is decided days ahead and it has to be better than the neighbor's or colleagues ..... least at par ! A birthday theme is decided and shopping is in full spree.
Parents buy clothes to complement with the kids ..... may be the color of the balloons too !! An Evite invitation is sent weeks ahead .....

And yes .... I forgot to mention about the cake. This time Mom doesn't spend time in baking one. She is given some concession as she has many more things to bother about .... but yes she does spend a lot more time browsing and gawking photos of expensive cakes .... Cinderella, Winne the Pooh, Spiderman, Dora ... It's an encyclopedia. You tell me.

Well this era is about 'Return Gifts'. Weren't we taught in our childhood about 'Give and Take' .... I am sure this makes the other kids equally excited as the Birthday one. Fair enough !

Gifts are bought and packed in fancy colorful packets to be given away. It has also become a trend to play games at the party .... oh I am not just talking about the kids. The older ones too are roped into it ! Some of them play it even more seriously than what it takes to prepare for the IIT's OR MIT .... the bait - a gift wrapped in a glossy paper.Well I don't deny that it's fun too .....

Food is no more served .... Come on I must be kidding !! You serve it for yourself. Thanks to the buffet system ..... Eat all you want and what you want.

Well time changes and so have we ..... for the better or for the worst !!

So I did celebrate a virtual blog birthday ..... You remember na ? Didn't I treat you all with stuffed bell peppers.
What ?? 'Return Gift' .... Yah Yah I have something.

A book on Mediterranean Cooking.

You will be amazed to know that it has quite a lot in common with Indian Cuisine.
I will be giving away this book as a gesture to thank you all for motivating/ criticizing and helping me come all the way.


The Meditterenean Cook Book for the Give Away .....

Here's the deal ......

You can do anyone or
All of these to participate in this Give Away !!

1) Follow my Blog by clicking the 'Follow' button. You must follow Publicly.
2) 'Like' or 'Follow' 'Food for Thought' on Facebook.
3) Leave a comment on my blog and tell me what you like most about my space. Is it the write up, the photographs or the recipe that draws you to 'Food for Thought'.
4) You can also participate if you are a non blogger. Just leave a comment with your email id and name so that I can hunt you down.

This time the give away is just for US residents. I will be selecting a winner randomly. To increase your chances to get this fabulous Mediterranean cook book you can do all the above.

The Give Away is open till ...... June 14th 2011.

Here is the recipe of Falafel from this book .... I tweaked it a bit though !!

Preparation Time - 40 minutes
Makes - 14 small Falafel


Ingredients

Dry chickpeas - 1/2 cup (soaked overnight or at least 10 hours (will be about 1 cup when soaked through)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (per taste)
Garlic - 4-5 cloves
Chopped Cilantro/Coriander - 1 cup
Onion - 1/3 cup chopped fine
Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1-2 tbsp
Bread Crumbs of 1-2 bread
Salt per taste
You may also add chopped green chili to make it more spicy
Oil to deep fry

Method of Preparation

1. Drain the soaked Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans/ Chole in a colander till the water is completely drained.
2. Add the garlic cloves,cumin seeds and chickpeas and grind in a food processor to make a coarse paste. Do not add any water. If at all needed add very little.
3. Remove to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well.
4. Pinch out small balls, roll them between your palms and then slightly press them to give it a desired shape.
5. Heat Oil in a Kadhai/ Wok and deep fry them on medium heat on both sides till golden brown.
6. Remove on a paper towel.


49 comments:

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Satrupa
Happy birthday to your blog and wish many happy returns of the day for all of us.
Very nice Falafel recipe ..I like it.
Bhala thiba
Ushnish Bhai

chef and her kitchen said...

love falafels..seeing a lot of falafel recipes these days...

Indian Khana said...

Falafels looks yum...As Prathibha said lot of falafels these days :) ...Nice pics ...liked your page in FB

Marnely Rodriguez-Murray said...

I love the photos of the falafel!

Ramya said...

