Bengali Daal/Shak

Masoor Daal

Boil masoor dal in the pressure pan. You may add 1/2 a sliced onion if u'd like or not. When dal is boiled, do a tadka (tempering) of olive oil & panch phoran (equal mix of nigella (onion), fennel, mustard, methi & cumin seeds that can be made at home or store bought). When seeds start popping, add 1/2 sliced onion & saute until lightly browned. Add the tempering to the daal, salt to taste & mix well. Reheat daal slightly to blend well - you may need to add a little water to get the right consistency (to personal taste). Squeeze 1/2 a lemon on top & serve immediately with rice or roti.

Eggplant nu shak

Heat olive oil & add panch phoran. When seeds begin to pop, add chopped eggplant (1/2-3/4 in squares or whatever u fancy). Cook at moderate heat covered. When almost done (beware, American eggplant takes a long time to cook or u'll be stuck with undercooked & chewy eggplant), add salt, red chilli powder & amchur (dried mango powder, available in Indian stores). Also, uncover & cook on slightly high heat so its gets crispy & roasted. When done, add roasted & ground (in coffee grinder) sesame seeds. Stir lightly so eggplant doesn't get mushy & serve.

Note: Bengali's add sugar to this but i eliminated this just to be healthier. You can try both & see what you prefer personally.




Note: Panch phoran is a Bengali five-spice mixture consisting of equal quantities of whole spices mixed together without dry-roasting or grinding.The mixture is used in one of two ways--it may be fried in oil to impart flavor to the oil before adding the main ingredients, or fried in ghee and stirred into cooked dhal or vegetable dishes just before they are served.
If panch phoran is unavailable, replace the 2 t. of the spice in this recipe with 1/2 t. white cumin seeds, 1/2 t. fennel seeds, 1/2 t. fenugreek seeds, 1/2 t. black mustard seeds, and 1/2 t. black onion seeds (kalonji).

Found an interesting link to more bengali recipes for those that want to explore:
http://milonee.net/bengali_recipes/annapurna.html