INGREDIENTS

• Mustard Oil – 5ml
• Panch Phoron – 2gms
• Ginger – 1inch

By: Paromita

Bengali Daler Bora comes in many forms, some make it with masoor dal (red lentils), some with motor dal (bengali split peas) and some with cholar dal ( yellow split peas). Every Bengali household perhaps, has it’s own distinct recipe.

I was never a fan of daler bora – till I went away from home and started missing it!

Now I can proudly say you cannot take a Bengali away from her “daler bora”. The name sounds so simple and I bet, once you go through the recipe you will agree it is easy to make as well. However, it is a recipe that carries a cook’s uniqueness with it. What I mean is, following the exact same recipe if I make it, my mom makes it or my mom-in-law makes it, the “bora” tastes distinctly different and one can easily recognize the cook by eating the “bora”. Make sense?

Daler Bora is a great, no-fuss recipe for hot summer months. It perfectly pairs with simple dal and the most favourite combination for Bengali’s is with ‘panta bhat‘. On days when you do not feel like having anything too spicy or rich, when the sun outside simply makes it difficult to enjoy any food, a basic meal of rice, dal and daler bora will make your day! It does for me every. single. time.

This particular recipe uses masoor dal and this is the one I make most of the time at home. Masoor dal is always available in a Bengali home and it is one of the quickest of many, as masoor dal takes very little soaking time.

Versions

Niramish or Vegan: Just add onion seeds, salt, and turmeric.

With ginger and garlic: The recipe here, add ginger, garlic to the mix.

With onions: Another variation is to add finely chopped onions to the mix.

• Turmeric – a pinch
• Onion seeds – 1 tsp
• Green chillis – 1 or 2
• Vegetable Oil – for frying

Step 5

Now using your fingers (the traditional way) or a spoon add dollops of the dal mix to the hot oil,

Step 6

Fry on one side for 2 minutes, then flip and fry for another minute or 2.

Step 7

The boras should be golden brown when done

Drain and serve with rice and plain dal.

By: Paromita

Bengalis always have fish in their menu, I think all of India knows that. However, there are days when a Bengali home is filled with the smell of Egg Curry being cooked.

I remember egg curry being made on days when we were bored of fish but specially on rainy days. For me it is an amazing option for a quick weekday stir up. It is spicy and delectable, all you need as a side is steamed rice.

Now living in Canada, me and my family enjoys Egg curry on days it is very cold and snowing, this spicy curry will warm you up. It is a delicious concoction of onions, tomatoes and spices.

Now the first things first, getting a well boiled and cleanly peeled egg. You can take a look at my other post here

For this recipe I usually boil the eggs with the potatoes. You know, a Bengali curry always has potatoes.

Sliced Onions or Onion paste

For any curry my first choice would be thinly sliced onions. Onion paste somewhat makes the curry lot like a thick soup. It does not render any texture if you use onion paste. So I would suggest giving a little extra effort in slicing the onions.

The important part of this curry, or any Indian curry for that matter, is to cook the ‘masala’ well to get the right colour and the right flavour. As you slowly cook the spices with onions and tomatoes, the spices release their aroma and everything comes together to give you this amazingly delicious curry.

Ginger garlic paste or freshly crushed

I feel freshly crushing the ginger and garlic makes for a bold flavour. I have a small mortar and pestel and I try to use it as and when I can. However, there are of course days I opt for already made ginger-garlic paste. I do not prefer the store-bought ones as they have a lot of preservatives.

What I do is usually I will make it in bulk for the week ahead on a Sunday. I just peel and slice about 50 gms of ginger and garlic each and make a paste in my blender. The paste keeps pretty well for a week or even two. So why use the preservative-loaded ones.

• Ginger – 2 inch
• Garlic – 3 cloves
• Cinnamon – 2 sticks
• Cardamom – 4-5
• Cloves – 4-5
• Tomato paste – 1 tsp
• Sugar – 2 tsp
• Oil – 15 ml
• Ghee / Clarified butter – 1 Tblsp (optional)

Step 7

Fry for a minute and add in the tomatoes. 

Fry for a minute and add some salt and cover.

Step 8

In a bowl make a paste with water and the tomato paste and rest of the powdered spices.

Add the paste to the onions and tomatoes.

Step 9

Cook the mix for 7-8 minutes. Let it simmer and stir it every now and then.

Step 10

When everything looks all together, season with rest of the salt and sugar. Add 100-150 ml of water.

Step 11

Bring everything to a boil, add in the eggs and potatoes. Simmer the curry for 3-4 minutes.

Step 12

Finish with garam masala and chopped coriander. For an extra oomph you can add a tablespoon of ghee (clarified butter)