Contest 2010 May Winners

This was another tough month in choosing a winner. There were many great recipes, but ultimately, I had to choose only two out of all the great entries. Here are the winners.

Charu Nagi - Kale Carrot wrapFIRST PLACE:

  • Charu Nagi wins again two months in a row! This unique recipe is called Kale Carrot wrap. The full recipe is listed below.

“Sometime ago, I was watching a TV program in which a chef named “Walter” showed a very easy recipe. He used meat as a filling and cabbage as a wrap. He blanched the whole cabbage and baked the wrap to make it crisp.  I like the idea of wrapping and baking but I did wanted to use the whole cabbage. So I thought I will try with kale leaves but I didn’t know what should be the filling. I wanted to use something vegetarian, but what! I didn’t know. So I couldn’t decide what to use and eventually forgot about it. And then after reading about the May monthly contest, I thought to use carrots as the filling. But again, I thought how am I going to give it a mushy consistency. After thinking a lot, I came up with the idea to cook carrot with milk to make it soft, and then add cheese to give it a sticky consistency. And this is how I came up with this appetizer dish.  It turns out very tasty, everybody loved it in my house. Crispy kale gave a kick and cheesy carrot just melted in the mouth. I believe it is a good appetizer dish, which can be made ahead of time. Anyone can make it to please their guest.”

Porselvi Spiky Carrot CrunchySECOND PLACE:

  • Porselvi Alaqupackiam created a dish which she calls Spiky Carrot Crunchy. Her recipe is also listed below.

“I wanted to present simple but traditional recipe. So I decided to make Murukku which is special in all parts of India with different names like Murukku, chakli etc. This recipe is simple and it requires no special preparation efforts and anyone can follow this and get tasty murukku.”

I would also like to congratulate our other top contributors. Thank you so much for participating and I hope to see more for next contest:


Charu Nagi’s Kale Carrot Wrap

Serves 2-3 people
Recipe should make about 12 pieces

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium shredded carrot ( may also use thinly sliced carrot about 1inch long)
  • 2-3 Kale leaves ( Fold the leaves and slice down the stem)
  • 2-3 Tablespoon of milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon oil ( I used olive oil)
  • 1 small finely chopped green chili or to your taste (remove seeds)
  • 1 pinch of salt or to your taste
  • 1 pinch of black pepper or to your taste
  • 1 teaspoon chopped coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 3 tablespoon of cheese or to your taste

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degree F.
  2. In a saucepan, heat the oil on medium, add cumin seeds.
  3. After cumin seeds crack, add green chilly.  Cook for 30 sec.
  4. Next step is to add shredded carrot and stir for a 30 sec.
  5. Now add milk and cook until carrot soak all the milk (it took me about 5-6 min). Keep stirring.
  6. After milk is dry turn off the gas stove. Remove the saucepan from gas stove. Carrot should be soft.
  7. Now add pinch of salt, black pepper, cheese and coriander.
  8. Mix everything well set it aside and let the carrot mixture cool for 5 min
  9. Take kale leaves and wash them very well.
  10. Now fold the kale leaves and slice down the stem and then cut the leaves 5 to 6 inches long.
  11. Next place kale leave on the cutting board.
  12. Next take about 1/2 table spoon of carrot mixture and place it over kale and wrap it around.
  13. To make sure it won’t open place a tooth pick.
  14. Brush some oil on kale wrap ( I don’t have brush so I used my finger 🙂 )
  15. Grease baking tray and put kale wrap on it.
  16. Now bake for about 7-10 min, until kale become crispy. Keep watching it, to make sure it doesn’t get burned.
  17. After kale become crispy remove the tray out of oven.
  18. Serve and Enjoy.

Serving Suggestions

  1. Garnish with a piece of shredded carrot
  2. Change the tooth-pics when serving to guests.
  3. May used non-toxic colored tooth-pics for fun.

