Beetroot Dal

Durga Puja has started in full swing from today and it would be four years in a row I am outside Kolkata during Durga Pujo. I will miss the maddening clamor of Kolkata illuminated in the garb of one of its much awaited and celebrated festival of the year. Few days before in a party someone I met asked me about the hullabaloo with Durga Pujo and I quoted her the lines of Vir Sanghvi who crooned the essence of Durga festival beautifully in his words "You can take the craze of Diwali in Delhi, ...Christmas in London, summer carnival in Rio de janeiro, Valentine's day in Paris and then add it to the month long madness of Olympic Games or the world cup and cram all that into a span of 5 days and you still wouldn't know what you are missing if you haven't been in Kolkata during Durga Puja". Such is the craze with Durga Puja that people all through the years count days for this mighty festival to begin and plan for months on how to spend those precious five days.

 

 

Like thousands others, I have plentiful of beautiful memories connected with Durga festival. First crush, new dresses, fight with friends, food feasting, getting together with relatives and friends from different parts of the globe all of these and lot more take place in the span of those five days amidst the glitter of lighting and melody of sound. From the first strike on Dhak till the immersion of the idol and even after that, the mood of the festival pervades every home in Kolkata. Once the pujo is over, people visit each other's home to exchange greeting of the festival by eating different homemade sweets and delicacies. Sitting in a foreign land in an uncanny silence occasionally broken by the sound of dish water and microwave beeps, I miss a lot the sweet clamor of Kolkata and most of all 'the people'. With 10 weeks into my pregnancy, it will be more than a year waiting when I will be able to visit my homeland again. Sigh !

Aam Diye Dal - Sour Mango Lentil Preparation

 

Aam Diye Dal is a refreshing lentil preparation ideal for summer months. It is monsoon in India and mangoes are out of season there, but summer is young in US and green ripe all kinds of mangoes are aplenty in the market. I bought a big green mango few weeks back and but shoved it into some corner of our refrigerator forgetting all about it until I was reminded with a bit of sarcasm by my husband about some vegetables to be really taken care of before they reached sorry stage. I know I have this nasty habit of putting whatever veggies I get a grab of into the basket but this is a new habit that has grown into me mainly because the nearest Indian grocery store is at least 20-25 minutes driving distance away from home and since in the week days rushing to the Indian store is not possible, I maintain to fill my fridge with all the Indian leaves and veggies not easily available in Wal-Mart or Meyer. What to do…..when you run a kitchen, you ought to keep foresight about future needs.
 

Anyway, as I was saying aam diye tak dal is a refreshing meal for the scorching summer months. With mercury soaring higher every given day, this dal would add a cooling sensation to your lunch. Just grab some green mangoes and get set go.

Rui Macher Muro Diye Cholar Dal - Chana Dal with Rohu Fish Head

Giving names to the newest member of your family could be quite a daunting task especially if he or she is the first born to carry the baton of your family name. Just a fortnight back, my sister in law has given birth to a beautiful bonny boy in Hyderabad. Now there is a huge hullaballoo going on in choosing an appropriate name for him, everyone from the family pitching in names of their choice. I myself have shortlisted some and sent to my brother in law for consideration. Usually, everyone in my husband's side of family has their name starting with 'deb', which sounds wonderful when addressed in series. I would be very happy if my brother in law ultimately settles on a name beginning with 'deb' in continuation of the old trend. Let’s see if he likes the names I shortlisted for the tiny bundle of joy of our family or not :)

 

 

Last time I made Cabbage Curry with the rohu head, so this time I wanted to make something different. I never concocted Chana dal with rohu head until I got the recipe of Sadhana Mukherjee in hand. Though Bhaja Moong Dal with rohu head is quite a common fare in Bengali households, Chana dal with rohu head is an extraordinary combination. Flavorsome, this dal goes very well with steamed rice and Begun Bhaja.

