Thursday, February 19th, 2009 
This dal is one of my comfort foods. Every time I make it, the sound of the sizzling spice & the aroma reminds me of home, of my childhood…. Masoor dal used to be a staple food for me – for I rarely would want to try any other dal. Why? Because I love the flavor these special spices cooked in Mustard Oil- yes that is what is used to season this dal. If you are not aware, traditionally most of the recipes in Bengal use mustard oil for cooking. It cannot be denied that the flavor that mustard oil adds can not be replaced with any other subsitute. To season this recipe, you would need a very little of the oil- & I would warn that this would not taste the same without this particular combination of Mustard Oil & the Panch Foron (very commonly used spice mix in Bengal to temper lentils & vegetables….I have explained that later in the post).
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Posted in Lentils, Sides & etc., Soup | 47 Comments »
Tags: aromatic lentil soup, bengali dal, bengali red dal, comfort food, Cumin, daal, dal, dry red chili, easy lentil soup, eggless, Fennel, Fenugreek, Garlic, how to make lentil soup, Indian recipe, lentil soup, masoor dal, masur dal, mustard oil, musur dal recipe, Nigella, Panch Foron, panch phoron, recipe for bengali dal, red lentils, Soup, spicy lentil soup, vegan, Vegetarian recipe, west bengal
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 
Labra: A Festive Combination of Vegetables & Spices
These 2 months of September & October make me extremely homesick. The cool air, clear skies and the while floating clouds spill out all the memories of the biggest religious festival of West Bengal: Durga Puja, the community celebration, and along with that- very special food.
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Posted in Sides & etc. | 12 Comments »
Tags: beans, Cabbage, carrots, chilli, communal, durga puja, labra, mustard, Niramish, niramish curry, oil, panch phoron, Potatoes, puja, Pumpkin, radishes, vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian recipe