Porselvi’s Spiky Carrot Cruncy Recipe

Time –  approx 60 min
Below ratio makes 15 to 20 counts.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of finely shredded carrot
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1/2 cup Roasted Bengal gram (Pottukadalai)
  • 1 tablespoon roasted urad dhal
  • 1 tablespoon whole pepper
  • 3 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 1 cup water
  • Oil for frying
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Cook 1 cup shredded carrot with 1/4 cup water until fully cooked.
  2. Cool the cooked carrot and grind into a smooth paste.
  3. Make fine powder out of roasted bengal gram, roasted urad dhal and whole pepper and keep it aside.
  4. Combine together cooked carrot paste, rice flour, roasted bengal gram urid dhal pepper powder, melted butter, asafoetida, sesame seeds, and salt. Make into a ball by adding little by little water.
  5. Prepare the Chakli press (Take the 1 star attachment and fix it) by filling the above mixture.
  6. Heat oil for frying in a kadai.
  7. Take a small plate, turn it and apply little oil in it( 2, 3 drops).
  8. Make nice spirals ( any number of rounds) on that plate.
  9. Fry these spirals one at a time keeping oil in medium hot.
  10. When fried, drain them on paper towels.
  11. Continue the process for all chaklies(murukkus).
  12. Now they are ready to be served.
  13. When cool, store them in air tight container.

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15 thoughts on “Contest 2010 May Winners

  1. am excited abt next winners…..but hey wht abt carrot chakli winner…… she havent reply to any comments..she disappperad…..and manjula ji did u also find same thing abt carrot chakli taste while making it? or only few of them …

  2. I do agree with some comments here. Congratulations to the winners but I am sure the other recipies were also quite good otherwise Manjula ji would not have said it was a tough decision to make.

    Chosing the same winner twice may discourage other contestants from participating in future contests. I think other innovative ideas should also get the chance.

    Carrots can be easily replaced by potatoes or peas in the murukku recipe. So not sure if carrot was a main ingredient there or just an optional addition.

  3. If anyone makes the kale carrot wrap, please post how it tastes as I’m curious. I’d like to hear from others before trying. I have never seen kale baked, only used in things like soups. Thanks.

    1. I tried it. Defenitely do the filing of your choice as sweet carrots and cheese makes it sweeter.Outer covering with a puff pastry sheet or samosa like covering tastes even better with some spices in it.
      Otherwise if u really want to use a green leaf,use the one from which we make pathru vada( a maharashtrian cuisine).

  4. I agree for chakli carrot is not main ingredient similar . sometime ven i am confused with selected winner. last time chickpea salad is a very common dishes which arae available in all the party now days or even at good buffet in retaurant. there was no creativity nothing new. I was waiting to see some thing real creative.

  5. I was first to reply to winners comment list, i dont know about first winner, but as rules mentioned carrot was major ingredient then in Spiky Carrot Crunchy , we dont feel carrot taste at all, all other ingrdients are dominating, i made it yesterday for trial , it taste like regular chakli..sorry to say but thats what i felt..I think manjula madam shd try atleats 2 winners recipe by making it before announcing winners.
    hey r winners from San Diego??
    thanks megha

  6. Charu! Congrats! A very original and interesting recipe indeed! Should try it myself- it looks very elegant for a party as well.
    Good job, Porselvi! I have been wanting to make muruku myself for a while but never tried it. I have a bag of “omapodi flour” or muruku flour. Is it already a mix of rice and bengal gram? I want to make your dish but I am not sure what I have to skip out of your ingredients if I have to use the ready made flour…

  7. agree, I only posted once and had no expectations at all, but I think this is not fair. Even if the recepes were equally good, at least Manjula ji should have encourage someone else this time….

  8. Dear Manjula Ji, i have been following the contest for a very long time and thought of joining next months, but I have second thoughts. You are a fine cook, but why choose same person twice when you say it was a tough choice because of so many great recipes? I am sure at least one out of so many would have at least equaled Charu’s dish. Or maybe you like the fact that meat dishes are adapted to vegetarian? Both of her recipes were adaptations of some meat recipes….It is not a contest of objective facts and I looked through some of the bloggers on your list and they have awesome recipes….I thing it is only fair to give everyone a chance. Very disappointing…..never met a recipe contest to have same winner twice in a row….unless you are drawing ruffles. You lost credibility and I am sure many will feel that way.

  9. Yippy 🙂 I won again. I am so happy. Thank you Manjula ji for this opportunity. Because of this month contest, I am able to came up with great appetizer dish. Now I make it more often as everybody love this dish in my home.
    I would also like to congratulate Porselvi for her traditional and simple recipe.

    Thanks
    Charu 🙂

  10. congrats, but if carrot was main ingredient then in case of second winner it looks like it just an added ingrdient other ingredients listed are almost same in proportion ?????and not the main ingredient as mentioned in the rules…anyways congrulations to all…

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