For more recipes of dal, please click the links below:

Vegetable Dal - Sabji Dal

Masoor Chingrir Dum

Dal Palak - Spinach Dal

Cholar Dal without onion

Red Lentil with Tamarind  

 

 

Dal Dhokli

I love potluck get-togethers for the opportunities galore to indulge in long heartwarming conversation with friends and the chance of laying hand on new recipes completely novel and unheard of. I have seen my friends get into an experimental mode and bring in the best of dishes they cook on potlucks. It becomes increasingly difficult to catch notice for culinary skill in the midst of a crowd of well-versed cooks. In one of such get-togethers, one of our Marathi friends cooked Dal Dhokli which was first of its kind of preparations I ever had. The dhoklis were soft, melt-in-the mouth texture and the dal was exquisitely brilliant with a hint of curry leaves and the taste of coconut prevailing over.

With the longing to try it on my own, I quickly noted down the recipe in my memory as she hurriedly ran over the ingredients and described the process in a nutshell. When the first time I tried it at home, I made the mistake of adding dhoklis more than needed and the turnout was very thick in consistency. Further, I messed up with the estimation of the number of kokums to be added and so the tartness was predominating in flavour, not quite up to my taste bud. My first attempt marked out the points I goofed up and hence while cooking it next time, I was more cautious. Happily, my second attempt turned out to be successful and satisfactory. One good thing about dal dhokli is it is a meal in itself and you can have it all by itself or with rice or roti. 

Tetul Diye Masoor Dal

I used to be a dedicated avid player of community games on FB - Farmville, Cityville, Gardens of time etc. My addiction was so unbounded that in order to get some leverage over the other players, I had even made purchases of monthly packages to bag some extra points. I have over 50-60 friends added just for the sake of expanding my network of community players to remain ahead in the games. There was one of my colleagues who was equally in league with me in playing games. So what started on a note of helping my colleague to keep his gaming afloat later on turned into an obsession for me as well. Though late but finally God has knocked some sense of realization into me about the uselessness of playing these games on a continuity basis.  I have quit playing finally after being hooked for over a year time period because for all intents and purposes, logging into FB everyday just to play the games like a daily routine was useless, time which could be spent doing other productive work like reading and writing. Now I find my former enthusiasm inordinately preposterous. I must have been completely out of my mind.

The recipe of Tetul Diye Masur Dal I collected from a Bengali magazine that featured some of the traditional recipes of Tagore family on one of its editions. I tried one of the recipes covered there at home. Very light, healthy yet a gorgeous fulfilling dal, I just love it. 

Aloo Moong Masala

I watched Saif and Kareena starrer Qurban tonight for the first time. I didn't know any college staff room could be so empty to allow two love stricken professors share cozy moments with each other so much as kissing without catching any notice or picking on gossip until I watched this movie. Truly, some unreal things happen only in hindi movies. Besides Tashan, if any movie that has Kareena looking so haggard and sickly that no pads or make up is able to hide, Qurban has to be named first. I wonder what got on her to shed pounds in pursuit of size zero feat compromising her healthy glowing look. Her ravishing sexy avatar in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam comes as no match with the pale and languid complexion she has developed during the filming of Tashan.

 

Aloo Moong Masala is another variation of Egg Tadka Dal and Chicken Tadka Dal prepared with the same old whole green moong lentil, my favourite among all dals. This time I have made it with chunks of mashed potatoes and spices, an ultimate lentil concoction to be had with roti or chapati. I love this dal so much that I don't need any other accompaniment. Just a bowl of this dal topped with a sprinkling of lemon juice suffices to make a fulfilling meal for me.

Masoor Dal Fry

Winter is setting in here, the cold blast reminding me every morning of the coming days of torture. Already, the layer of clothing has been increased by one; time is near when I need to hide beneath few layers of clothing just to keep myself insulated. Trees shorn of leaves, grasses turning paler, number of people walking on the roads almost getting nil are all foreboding signs of a dreadful winter looming in near future, the season I looked forward to when I used to stay in Kolkata.

