Monday, April 26, 2010

Copycat Edition Round-Up & Vote for Your Favorite Entry

Here they are- bloggers taking on the challenge, replicating tastes that they love and recreating memories in their own kitchens.

I hope you enjoy reading each post, that you discover new blogs and find new recipes to try. At the end of the round-up you can put in a vote for your favorite entry.

Savory Dishes

Snacks

PJ of Ginger and Garlic remembers swapping secrets with her childhood friends over delicious snacks, and recreates one of these, suralichi wadi, inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove.

Anaamica of A Slice of Life praises her mother-in-law's dhoklas and makes instant dhokla to satisfy the craving, inspired by this recipe from Saffron Trail.

At Monika's World, she makes baked samosas, inspired by this recipe from Baking Buddies, they remind her of good times with her grandmother.

Over at the Indian Food Court, the blogger participates in her first ever blog event and makes a tasty tray of tofu tikka for a party, inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove.

At Ruchikacooks, the blogger has fond memories of small street stalls selling mouthwatering dishes to satisfy the 5 PM hunger pangs, and then makes one of the popular dishes, kothu parotta, inspired by this recipe from Rak's Kitchen.

Indosungod remembers the tasty fish cutlets made by an old friend and shared over workplace lunches, and finally gets a chance to make her own version of fish cutlets, inspired by this recipe from Maninas: Food Matters.

At SS Blogs Here, she talks about stuffed peppers being a popular party dish and uses paneer to make stuffed bell peppers, inspired by this recipe from Apy Cooking.

Rachana at Sizzle N Spice tells us about the incredible Middle Eastern cuisine she gets to enjoy locally, and uses a cool falafel press to make falafel in her own kitchen, inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove.

Condiments and Spice mixes

Jaya of Spice and Curry tells us that fellow bloggers inspire her, and makes huli podi that quickly becomes her go-to spice powder, inspired by this recipe from Mysoorean.

Pavithra of Binge on Veg remembers that sesame powder mixed into rice rescued her from hostel food, and now she makes iron-rich sesame powder, inspired by this recipe from Menu Today.

Mints! of Vadani Kaval Gheta remembers that the best ever gunpowder she has tasted was made by a Kannada couple who were her childhood neighbors. She does not have their recipe but she is now able to make her own stock of gunpowder, inspired by this recipe from Adventures of a Desi Knitter.

The Bong Mom gets an "insane craving" for a chutney she has never tasted but only heard about from a friend, and satisfies the craving with a peanut and green chili chutney, inspired by this recipe from The Cook's Cottage.

Priya of Priya's Feast overcomes her skepticism about trying recipes from other bloggers by making tomato thokku, inspired by this recipe from Rak's Kitchen.

Southern Indian dishes

Vaishali of Holy Cow! remembers a tasty but everyday dish that she has eaten in the homes of her Malayali friends, and cooks this incredible bitter gourd theeyal, inspired by this recipe from Foodskaypes.

Preeti Kashyap of Relishing Recipes remembers tasting fenugreek dosai in Coimbatore restaurants as a child and now makes fenugreek dosas and garlic chilli powder, inspired by this recipe from Ratatouille- Any one can cook.

Sangeetha of I googled, I saw, I cooked has long been chasing the elusive "hotelness" of sambar served in hotels in Chennai, and uses the trick of slow cooking to make hotel sambhar, inspired by this recipe from Beyond The Usual.

Miri of Peppermill recollects a sweet love story and a memorable breakfast on a travel route, and recreates it with rava pongal and gothsu, inspired by this recipe from Tasty Palettes and this recipe from Red Chillies.

Priya of Priya's Easy n Tasty Recipes says she is addicted to the spicy dishes of Chettinad cuisine and makes Chettinad mutton gravy, inspired by this recipe from Solai's True Chettinad Kitchen.

Northern Indian dishes

Jayasri Ravi of Samayal Arai makes avocado pulkas, inspired by this recipe from Veg Inspirations.

Suma of Veggie Platter talks about clay-oven tandoori breads served in restaurants, and tries a version of plain kulchas that would work for the home chef, inspired by this recipe from Chef In You.

Nandini makes butter paneer masala, inspired by this recipe from Sailu's Kitchen.

Suparna of The Spice Rack has wanted to try making this restaurant favorite for some time and uses this recipe from Cook in a Blog World to make a version of methi malai matar that has her thrilled to bits.

Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes recollects a curry she enjoyed at a friend's home and makes a similar cauliflower butter masala, inspired by this recipe from Foodelicious.

