Macher
jhol bhat(soupy fish curry and rice) is staple in the Bong households.
But making fish curry is always a messy job and sometimes don't feel
like cooking it. So for those lazy days I make simple hearty lentil,
swallow fried fritters and stir fried veggies.
As we all know, lentils and legumes are staple food served with rice or roti (Indian
flat bread) across India. Unlike other regions in India Bengalis
mostly make mung dal( skinless Mung bean), masoor dal(red lentil), mator
dal(yellow split peas), Kalai Dal(skinless black gram),cholar
dal(skin less Bengal gram) with minimal amount of spices. Lentil is boiled with turmeric and salt, then whole spices tempered in the hot
oil which releases wonderful aroma and finally added to it accompanied
by plain white rice and different types of veggie fritters.
Happiness is picking kaffir limes off the tree from Mashi's(aunt) back yard whenever we visit Los Angeles and I start planning how many ways I can use these precious limes because they are not found in stores. Her tree offers many limes every year. Kaffir lime is similar to gondhoraj lebu in West Bengal which means "king of flavors". But it's skin texture is not quite same. Kaffir lime has thick green wrinkled rind. Unlike lemon and lime it does not produce a lot of juice but wonderful aroma.
Kaffir lime leaves and rind are used in Thai cuisine, from soup to curries even drink for its lemony essence. If you are a fan of Thai food you will definitely love this refreshing Limeade anytime of the year. This is a one of a kind drink. Though
kaffir lime is not that juicy,
so I substitute regular lime for it and use zest and lemongrass to boost the flavor to the drink. Most Asian supermarkets carry lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, not the limes. But I am lucky enough to get these beautiful limes and leaves from my friends backyard whenever I need here in the Bay Area.
