CURRY AND SPICE: MOCHAR BORA O AADA DIYE MOONG ER DAL

"Aada Diye Moong er Dal, Ghono Doodh Er Chana, Shobai Boley Dena Dena, Diley Je Amar Ghar Cholena"...... the rest of lines I forgot, even name of writer! The mother used to sing to her kids! When it comes to blogging, shouldn't this give me utmost pleasure to blog about what, where I belong? Did not I create this space to share what I grew up having, dishes that are vanishing from scenario fast paced? It is good to move ahead in life, else we stagnate, it isn't wise to forget roots! A balanced life is required. I have made my blog a "khichdi", not intended to! Along the way, I have made friends from many walks of life, that blogging about a MOCHAR BORA O AADA DIYE MOONG ER DAL pre Xmas is difficult! That pretty woman from England, a BigB, curry fan does not deserve "lau ghonto" from me during Xmas. I tell her I will live life like her once son completes his studies.... She told they saved each penny bringing up their kids.... now that they are established....they enjoy life to fullest! Didn't I instantly see my mother in her .... I did!

I will not think twice before blogging about a cake during Xmas, you must consider I am not good at pies, tarts..... The xmas fervour may not be over yet, I wouldn't get stuck, a majority of my readers do not know what tart is! I remember, last year when I blogged about one cake, a young girl commented "didi, I do not have a microwave, can you post a cooker made cake?" Till date I have not conformed to her, the guilt is on! To prepare a perfect cake in cooker requires a certain amount of skill that I need to learn.... In fact a lot of things are required to be learnt to call myself rightful food blogger.... I do not even have required props for pictures! I simply barge into certain blogs to get a visual treat, while some others I like for their diligence, their thorough understanding of pulse of their readers, delivering accordingly.... there are still some who became part of my life! You are welcome until you expect me to observe, think! I wouldn't, I am ruled by heart...... anyone in "real" world who "deliberately" hurts is instantly bid a good bye ... my plastic smile at you will say I just tolerate.... after all we are social beings! Coming to that unknown girl whose words still haunts me got lost somewhere may be, if you still follow my posts, you may like to prepare today's share of MOCHAR BORA O AADA DIYE MOONG ER DAL .... an authentic Bengali recipe done following the family recipe.

This family's love for fries and fritters is known to all by now, it is must in an all vegetarian food day! The men's hatred for vegetables is handled this way compromising heavily on health part but not regular. I do have a saviour in a variety of kofta curries, universal aloo, haha! I would really seek some expert advise about benefits of Aloo / Potato.... are they really healthy? I do not always go by wiki tales! In this home if vegetarian bottle gourd / lauki / lau ghonto is made, this lady will eat some extra grains which she is not supposed to, the senior is okay with it if there is nice fish or meat curry too, the junior will not touch, eat only meat curry! If there is a "Chingri diye lau ghonto"... the man, his wife are happy and happier respectively, the junior will pick up prawns, leave rest! What if I prepare a Lauki Kofta? Both men would eat with luchi / porota, provided there is meat curry! I do them in turns trying to keep everyone happy.... even this "pathetic in mathematics" woman has to do this much of calculation!

Before I happily share this authentic Bengali way of doing MOCHAR BORA O AADA DIYE MOONG ER DAL, I had to recall those unhappy moments before mathematics examination.... I never could get why two trains had to meet at some point, create ruckus in my life.... That does not mean I faired well in literature either! You know a couple of my childhood buddies follow this blog, any kind of lie would catch their radar! The mother couldn't digest the fact that her daughter is an average, she doesn't miss interviews of promising boys and girls on television till date. With gloom and guilt on my mind, I try to follow her footsteps in kitchen at least.

Mocha is Banana Blossom.... we do chop it, prepare a vegetarian dish with coconut, potato, black chana, also non vegetarian version with prawn. Some days, we reserve innermost portion, slice, batter fry! I am sorry I should have taken pictures for better understanding. Anyway, rice.... dal... fritters is something we love on an all vegetarian food day, platter you see below is incomplete.... the onion, lemon, green chilli is missing! Mochar Bora is done in our family with slices made from the inner most part of banana blossom.... Of various Bengali dals, this moong dal done with ginger is common, simple! Both goes well with rice, the dal would go with South Asian Breads too!

INGREDIENTS : [for the Banana Blossom fritters]

Slices from the innermost portion of Banana Blossom : 5-7
Rice Flour : 1/3small cup
Gram Flour : 4tbsp
Nigella Seed : 1/2tsp
Green Chilli : 2 chopped
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric powder : I tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/2tsp
Oil : 100ml to deep fry

INGREDIENTS : [for the Split Green Gram with minced ginger]

Moong Dal / Split Green Gram : 1small cup
Turmeric Powder : 1/3tsp
Minced Ginger : 1tbsp
Dry Red Chilli Powder : 2 halved
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Bayleaf : 1big or medium
Green Chilli : 2 slitted
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1tsp
Oil : 1tbsp [authentically mustard]

METHOD :

Let us prepare the dal first. Bengali dals are little watery and mashy... what is the english of "daler kanta?"... stirrer?.... we use that! Moong dal is little thicker!

Dry roast dal until light brown, take it in bowl, wash 2-3 times.

Pressure cook adding half of turmeric, salt as required, a coffee mug of water upto 2 whistles! Let cool.

Heat oil in wok, temper with cumin seeds first, stir. Add bayleaf, halved dry red chillies half of minced ginger. Give quick stir, add salt, turmeric! Stir for half a minute at low heat.

Add boiled moong dal. Add 2 coffee mugs of water in pressure cooker, mix with remaining residue of dal, pour in to wok. Stir, let dal boil for at least 5 minutes at low heat.

Add slitted green chillies, half of minced ginger, sugar. Stir, let boil for another 2-3 minutes. Add salt, water if only required, else do not.

Transfer to serving bowl.

For banana blossom fritters, we need to discard stem end of inner most part of banana blossom. Slice them at medium thickness, do not forget to rub your palms with few drops of oil before slicing.

Wash, pressure cook up to 4 whistles at low heat adding salt, turmeric. Once cold, discard water.

Apply little salt on them again. Let us prepare batter! Take together rice flour, gram flour, salt, turmeric, sugar, nigella seeds, red chilli powder, slitted green chillies together in bowl.

Add water little by little, prepare a batter of paste like consistency.