Falafels look so crunchy n yummy...
I am a big fan of Mediterranean food :-)

Unknown said...

Sounds and looks yummy...sure to try this

Hari Chandana P said...

Wonderful pictures.. :)
Indian Cuisine

Plateful said...

Brilliant! ...especially the parents panic and budget meeting..! lol

You know, for some reason, I'm remembering the movie 'Love aaj kal'...totally unrelated, I know, but maybe it's the comparison bit..:)

Love falafels -- I kinda have it here every week :)

Priya Suresh said...

Crispy falafels looks super delicious and irresistible..feel like munching some..

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

Big falafel-lover here and yours look perfect!

Suja Manoj said...

Crispy and yummy..thanks for sharing the recipe..will surely give this a try.

Torviewtoronto said...

lovely giveaway
happy blog anniversary
delicious looking falafel
torviewtoronto@gmail.com

Oriyarasoi said...

Happy Blog anniversary....a very cute little anecdote....and equally awesome falafels!!!

Taste Melanger said...

Oh my...just today I made Falafal sandwich..in fact that's my post for tomm..But then ur pics are so much lovelier! And this book is just perfect, coz there's os much to discover in this healthy & delicious cuisine.
Coming to what I like about your blog, though earlier it was the look and visual appeal of your blog added by this cute profile pic of yours!!

priya (elaichii) said...

The falafels look nice and crisp, ready to be eaten!

Unknown said...

Happy blog aniv !!!

Following u publicly @ GFC as Sumana Mukhopadhyay.

Liking u @ facebook too.

Email : bibi.mukh@gmail.com

I have been reading ur blog for quiet sometime now. Like the way u write, the stort behind ur recipes and the recipes are easye nough to follow through.

Ria Mathew said...

Hey Satrupa,the birthday story is quite funny. To be honest, my parties when I was a kid is a mix of your 'past' & 'present'. I had 'carry home' gifts waiting for my friends plus themed cakes which my mom used to bake and decorate.

May your blog have many many more! Great book for a giveaway!

divya said...

Slurp !! Awesome recipe.

Urmila said...

yummy falafel.....I like to read your write ups and the photos are a treat

Lauren said...

I love that last photo! Makes me want to dig in. :)

Lisa H. said...

ooohhh... I could drown those falafel... in heaps :)

Happy Birthday to your blog...
*sigh* I live the other side of the hemisphere... nevertheless... i enjoy reading your blog eventhough sometimes I am a silent reader hehehe...

My Kitchen Antics said...

have been seeing falafels a lot in the blogosphere..never really tried it out,,great giveaway :)
love ur pics and ure write ups a lot

Nayana said...

Haha..what u wrote @bday is very true, made me laugh.love ur pics. specially the first with chickpeas.

Unknown said...

haha yesteryears b'day party are the best so is ur falafel! i do enjoy ur write ups and ur photos :)

Suji said...

wow satrupa, I love falafel its my fav and your pics are making me crave for it NOW...

I would love to own that book as Mediterranean is my top fav cuisine..

I love everything about your blog, the way you bring the story behind each recipe, the pictures everything!!!

Regards
Suji

Kalyani said...

wow lovely clicks and crunchy & delicious falafels .....

Sensible Vegetarian said...

Lovely falafel and a very Happy Birthday to your blog baby.

Deepi's World said...

yay giveaway...falafels looks yummy....will try it soon and interesting post on birthday.

Urmi said...

Falafel looks crispy, crunchy, yummy and tempting. Perfect for snacks.

Raks said...

Wow,lovely photography! Nice recipe and perfectly done!

Binitha said...

'happy birthday ' dear 'food for thought'. may you have many many more.
This dish looks and sounds so similar to our Indian masala vada. It's been gloomy and raining here in Bangalore. And this dish is surely welcoming.
happy to follow you.
Binitha
yourstastefully.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Enjoyed your write-up Satrupa..Delicious falafel and gorgeous clicks! I love your write-up, recipes and pictures. A big happy birthday to your blog. Wish you many more..

