Aam Dal/Raw Mango Lentil Soup - Summer Comfort Food for the Bong Soul

Well, I’m back!  It was nice to take a break from blogging and blog reading ..but WAIT…the world didn't pause itself to wait for me…so why am I apologising ..?

Anyways, I’ll catch you up on what’s new and exciting.  For starters the week has stated with a bang and also on a bit puzzling note. Big decisions have been raising the roof for my verdict and, as usual, my mind is facing the usual conflict situations. I like options. Cutting down the possibilities makes me panicky. So nervous that I find myself browsing the aisles of Target for sale options , rummaging through the local thrift store for exciting bits or reaching out for that last cookie in the jar and licking the chips packet clean. All done in an attempt to divert my floozy mind. Escapist, am I?  

The escapist in me has more than one form of venting out. Like? While window shopping or browsing the aisles of supermarket and speaking to my Lil  in a word or two in Bengali, I have often come across probashi Bengalis. The escapist in me starts a heart-to-heart almost instantly..

And Maybe I’m not the only one…this is perhaps how the story of Bengalis in a foreign land often starts:

 ‘bah Apnio bangali/Wow you too are Bengali’ and then ‘Kothay bari ? From where? At this point I’m probably trying to assess if they from India or Bangaladesh or perhaps a Ghoti or Bangal. Being Ghoti or Bangal, has no relevance whatsoever to a person thousand miles away from Bangal , but it does give a faint sort of relief to me looking for some familiarity.

Isn’t it true that familiarity is what we yearn when it comes to cooking home food. Otherwise why else would I want to cook an Aam Daal in winter. Yes its cold in my part of the continent, and aam daal is supposed to be a cooling dish, preferred with rice of hot summers of India.

Without digressing from the Recipe further, I shall start.

 

Aam Dal/Raw Mango Lentil Soup

Aam Dal/Raw Mango Lentil Soup

Raw Mango (cut into small cubes) – 1

Onion– 1

Green Chillies – 2

Masoor Dal/Red Daal – 1/2 cup

Refined Oil – 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Sugar – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – a few

Asafoetida – a pinch

Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add all the seasoning , green chillies, chopped onions and now add the mangoes here and sautee them for 2 minutes.

Then add the washed red dal and salt and sugar, and  add around 4 cups water.

Pressure cook for 4 whistles.

Maybe we Bengalis long for common things among the uncommon, and share a common palate which goes beyond the common songs and singers!!

Going nuts on Holi - Boiled Peanut Salad

 

 Holi is a synonym for spring to me.  A time for family and friends, flowers , colors, gujias, gulab-jamuns and endorphin rushing songs that only get played ‘on a loudspeaker mode’ just this time of the year. 

I love the spirit of the festival- and I don’t even play with colours. I run the risk of sounding like a snooty auntie who sniggers at the colors and hauls the holiday hullabaloo.  That’s sincerely not me. I’m plain shy. Just  one of those people who will stand in one corner of the apartment bacony , careful enough not to be seen, yet seizing the colourful moments from the tiny curtain opening. Once its all done, I’ll go and reward myself with a Gujiya .

Do you think that there is anything that echoes with Holi, more than the abundant servings of Gujiya, Sewain kheer or a desi celebratory salad? Yes of course , it’s the hip gyrating holi numbers in Amitabh Bacchans throaty baritone blaring from the society loudspeakers. Maybe for me the Holi magic comes from these catchy once-a-year wonders that stick in your head and feel good, perhaps only while taking a big mouthful of the freshly made spiced peanut salad with a spoon that’s a bit stained with gulal.

Bura na mano Holi hai.

No, I’m not about to present a festival sweet recipe. Today is a shortcut day. Spring cleaning for guests has taken most of my time. So it’s a short cut colourful savory and oh so healthy peanut salad day. Are you game?

Boiled Peanut Salad 

Ingredients:

1.5 cups boiled peanuts

1 cucumber diced

1 fresh tomato diced

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

2-3 green chillies 

2-3 sprigs coriander leaves

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

t tbsb lemon juice(to serve)

Method:

Pressure cook the peanuts in salted water till soft but firm , not mushy. Cool to room temperature. Next toss all the other  ingredients(except lemon juice) together. I sometimes add dried prunes or raisins, but that's optional. just before serving add freshly squeezed lemon juice. As simple as it can get.

Presto Pasta – in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Presto Pasta Nights– in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Sometimes I go through the phases in which get hooked on something and have to eat it day in and out, more often than not a visit to Café Leopold does that to me…then for days I crave for the rich creamy taste – but then I cant have the creamy sauces for the sake of my ever-growing waist, so it’s a double whammy! To make something at home, I searched and searched and then adapted a recipe from Heart and Hearth to suit my Bengali sensibilities.

The Pasta – in Creamy Mustard Sauce


1 pack pasta around 300 gms (Macaroni, Fuseli, whole wheat...just any pasta u fancy) cooked al-dente

1.5 cup milk

2 tbsp English mustard sauce

1 packet button mushrooms, chopped

½ broccolis (for that green velvety colour and crunch)

2 stalk green onion, coarsely chopped

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 tbsp Cheddar (or any sharp cheese as a topping)

1 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley (as a garnish)

Method

1. Thaw broccoli, then stir fry the mushrooms and broccoli in a cooking pan until slightly browned and cooked yet crunchy.

2. Sauté the green onion until softened. Add in half of the stir fried button mushrooms. Turn off the heat and add the milk and sauce is thick and bubbly. Mix the Cheese till it melts.

3. Sprinkle salt and white pepper as per your liking

4. Serve hot and sprinkle the chopped parsley on top.

The pasta sauce is tangy and bursting with flavors of mushroom and fresh parsley. The original recipe calls for bacon bits on top – so if you want add fried bits of meat/seafood on top for added flavor. Being a vegetarian, I omitted that part. For Xtra zing you can add more of the mustard sauce!

Sending this entry to More than Burnt Toast   and Once Upon a feast . So Presto Pasta Night's it is .