 

Though Kolkata is a place where summer is just unbearable with soaring temperature and heavy humidity taking toll on its inhabitants, but given an option to choose between Kolkata summer and Ohio Winter, I will always go for summer. At least in summer, no matter how horrible the temperature is, after nightfall, you may go out to spend a pleasant evening with friends in open air whereas during winter after a heavy snowfall, when the entire neighbourhood and surrounding areas get covered in snow and ice sheets, staying indoor for days is the only option open to you, standing or walking in open air becomes a thing completely unimaginable.

 

Masoor Dal Fry is an awesome treat to savour in winter nights. Teamed up with a heap of rotis, this steaming dal fry gives pleasure at every mouthful.

Lasooni Dal - Garlicky Lentil

I was reshuffling my friends' list couple of days back on Facebook and it came to me as a shocker finding out that some of my school friends and colleagues who I thought I was very close to, who regularly visit my albums and leave comments on them have their own albums restricted for me, the reasons beyond my knowledge. One of my colleagues was so close to me that she even slept over at my place when she was in problem, whenever there was any late night party from office, I always having made sure to drop her to her home. In fact upon my leaving the job, I kept in regular touch with her and went out with her on occasions like Durga Puja and day long road trips. It just hurts when people you care for don't reciprocate the same way and in her case, her keeping 30+ albums hidden from my view only betrayed her true feelings for me, feeling of distrust. One of my close friends very rightly commented "sab matlab ke liye f'ship karte hain.Just give as much as you get and don't feel disheartened." Without much delay, I put that colleague of mine to the restricted list of friends. If she doesn't care, why should I!!

As the name suggests, Lasooni Dal is a lentil concoction with a good quantity of garlics chopped, shallow fried and added into the dal lending it a garlicky flavour. Lasooni Dal is cooked in different many ways in different regions of India, but the most popular version is the one cooked in north. I love to have it paired with chapati. It tastes awesome.

 

Lemony Toor Dal

With a variety of dal preparations dominating the Indian kitchen, dal makes a quintessential part of our meal. Each region of India has its own singular dal preparation, the list is endless.

 

 

Not being an exception, dal is integral to our daily menu too. My hubby slurps dal like a soup when it is thin in consistency. The lentil preparations, thicker in consistency, are relished with roti or paratha by the side. To put it in one word, our food remains incomplete without a bowl of dal on our platter and I am yet to find one who doesn't like lentils.

 

 

My love for lentil gives me an impetus to look out for new lentil recipes. Until I started exploring the culinary world, I didn't have idea, an iota, about the diversity of lentil preparations, the broad range of which only heightening my amazement. The recipe of the following dal I have come across recently in a culinary show but due to the unavailability of fresh lemon grass in market around this time of the season, I used lemon grass herb blend that lent a beautiful aroma to the dish. This dal, usually thick in consistency teams up well with paratha or bread. However, giving way to your preference, you may dilute the consistency.

Cholar Dal without Onion

Now that Durga Pujo is knocking at the door and just like last two years, this year too I am away from home, I have already begun to miss the euphoria and excitement the countdown of puja incites in Kolkata, the very ambience overrun by a pujo pujo feeling. I am missing the roads chockablock with shoppers wrapping up their last minute pujo shopping, the clamor of haggling between buyers and sellers and last but not the least the exhilaration upon the purchase of new clothes. The madness of Durga Pujo in Kolkata in one word is beyond description, something one ought to experience first-hand.

 

 

I have many memories connected to pujo starting from childhood days when me with my three cousins would venture out for pandal hopping with a meager amount of money handed in by the elders. The eldest of all, five years senior to me would play the role of chaperon overseeing our safety. We were strictly instructed by the elders to hover within the boundary of Behala, which is about few kilometers distance from our homes. Once or twice, however, the eldest cousin planning to check out the pujos of Kidderpore, a little faraway from our home, told us to keep the plan hush-hush from elders, which all the time save once got leaked to my parents through me, thanks to my elder brother who always getting a hint about our pujo plan would try messing it up by informing the elders if the plan went beyond the permissible course while he himself would go around with his buddies to all the nooks and corners of Kolkata for pandal hopping.