Unknown said...

hi Satrupa..Its my first time on your blog.Falafels and hummus ..i simply love them.
You have a wonderful space..i love ur clicks and your writing...lovely giveaway dear!

cheers
www.nimisculinaryventures.blogspot.com

foodwanderings said...

Satrupa, the falafel looks divine, I wish I had it for lunch today!!

Marina @ yummy mummy said...

Hi Satrupa! Thank you for your sweet comment on Yummy Mummy! These Falafel look amazing and I have actually never made them before, which is odd considering I cook Mediterranean most nights.

Please come link this up in my linky party that's now up as part of the s'mores brownie post!

http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2011/06/smores-brownies-in-jar-linky-party.html

Teslaca said...

Following your blog via email subscription.

Teslaca said...

I love the pictures you post. Also the recipes. I love falafel so enjoyed this post very much. Does the ingredient Bread Crumbs of 1-2 bread mean 1-2 bread slices?

ropcorn said...

I love felafel but I have never made them from scratch. Mainly because I thought it would be too complicated, but it doesn't seem that hard now that I read you recipe. So I'll definitely give it a go. Thanks for sharing!:p

Anonymous said...

Have recently been reading your blog and have bookmarked it as i found your recipes mouthwatering with tempting, appealing pictures. Also love your non-vegetarian meal entries,as there are not many blogs which post these recipes. I found your write up on the trip to Acadia State park beautiful, and in fact chanced on your blog while researching Acadia. I'm a non-blogger, but decided to participate in your give-away, my first participation :) Have liked you on Facebook as well.

Happy Birthday to your blog and looking forward to many more recipes :)

Pavana (pavanacr@yahoo.com)

baxter bunny said...

I really like birthday's and think they should be celebrated but I don't think they should be stressed over. It's supposed to be a party, not a stressful evennt, right?
I love falafel. Thanks for the recipe and thanks for having a cook book giveaway as I could use all the help I can get when it comes to Mediterranean Food. I liked you on Facebook and I'm looking forward to future posts.
"Hi !!" My name is Baxter Bunny and I'm a bunny. I linked up through the Yummy Friday Linky Party because I like to [blog] hop! Have a great weekend.

Unknown said...

Love ur pictures and ur detailed write up about t he recipe.

Taste Melanger said...

Hi Dear, I'm happy to give an award to your lovely blog. You can check it at http://tastejunction.blogspot.com/2011/06/reposting-for-event-and-award.html
Plz. acknowledge your receiving it!!

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

first of all thanks for all your encouraging words dear. it means a lot to me.
i so desparately want this book coz both of us love Mediterranean food. even just had some Harira for dinner. so here it goes
am already following your site.
and love your write ups.
hope I win

the falafel looks crunchy lovely clicks.

Preeti said...

Happy birthday to your blog...what a coincidence...it's my blog anniversary this month too!! Falafals look really crisp and tempting :)
I love your blog because of the very fact that it is a food blog; I like the way you capture the food in your camera..they speak as good as your writings do:)AM your follower:)

Anonymous said...

hihi the birthday story was fun :) And it is true.. I know that! I guess everybody would have gone through this.. :)

And love your falafels.. look soo yumm :) and awesome pictures :)

Neha@ All things beautiful said...

Better late than never...I'm your follower now...I really like the way you write the posts....recipes along with some story!

Satrupa said...

Thank you everyone for the loving and encouraging words ....
@ Teslaca - Yah what I meant is bread crumbs from 1-2 breads :) Hope that clarifies.

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday to your blog, Falafel looks so yummy,,infact all your pictures looks so comforting..

Miriam Korula said...

again...lovely pics...i have had them a lot during my stint in Bahrain...but haven't tried making them after moving to Bangalore...i was recently told that a cafe here serves a falafel sandwich...maybe with ur recipe i should try it at home....;)....happy b'ltd b'day...grt return gift...;)

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