JFI: Fennel Roundup

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From earth sprang herbs, from herbs food, from food seed,
from seed man. Man thus consists of the essence of food.
From food are all creatures produced, by food do they grow..
The self consists of food, of breath, of mind, of understanding, of bliss...

- the Upanishads (circa 1000B.C)

A special thank you to one & all who enjoyed the aromatic Fennel spice with me, all this month and sent their creative entries to the event, making it a success. I have tried my best in presenting every recipe with equal ardor and gusto, but if in case anything is missed or incorrectly linked, please leave a comment or send an email to info(dot)siri(at)gmail(dot)com. I will correct it as soon as possible.

..now without further ado, presenting you the roundup of JFI: Fennel. Enjoy!

Shall we begin with the entry of the hostess of first ever JFI herself. Yes, I am talking about our beloved Indira, whose brainchild event, Jihva for Ingredients is so popular that the guest host line up gets filled up in hours and sometimes in minutes :). I love her cooking, her blog, her photography and her as a person. Thanks a lot for sharing the love and warmth through your posts Indira and your participation mean a lot to me :). Check out her Fennel Sandwich.

Fennel, a part from being a taste-enhancer also has many medicinal qualities and the best way to get them all is through a tea-concoction - Herbal tea sent by Graziana. :)

It never so happened before that I receive an entry within 10 minutes of my event announcement. This time I did, from Radhika and her delicious Baked Sweet Potato Methi Cutlet.

I openly profess my never-flinching love for eggs and every time I see a yummy egg recipe, my heart skips a beat. Just like it happened for Egg Kurma, by Ramya. :)

Every post of hers is like a fun-food-ride where you get to taste such yummy dishes that by the end of it, you crave for more. this time for JFI, she made Horsegram Kurma. Go check it out! :D

Fennel bulbs are beautiful to look at and so is Nisha's Potato Gratin spiked with Fennel & Spinach. She tries her hand on 'fresh fennel' for the first time and I must say, the results are just amazing!

A teaspoon of Fennel spice powder enhances the flavor profile of any dish , multiple fold and the proof of that is - Pumpkin and Green Pepper Curry with Fennel Seeds, sent by Latha. :)

Freshly ground-homemade-garam-masala is the best. If you wanna showcase the elegance of our Indian spices, have them taste - Collaborative Curry's Garam Masala. Thank you Sunitha and Namitha for sending this along. :)

Jagruti has sent us a double-treat for JFI this time - her own re-creation of a greek dish, an aromatic Fennel and Saffron Rice and a yummy yet whole meal in itself - Marinated Tofu-Paneer on a bed of wilted greens and baked beans. Delicious! :D

 

Do you wanna munch a snack now, then try Sadhana's Ragi-Black Chick Pea & Green Mung Bean Pakoda which are low carb and high in protein!..the best of both worlds.

  

Isn't it pretty common for all of us that - we start out to make a dish and finally we end up with something else - yummy though :) that is what happened with PJ and her Kadalai kuzhambu (Kala channa gravy).

  

She is an Indori - "Born and bought up in Indore, MP, India; a foodie to the core; has aloo kachori, bhutte ka keese, garadu and..(read rest at her blog)" and so is her recipe - Indori Kanda Poha  :)

 

Navratan Korma is considered a royal dish, with its rich & delicious gravy which is to die for. If you are craving for some now, not-to-worry. Ruchika made some for us. Enjoy!

Did you know that - "Roasted fennel is a tried and tested remedy for relieving gas and stomach acid, and other painful stomach disorders related to digestion". Lubna made Fennel Seeds Water a.k.a Saunf Ka Paani for JFI and also listed out many such uses of Fennel in her post with some beautiful photographs. 

"Looking for something easy , flavourful, super quick and delicious rice dish for ur lunch box or for ur dinner..", then this delicious Mint Pulao , sent by Priya is for you :).

Priya also sends a deiclious coconut-free kurma - 'Potatoes & Green Peas Kurma', perfect for those who are trying to cut calories or diet-consious.

 

Another keeper recipe - Corn & Tofu Pulao from Priya :)

  

If you are looking for a light snack in these cool, windy evenings? then try out Priya's Onion Bhaji. Yum :)

 

I guess, there is hardly anybody out there who doesn't like 'Rajma Curry', when served on a bed of hot jasmine rice ;). Swathi from Zesty South Indian Kitchen made some for us! Yeh. :)

Did you ever heard of Indian Apple Gourd? I did, for the first time at - Kamala's post on Stuffed Tinda. It looks both - yummy and very creative!

With winter till looming around in most parts of US now, soups are the best way to keep us warm. Try VnV's Leek-Fennel-Smallage soup and I am sure it will instantly warm you up!

Suma is associated with two Siri's in her life. One being myself and other is her beloved sister, for whom she whips up delicious subzis every now and then. One of which is - 'Fennel Flavored Mixed Vegetable Subzi'. Curious to know what all other she made for her sis. A quick search of - 'Subzis for Siri' will reveal all. :D

 

What would you do when you forget to add your best friend's entry to the roundup. You feel horrible and curse for not receiving the email. That is what I did. The delicious Cream of Fennel soup below is sent by DK, who is now officially, acc to me Queen of Soups. ;), who can make a sooppa out of any veggie available! :D

She made Methia Olu Chaman twice intended to send for JFI, but both the times, it was devoured without taking a picture. (..can't wait to see the recipe on her blog soon). So, celebrating the theme of Holi, Sayantani made a very dear recipe of hers called - Thandai. Holi Hai!!!

Twenty minutes on the clock and you will finish preparing Ramya's Rava Khitchadi, which is both appetizing and delicious on any lazy day. Isn't it?

After having spicy dishes, one craves for a silky dessert. the team of Turmeric & Spice just have the perfect one for you - a no-fuss Malpua recipe.

 

One thing I have learnt from using Fennel is - a tad bit of it adds so much depth and flavor to any recipe. One such perfect example is Jyoti's Apple and Carrot Soup - subtle and delicious!

 

Her blog is a repertoire of Ismaili (Khoja) cuisine and Saju sends one such yummy recipe for JFI - Baked/Roated Chevro/ Chevdo.

 

As aromatic Fennel spice can be, when added to any pulao rice recipe, like simply.food did in her Fennel-pilaf rice - it makes the dish both flavorful and different.

 

Daisy blue sends a typical dish in Tamilnadu cuisine - Vadacurry which she says might seem difficult but is very easy and looks appetizing too. :)

 

Silpa shares two classic recipes for JFI this time - one from Northern part of India and other from Southern part. Both look equally tantalizing and inviting :)

Paneer Butter Masala

 

Healthy Gutti Vankaya Curry

The next entry is - presenting Jayasri's Aubergines and Canellini Beans Gravy.  The combination  is very intriguing and I loved the recipe too. :)

Last but not the least - is Apu's Home-style Tamatar Ki Chutney. She is right, every family has their own version of this yummy chutney and now check out hers :)

[UPDATED: March 6th 2010] this is quite a unique recipe I must say - where the okra is stuffed with two different stuffings in the same dish. Don't believe me - check out Kanchan's Marwadi ishtyle Peeth Perun Masala Bhendi

~ End of JFI Roundup ~

It was so much hosting this month's edition of JFI and I would like to thank Indira for the opportunity :)

..wondering what could be the theme of March edition of JFI?.. For that you have to check out Suma's blog.

Hope you all have a great week ahead.

Ciao,