 

 

The following is a recipe of a very traditional cholar dal that is cooked without onion in a typical purist vegetarian fashion, offered as obeisance to the deity during Durga Pujo or Lokkhi Pujo. Among all the wholesome bhog items (offerings), if any that is consumed with unstinted appetite, next to bhoger khichuri, is cholar dal with luchi. I know many who literally would get into a fierce competition of outdoing each other in the number of luchis eaten during pujo, such is the frenzy luchi-cholar dal combination triggers.

Sambar Dal

It's been days that I had last posted a recipe of dal. I first had the helping of sambar dal in Kolkata served as accompaniment to masala dosa in a restaurant that was famed for its South Indian meal with Uttapam, Masala Dosa, Onion Dosa, Butter Dosa and Idli topping the list. Since then I had a desire secretly nurtured in my heart that one day if opportunity came my way, I would like to try cooking South Indian dishes.

My wish came true when I went to Bangalore and started working in office. Most of my colleagues hailing from different regions of South India used to bring varieties of home cooked cuisines for lunch. I happened to pick up some authentic South Indian recipes from couple of my colleagues who, like me, cherished a penchant for cooking and showed an express desire for learning Bengali fish curries. Sharing tiffin among colleagues and friends makes you aware of the endless spectrum of Indian culinary creations, each one tasting different from the other and singular in its own way.

 

Sambar also known as Sambhar Dal is a popular Southern lentil concoction with seasonal vegetables namely, okra, eggplants, carrots, shallots, bottle gourds, pumpkin, radish and even potatoes thrown together with tamarind extract. A special powder, which is a mix of an array of spices, known by the name of Sambar or Sambhar powder is used here. For my convenience, I always rely on the readymade sambar powder easily available in Indian groceries, but if you want to take the effort of making the powder from a scratch, then note down the ingredients below, dry roast them on a skillet and grind them into powder.

v  2 tbsp coriander seeds v  3 dry red chillies v  1/2 tsp cumin seeds v  1 tbsp Bengal gram/chana dal v  1 tbsp urad dal/split black gram v  1 1/2 tbsp toor dal/ pigeon peas v  1/2 tsp turmeric powder v  1/2 tsp asafetida powder v  1 inch cinnamon stick v  6-7 curry leaves v  1/2 tsp methi or fenugreek seeds v  1/2 tsp mustard seeds v  1 tsp black peppercorns (optional)

 

Chicken Paach Misheli Dal - Assorted Lentils with Chicken

I am pretty impressed with the way my lentil recipes are earning brownie points from my readers. When I posted Egg Tadka Dal, I barely had any clue that it would make its place among the most viewed recipes occupying the first place for a considerable length of time. Next came along the Chicken Tadka Dal which also received a raging response from my readers. Infact, all my lentil recipes including the new entries such as Kokum Chana Masala, Lal Shak Diye Moong Dal and Cholar Dal Diye Lau are showing promise in terms of page views. I am happy.

'Pach' in Bengali means number five and 'misheli' means mixture. Since the recipe below is a medley of five different lentils concocted with chicken, I conceive the appellation "Chicken Paach Misheli Dal" to be accurate for this dish.

Kaali Dhaba Dal

This is the third dal of its kind I am posting in my blog, the previous two being Egg Tadka Dal and Chicken Tadka Dal which interestingly have earned me enormous page views. In my both earlier tadka dal preparations, I used green gram or green urad dal as base ingredients. But this Kaali Dhaba Dal is cooked with kali urad dal or Split black gram which by the way explains the derivative name of this dish.