At Chakh...Le...Re! we have cauliflower potato gravy made with the two vegetables most loved in her family, inspired by this recipe from eCurry.

Anaamica of A Slice of Life says she first tasted doodhi kofta in a frequently visited restaurant near her office and that she loved the concept of this dish. She makes her own version of doodhi kofta curry, inspired by this recipe from Food with a Pinch of Love.

SS Blogs Here, by recollecting a spicy garlic dal that she enjoyed at a Punjabi restaurant, and then cooking this "dhaba style" simple lasooni dal, inspired by this recipe from Sailu's Kitchen.

Kanchan of Kitchen Gossip plans an eat-out Punjabi meal right in her own home, with dal makhni inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove, and says that not all restaurant style dishes are difficult at make at home.

Street Food

Meera of Enjoy Indian Food virtually visits two restaurants in India from her own kitchen in the US. She makes pav bhaji like the one sold in Sukh Sagar's in Bombay, inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove. She also makes Kolhapuri misal like the famous one at Phadtare's, inspired by this recipe from Chakali.

Liza of Knick Nosh tells us about a St. Louis bloggers' meet where we cooked Indian street food together. She makes a trip to a local international store and makes aloo tikki chana chaat, inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove.

Here on One Hot Stove, I made Kutchi dabeli inspired by this recipe from Food For Thought, and the laadi pav recipe from Enjoy Indian Food.

Divya Vikram of Dil Se thinks Indo-Chinese manchurian is difficult to make at home, but makes this tempting vegetable manchurian once she finds this recipe from Cookery Corner.

At My Spicy Kitchen, the blogger remembers a tasty egg roll she tasted at a cricket match at Lords in London and recreates a filling egg roll, inspired by this recipe from Bong Mom's Cookbook.

Other restaurant specialties

Aquadaze of Served With Love has delightful memories of a South African dish that she kept seeking out in restaurants, and now makes bobotie in her own kitchen, inspired by these recipes from Cookie (Not Cheffy) and Cook Sister.

Maya of Palate Ticklers says that Pepper Steak at Fountain Sizzlers in Mumbai is one of only two meat dishes she misses since she turned vegetarian years ago. She satisfies that hankering by making Pepper Mushroom Steak, inspired by this recipe from The Chubby Vegetarian.

Corn dogs are hot dogs coated in batter and deep-fried. The Radioactive Vegan hears too many stories about the corn dogs at a particular drive-thru, starts craving them, and makes vegan corn dogs completely from scratch (!), inspired by these recipes from Joni Marie Newman's blog.

Sweet Treats

Rupali of Recipe Grab Bag says that her family loves the popular brand Nonni's Biscotti (I've tasted that brand too) and bakes her own version of chocolate almond walnut biscotti, inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove.

The Radioactive Vegan talks about her childhood love for Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies (she owned a Little Debbie doll too) and now makes a vegan version of oatmeal cream pies, inspired by this recipe from Sugar-Skull. They look exactly like the ones on the box!

The Taste Tinkerer says she loved the sweet fried goodies called uniappam that her mother made as she was growing up, and takes the plunge to make uniappam in her own kitchen, inspired by this recipe from Ammupatti's Thoughts.

Harini of Tamalapaku says that she has to avert her eyes when she sees jaangris (sweet fried spirals) in stores because they are just so tempting, and now makes delightful jaangris at home, inspired by this recipe from Maa Vantalu.

The Rambler and The Reluctant Cook remembers modaks enjoyed around Ganesh Chaturthi and finds her dairy-free sugar fix in sweet and savory modaks, inspired by this recipe from Aayi's Recipes.

Bala of A Life Journey Together tells us about a wonderful Dutch baby pancake that she tasted at a bed-and-breakfast, then uses her brand new cast iron pan to recreate a mango and cardamom Dutch baby pancake, inspired by this recipe from Orangette.

Rajee of Everyday Cooking has fond memories of summer and mango season in India and recreates the taste in her own kitchen in the US with mango quick bread, inspired by this recipe from Holy Cow!

The Cooker makes chocolate lava cake at her daughter's request as a birthday treat, inspired by this recipe from Our Best Bites, and is rewarded by a priceless look from her daughter when gooey chocolate gushes out of the cake.

Vaishali Sharma remembers that she ate a lot of black forest cakes in India and makes eggless black forest cake for her guests, inspired by this recipe from Easycooking.

