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Blog — bengal RSS



Roasted Eggplant Dip

    Ingredients 2 medium size eggplants4 Tablespoons mustard/olive oil2 cups red heirloom tomatoes, chopped1 ½ inch fresh ginger, grated2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro1 jalapeno, finely choppedSalt to taste   Instructions Place one eggplant over a medium heat GAS burner (yes, directly over the burner). Roast for 3 minutes. Use a pair of tongs and turn the eggplant every 3 minutes, cooking all 4 sides of the eggplant. This should take about 12 minutes, for smaller eggplants, it may take about 10 minutes. Place the eggplant on a plate and let it cool for 20 minutes. Repeat the same process with the second eggplant. NOTE: If the eggplant has not cooked completely or has been punctured, then you may have to finish cooking it in the...

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Bengal Lentils

Back to lentils, this is the no.1 lentil recipe of Bengal, I have been told. In March of last year, we had the no.1 chef of India visit DC, and I had the opportunity to eat food cooked by him. When I tasted this lentil dish prepared by his team, it was exactly how I make it at home. I felt so good that day, really really good :) It was more like a compliment to myself. I wish I was able to work with him for years, and I just hope that I keep doing a good job at something that I love the most...FOOD.Serves: 4Ingredients1 cup split yellow peas (chana dal), soaked in 2 cups water overnight2 tablespoons...

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White Poppy Seed Paste

One of the questions that I recently came across on my website as HOW TO MAKE WHITE POPPY SEED PASTE?   White Poppy Seed paste is used in exotic rich Indian food. Bengali cooking also uses white poppy seed paste, but for the most part, it is the influence of Mughals that brought the use of white poppy seeds to India. Here is a simple suggestion...   Take1/4 cup white poppy seeds and soak it in 1/2 cup water for 2 hours. In a blender or a food chopper (not a food processor), make a paste of poppy seeds with the water in which it was soaked. If needed, add 1/4 cup extra water. Poppy seed paste is now ready to...

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Chicken Curry w/ Lentils

This is a classic curry that I prepared in my newly acquired toy – SLOW COOKER  I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cooked it for 10 hours, although I think 8 hours would have been sufficient but I was fast asleep as the curry was being cooked overnight.This is a Bengali recipe, and is called Cholar Daler Murgi. This curry has lentils, mangoes and chicken. How can one go wrong with it?   Ingredients 1 cup Chana dal, chick pea lentils6 chicken thighs, boneless skinless and cut in half1 cup minced red onion3 tablespoons mustard oil1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste1 cup chopped raw mango1 cup chopped Roma tomato 3 tablespoons RUPEN’S CURRY MIX OR 2 tablespoons curry...

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