Like its counterparts, Kaali Dhaba Dal is also popularly served in many restaurants, especially across the northern states of India. Best served with roti or chapati, this dal can be had with steaming rice too.

Lal Shak Diye Moong Dal - Moong Lentil with Amaranth Leaves

I am feeling really restless. I wish I could know a way to parry people I cannot stand for a moment. I wish I could defuse a bomb in their car or poison their food to make them disappear forever from my sight. But alas! My heart is soft and mushy and tender and I cannot think of spilling blood to get rid of enemies just as Henry VIII did. I covered the full 4 seasons of Tudors recently on Netflix and am still under its hangover. I was just wondering how mighty and reckless one is likely to become in the face of absolute power bestowed on him. Despite being one of the highly learned kings of his time, all Henry VIII is remembered today is for his brutality and ruthlessness in executing any potential threat coming his way. Whenever he found anyone rebuffing his diktats or brewing a plot against him, he sought to remove their heads.

Good that we are over with monarchy when power rested in the hands of few and others were at the mercy of their whims. But as I was saying, sometimes a little bit of magical power becomes a need of the hour when you find yourselves in an uncomfortable position with people you don't gel well. At least, if you cannot vanish them, you can go and disappear yourself into thin air.

I owe the below recipe to SpicyTasty which features some authentic South Indian as well as an array of interesting cuisines from all over the world. Except the measurements of some of the ingredients used and the addition of butter and ghee, I have stuck to the original recipe as showcased in their blog.

Dal Palak - Spinach Dal

"Life is Beautiful" - an amazing movie that had me crying with literally tears streaming down my face. I don't recall any other movie so intensely stirring my emotions. I won't reveal the plot to spoil the fun of watching for those who are yet to watch it. The movie is fun throughout with an unexpected ending and that may be why the closure gives a shock.

 

Dal Palak is quite a flexible recipe where palak is sacrosanct nevertheless. But other than that, you may tweak the type of lentil you use and the spices according to your liking and palate. I usually concoct dal palak with toor dal, but sometimes I use only moong lentil or mix both toor and moong in equal proportions thus adding variety to the same boring preparation.

Dal Methi Chingri

Last weekend we went to a Tulip Festival held three hours driving distance from Perrysburg. My husband took some nice shots of the amazing tulips caught in their splendour all across Holland. As you go driving by, different colored tulips in full bloom popping in and out of sight simply takes your breath away. I cannot help my urge to share a collage of the same. Here you go:

 

Another awesome recipe for you guys on green gram or what my mother termed as 'tadka dal'. So we have three recipes now - Egg Tadka Dal, Chicken Tadka Dal and now the third one 'Dal Methi Chingri'. Try it out at home and let me know if it earns you brownie points.

Masoor Chingrir Dum : Red Lentil with Prawns

Red lentil in Bengali is called 'masoor dal' and 'chingri' means prawns. Dum means slow-cooking or cooking something covered on low or medium heat so that the ingredients get cooked in the steam built inside. This account explains the name "Masoor Chingrir Dum" for people not familiar with Bengali language. Also, it sets an undertone for the dish going to be detailed and discussed below.

As the name implicates, masoor is given 'dum' through slow-cooking with prawns laid side by side. The spices incorporated in uniform measure give birth to an innovative dal concoction. The aroma of whole spices and the final taste booster called 'ghee' makes it a heavenly experience for those privileged to consume it.

I have adapted the recipe from a cookery program. But as I said 'adapted', the original dish was cooked with a hint of sweetness with sugar and raisins. I parted with the raisins part and adapted it according to what my family would like and 'loved' they indeed as my husband has given his verdict with 'it is one of the best dishes' I cooked out of the 170 something recipes posted in my blog.

Chicken Tadka Dal - Dhaba Style

After the Bengali Egg tadka dal turned out to be the most viewed recipe in my blog, among all, I decided to post a few more variations of tadka dal, the kind which is very popular across Kolkata, especially in dhabas of West Bengal.