Shilpa of Thoughts and Pots vividly remembers consuming endless servings of pistachio ice cream at the wedding receptions of her aunts and uncles and whips up her own version of pistachio ice cream, inspired by this recipe from Jugalbandi.

Meera of Enjoy Indian Food seems to be in the mood for luscious frozen desserts, just in time for summer! She makes the intriguingly named mango mastani, a specialty of the city of Pune, inspired by this recipe from Food-n-More.

She also remembers eating Imperial cocktail (a sundae, not a drink as the name suggests) on visits to Kolhapur and makes Imperial ice cream in her own home, inspired by this recipe from One Hot Stove.

And she makes a milkshake that will put you in a happy food coma, the intriguingly named good night, inspired by this recipe from Adhi Potoba.

Finally, on One Hot Stove, I go down memory lane to remember a favorite brand of ice cream in Bombay and recreate the luscious flavor of tender coconut ice cream, inspired by this recipe from Enjoy Indian Food.

My sincere thanks to the participants for their beautiful posts. I will be trying out many of these incredible recipes for myself.

It is my birthday today, and I'm being showered with lots of gifts, wishes and love, so I want to give something back by giving a prize to one of the participants.

Readers and participants, you all get a chance to vote for your favorite post from all these beautiful entries.
  • Please choose ONE favorite post from the ones above, based on how closely it fits the theme of this event and how tasty the dish looks. 
  • Then tell me your choice in a comment here, or via the comment form if you want to vote anonymously. If you want, tell us what you liked about that particular entry.
  • My own entries are not eligible for this little contest.
  • There are so many delightful entries, so please take your time in reading them and casting your vote. I will tally the votes at 6 AM Central Time on May 4, 2010 and the winner will get a surprise gift package from me. 
Check back tomorrow for an easy savory brunch recipe. Yes, it is a flurry of posts this week...

65 comments:

  1. Happy Happy Birthday Nupur! Hope you are having a blast :)

    All the entries are amazing, I am going to take another look at them before deciding on a favorite.

    Cheers!
    Bala.

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  2. Wow! That's a lot of entries! Going to be good fun browsing through these! :) Thanks for hosting the event Nupur! Cheers!

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  3. wow, what a roundup!!, next time I think you would have a long list, this is going great!!, Thanks for posting my recipe too.., will take care next time properly checking the lines!!!, Need to check everybodies blog with so many recipes, I think my Book Marked recipes will need a separte space in my comp.!!!!, thanks once again Nupur..

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  4. Happy Birthday Nupur.

    Thanks a lot for this great roundup.

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  5. Happy Birthday Doll and many more to come!Awesome roundup!

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  6. Happy Birthday Nupur, need to slowly read them all and then vote for favorite as there are so many.

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  7. Happ Birthday Nupur !! Have a wonderful day and year ahead my dear !!

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  8. Hi Nupur,

    Happy birthday to u from someone who has visited ur site often to cook quick and nutrtious meals..ur enthusiasm is infectious. Have a great evening!

    Supriya

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  9. I loved rajee's mango bread with pistachios... yummy and bookmarked!

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  10. I used to love Venthiya dosai as a kid, having grown up in a Chettinad household. I haven't had it in years since moving to the US. Preeti's recipe triggered some very fond memories of mine. And the photos of her dish are awesome. My vote is for the venthiya dosai. Good job!

    - Priya Nachiappan

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  11. Many many happy returns of the day, Nupur! Have a great day ahead! The roundup looks awesome.. so many great entries. I'll have to browse through some of them a bit more carefully before coming up with a winner. be back soon, till then best b'day wishes!

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  12. Happy birthday!...That's a great roundup and gunpowder does it for me, rice and ghee here I come.

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  13. That is one lovely round up! I want to really thank you for being a very gracious host Nupur....you are one of the rare bloggers who has a vegetarian blog but still welcomes non veg entries.

    Wish you a very happy birthday, have a great day!

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  14. Dear Nupur, Happy Birthday!!! May the Almighty fulfill your dreams and wishes in your life. Have a blast and fun and fabulous day ahead! :)

    Bear Hugs,
    Sonia

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  15. Happy B'day Nupur !!! Awesome roundup ...

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  16. A very happy birthday to you, Nupur! Have a blast!

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  17. Many Happy Returns of the Day !!
    Way to go Girl !!

    Will check out these recipes one by one and will get back with the best one :)

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  18. gr8 roundup and Happy Birthday!!

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  19. awesome round up,..waiting for next theme

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  20. Happy Birthday Nupur. Hope you had a great day.

