Ma used to make this curry with duck eggs and potatoes for an easy protein dish with few pantry ingredients if fish was not available. It brings back a lot of memories indeed. She would add chopped tomatoes and fresh green peas in winter months. Slowly sauteed onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes and spices on low flame delivers the best flavor and textured gravy to this curry which is perfect to savor with plain rice or roti/flat bread and cucumber-onion salad on the side.
Chanar Dalna is a Bengali version slightly sweet fried Indian cheese balls or square pieces curry along with diced potato simmered in a gravy called dalna which is basically made by tempering some whole spices followed by a simple gravy made with ginger paste, tomato, cumin and coriander powder. The Chana balls or pieces are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The curry is mildly spiced and sweet with thin gravy. No onion and garlic are used in Dalna. Adding ghee and Bengali Garam Moshla at the end brings a Satvik taste to this dish. It's is a very special dish during any Hindu ritual.
Spanish Caramel Flan is so popular dessert all over the world. This sweet is a creamy custard with eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar baked in a water bath for smoother and creamier texture. All you need to give the custard several hours to set in the fridge. It's a quick and elegant dessert to impress family and friends.
Bastani Sonnati, a simple Iranian traditional ice cream also known as Persian ice cream. It is made from milk, sugar, rose water, saffron, and pistachios. We had this ice cream at an Iranian restaurant and the sever explained how easy it was to make with just a few ingredients at home.
Doi Bora/Dahi Vada, a famous Indian street food categorized as "chaat" served as cold for snacking or just as a meal. This lip-smacking colorful delicacy with lentil fritters soaked in whisked seasoned yogurt and sweet n sour tamarind chutney and topped with sev/gram flour fritters available across India and abroad.
Stroganoff is a classic Russian sauteed meat dish in a sour cream based sauce. The dish got its name after powerful Stronganoff family. It originated in mid 19th century Russia and got its popularity around the world with many variations.
It's asparagus season and every grocery stores are stacked up with fresh asparagus at a very reasonable price and there are so many delicious ways we can savor this fibrous and nutritious vegetable. We never heard of asparagus and some other vegetables while growing up in India. After moving to the states I started exploring unknown vegetables gradually. Among them asparagus is very versatile vegetable. Besides western style cooking, grilling and baking I prepare absolutely scrumptious Bengali(stir fry, with mung bean, with pumpkin, with poppy seeds with shrimp) and other Indian (quinoa) dishes with asparagus often.
