Kalai Dal Chingri Korai Shuti Diye - White Mung Beans with Shrimp & Peas

Kalai Dal Chingri Korai Shuti Diye
White Mung Beans with Shrimp & Peas

My husband's cousin was visiting us a couple of years ago and was eager to cook for us. I prepped all the ingredients for him and he happily went to work on this amazing lentil dish. Amazing because we love shrimp but had never tasted it in lentils. It's best to pre-cook the lentils and fry the shrimp, set them aside and add them back at the end of the process to avoid overcooking the shrimp.

Chili Chicken

This is a popular dish on Chinese menus at restaurants in India and Kolkata in particular. When I was pregnant, I craved Chinese food and couldn't get enough of it. Pickles and other tart condiments, which are a common craving for women who are pregnant, have never appealed to me. I must have been addicted to the ajinomoto (a.k.a. MSG) used in Chinese cooking. Anyway, Chili Chicken had a special place on our order at Chinese restaurants. The more hot chilies there are in the dish, the better, so use as many as you and your family can handle.

Palang Shaak Begun Bori Diye - Spinach with Eggplant & Lentil Dumplings

Palang Shaak Begun Bori Diye
Spinach with Eggplant & Lentil Dumplings

Spinach is always available at their peak of freshness in supermarkets and Indian marktets but, for this dish, I prefer to use frozen spinach that is already chopped. 

Lentil dumplings, known as 'bori' in Bengali, are mashed lentils that are formed into small tear-drop shaped dumplings which are sun-dried. Boris are flavoured with asafetida and seasoned with salt. They are deep fried until golden brown and soaked in hot water to soften. Since some of the flavour leaches into the water in which they are soaked, the soaking liquid should be saved and added back into the dish that is being prepared, to maximize on the taste.