    I vote for the jaangri recipe from Harini of Tamalapaku. It fits in perfectly since jaangri is rarely made at home. She successfully made them at home and has such tempting pictures that now I want a jaangri very badly.

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  21. Wish you a belated Happy B'day Nupur. Hope you had lots of fun yesterday!

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  22. Dear Nupur,

    Wishing You Many Many Happy Returns of the Day!!!!
    Hope that year ahead is full of lots of Happiness, Joy, Health, Wealth, Peace and Prosperity always....
    Best Wishes Always....
    Lovely roundup and so many delicious recipes to try out..esp.ur Kutchi Dabeli is oh-my-god amazing....

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  23. many many happy returns of the day Nupur. love the round up and am voting for Monika's baked samosa. healthy yet tasty.

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  24. Nupur -Wish you a very happy birthday.May all your wish and dreams come true.
    LOvely round -up that was,I need to look for more now.Thank you for hosting it for us.
    hugs and smiles

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  25. Happy Birthday! dear Nupur.
    Fantastic roundup as always. Will be back in leisure to vote.

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  26. A very happy birthday to u nupur! Lovely round up.

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  27. Hey, I almost forgot to ask, what about Blog Bites #3? I am eagerly awaiting the next edition.

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  28. A big hug to everyone who is stopping by with sweet birthday wishes- thank you so much!

    Please take your time browsing thro' the entries and choosing a favorite.

    To those who already voted, thank you! I am noting down the votes and will include them in the tally.

    To address something specific,

    aquadaze- Thanks! I try to keep things "equal opportunity" as far as possible. We all have different dietary profiles and that's OK by me!

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  29. Stopped to comment for the first time, and found it's your birthday. Couldn't have been better. So, Happy Birthday, Nupur. :)

    I don't have a food blog, but I have been following yours for many years now. The truth is your recipes have rescued me scores of times, and I love the way you put it all up, making everything easy.

    tc, and keep up the good work.

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  30. Happy birthday Nupur! Though I myself am not much of a cook, I just love coming to your blog and reading about recipes. Thought I would come out of the 'lurking' mode on your blog and wish you :)

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  31. Hi Nupur,
    I have been following you for quite sometime now. Just drop in to find out that its your b'day! Many happy returns of the day dear.

    I loved the fenugreek dosai and garlic chilli podi. I have never made this dosa and seems very authentic tamil cuisine. Thanks to chithra and Preeti. I am making this for my children tomorrow.

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  32. I am a food savvy...so like all of them...but one thing which caught my eyes is Jaangris...its tough to make it at home...i mean atleast the design the shop fellows make so easily...I luv the taste...

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  33. We are proud that Harini has
    copied the jaangri recipe from
    our website www.maavantalu.com.
    She has done very great job
    and theycame out in a lovely
    shape and color.Therefore
    my vote goes to Harini of Tamalapaku.

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  34. Happy Birthday, Dear Nupur. May all your wishes come true.

    Wonderful roundup. eagerly waiting for blog bites#3

    All the entries are droolworthy. The one which caught my immediate attention is hotel sambar. I can't wait to try it. So my vote is - Hotel Sambar

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  35. Happy Birthday Nupur...My fav post from all the above is the tender coconut icecream. Naturals used to be a frequently visited place when i was in India.
    roshni

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  36. God those Jaangris. Looking at the picture itself made my mouth water. I really envy Harini's spouse - guy gets to eat these so often? The picture itself is so mouth watering!! Thanks for a great recipe.

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  37. I love the write up on the attempt to create Hotel Sambhar so thats what I vote for.

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  38. Great entries from everybody! The vendhiya dosai takes the cake (pun unintended) for me though! Am a lover of anything even remotely associated with these rice crepes. Yummmmmmmmmm...

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  39. Hands down the Jaangri!!
    That's drool-worthy dish that never gets made at home, but maybe it will get made at home now, afterall!
    -Veena

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  40. I might be a little late, but Happy Birthday! I hope you had a great one!

    All the entries look delicious, but I think I'll have to vote for the vegetarian pepper mushroom steak at palate ticklers. what a great idea!

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  41. Happy Birthday Nupur....Everybody is got somethin' interestin out there and if I had to pick one, I'd vote for Preeti's Fenugreek Dosas....It tastes yummmmmm :-)

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  42. Happy Birthday Nupur....

    I think I'd go with the Fenugreek Dosas and garlic chili powder. It turned out perfect. Preeti makes life so easy!