Chicken tadka dal is one of my favourite items whenever I dine in dhaba. It has that rustic flavour which is very soul-touching. In fact, whenever I visit Kolkata, among all the foods listed to be had during my stay, chicken tadka dal is one of the must-haves. It is one of those items you cannot avail anywhere else other than Kolkata.

Note: In case if anyone does not know what dhaba is, dhaba is that small shack or local restaurant across the highways of Indian states, very popular for serving local cuisines with typical rustic flavour. 

Cholar Dal

Perhaps no other statement suggests the rivalry shared by Mozart and Salieri better than this one as written by Carrie Fisher “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Indeed, Salieri did not take respite from his devilish plans to sabotage Mozart and his career and got peace, supposedly, only when Mozart dead at a tender age of 35 was buried in the mass grave, a pauper's grave rather - an unmarked grave....come to think of it, it's so shocking that the genius and the child prodigy we have grown up admiring died like a pauper and buried with no respect. The greatest musician of all time met such a shocking fate because his rival Salieri taking full advantage of his position and power exploited every means possible to stop Mozart from rising above.

I was watching the movie "Amadeus" last night and towards the end, I got so overwhelmed by the depiction of Salieri plotting and sending Mozart to his grave that for one moment I sure felt like stabbing Salieri to his death for snatching Mozart of his life so young and thus depriving the devotees of Mozart's music of some precious valuable masterpieces that could have been created had Mozart lived long. Seriously, jealousy is like poison. It eats you from inside and makes you vulnerable to commit a crime, some times, against someone you might worship or look up to. It tears relationship apart and breaks friendship. I remember I read a news sometime back when an angry elder brother seething with envy at his younger brother's success killed him mercilessly.

If you have seen London Dreams, you might like to know that London Dreams starring Salmon Khan and Ajay Devgan was actually based on the theme of Amadeus, at least partially. The climax is different though.

Now to the recipe, a traditional Bengali breakfast comprises cholar dal, luchi and begun bhaja. I recall when we were young, luchi and cholar dal or luchi and alur dum were sacrosanct in the breakfast menu. Each of us, me, didi and dada would at least have 10-12 luchis at one go. Curiously, even after such heavy breakfasts, there was space enough in our tummies for a sumptuous afternoon meal and yet, we were as thin as sticks. In fact, 'hanger' is the appropriate term to describe my shape in those days.

Vegetable Dal - Sabji Dal

Do you believe in the adage that says "First impression is the last impression"? I find this proverb quite impractical to follow in real life because human mind is constituted of variegated kaleidoscope of complexities and one's actions are regulated by a dozen of factors. For example, suppose you had a fight with your spouse at home and your mood is overpowered by a sudden rise in hormonal change, very common to women during a monthly cycle. If someone meets you for the first time when you are in worst frame of mind and you behave not in your best self, the first impression formed by that person will be absolutely wrong about you. You might be an easy-going cheerful person but you cannot remain in your best spirit always. C'mon. We are all human beings at the end.

However, despite your second and third meeting, if you find a person disagreeable and not suiting to your nature, then I believe you should come to a conclusion that we all are different and not everyone is made for everyone. In that case, both of you may choose to go on your individual ways. If suppose, you find someone extremely distasteful in nature and completely opposite to you every way so much so that even tolerating that person's very presence becomes a pain, but you are in an unavoidable circumstance where in spite of your hating the person from the bottom of your heart, you do need to see his/her face every day and even talk to him/her politely and amicably so as to maintain peace at 'work'. Yes, at 'work'. In personal life, sometimes, we may avoid the person we hate or we don't like but in professional life, doing that very thing becomes a hell of a difficult task. Anyone having been through such an experience knows about the stress I am talking about.

Back to the recipe, vegetable dal or sabji dal is a flexible dish that can be concocted with seasonal vegetables. The selection of vegetables to be used in cooking this dal is up to your discretion. I used what I my palate desired at that moment.