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  43. Hi,
    Long time fan of your site.
    I have an unusual request for you. I am quite sure you'd have seen this in some restaurants (in India especially) where they have (pearl) onions soaked in vinegar(?). It is almost red in color and can be eaten just like that.
    I have tried looking for that in the grocery stores in US of A and also tried browsing for its recipe but have not found it. Would you know how to make it (or where one can find it in USA)?
    I apologize if my description of this condiment is very inelegant - but it'd be great if you can help me find this!
    Thanks and keep up the good work!

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  44. Many more happy returns of the day Nupur.

    I love chaat, esp the style you describe about the street shops that have butter sizzling on the hot tava. Its really tough to get that taste at home and thanks for sharing the tricks of the trade! My vote goes for your pav bhaji inspired recipe.

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  45. Jangri is my favorite sweet. Thanks Harini for yummy Jangri recipie and pics. My vote is for Harini's Jangris.

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  46. Happy Birthday Nupur! I can't wait to browse these entries and vote!

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  47. Happy Birthday gal! hope u had a wonderful one today! much love.. :)

    btw my vote goes for Vegan Corn dog, what an awesome and different post!
    gonna try soon.

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  48. lovely round up and belated wishes for the bday

    will come back and vote soon

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  49. I vote for the dhokla-- i wasn't aware of a quick version. I lived in Gujarat for a while and we'd have the yummiest fresh dhokla as an afternoon snack but I always thought it was too time-consuming/complicated to make at home. Thanks for all the wonderful posts. Your world of mouth-watering recipes is amazing. Much too little time!

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  50. Well,I just passed by your site from my new
    iPhone ..:) and went through receipes,My
    mouth started watering when I saw Jangri
    from Harini....remembered me of my school
    Days...where jangri was kept in glass cages
    and used to stare at them..ha..ha.ha

    my vote goes to Harini for Jangri

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  51. Great roundup! I think I will vote for the sambhar because Saravana Bhavan sambhar is something that I am hoping I can copy.

    Srilekha

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  52. What a great roundup - so many more new recipes to try. My vote goes to Suma for her kulchas.

    Hope you had a fabulous birthday!

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  53. Priya A.
    Great recipies ...hats of to creativity .I loved Mayas recipe using mushrooms...the meaty texture is close to the real thing.I tried it . An ideal recipie great taste without the cholestrol and the goodness of mushrooms.My vote goes to Mays of Palate ticklers.

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  54. That was some collection of recipes! My vote is for Maya of Palate Ticklers for her fantastic Pepper Mushroom Steak.

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  55. I might be a little biased but having tasted Palette Tickler's Mushroom Pepper Steak and as I love mushrooms, my vote goes out to her !

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  56. Thanks for the lovely round up - lipsmacking!!

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  57. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Mango Mastani! I have the fondest memories of drinking Mastani at a small place in Pune's BUSY market place, I specially liked that joint as they had a parrot and he and I would whistle crazy tunes and I'd give him a few spoons of my Mastani!

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  58. Nupur, all recipes are wonderful, one better than the other. But, the one I love the best and will vote for is "The cooker's" Chocolate Lava Cake. http://the-cooker.blogspot.com/2010/03/gooey-goodness.html

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  59. My vote goes to PJ's 'suralichi wadi'.

    Thanks
    Rachana

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  60. All rhe entries look so tempting, My vote goes to Bittergourd Theeyal from Holy Cow. This is something I'll definitely try.
    Shipa

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  61. Hey Nupur.. It is so difficult to vote.. I checked out almost all the entries and its a really awesome turnout!! If I have to vote, mine goes to the Radioactive Vegan since I loved both her corn dog and oatmeal cookie pie. They are both innovative and a lot of effort.

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  62. Thanks, everyone for the birthday wishes, I really appreciate it!

    And as for the votes, results have been tallied and announced today. Thanks for voting.

    Neha- Thanks for delurking :) always nice to hear from people who read my blog!

    Raghu- Yes, I know what you are talking about. These are basically onions in white vinegar with salt and chilli powder. That's it. Check the end of this post for a recipe: http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2009/10/tandoori-style-tofu.html
    And for pearl onions, simply use pearl onions (found in all grocery stores) instead of the sliced onions that I used. Here's how to peel pearl onions easily (the pics use red onions but tiny white onions would be perfect too): http://startcooking.com/blog/202/How-to-Peel-Pearl-Onions
    Hope this helps.

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Thanks for leaving a comment- I try to respond to every single one.