A winter warming comfort food ~ Masoor Daal curry.
Nothing says winter warming comfort better than an Indian daal dish. Daal or dal, is a lentil curry. We refer to the uncooked “dry” lentils as daal as well.
Daal is simple to make. For the recipe below, we’re using red lentils (masoor daal) which is widely available and is a good source of dietary fibre, protein and essential amino acids. Lentils are also considered to be an iron-rich food!
The protein content in masoor dal is also impressive – 100g (lentils) uncooked gives you 22g of protein!
Happy Year of the Water Dragon! Photo courtesy of: www.shutterstock.com
Happy Year of the Water Dragon! Having an avid interest in Indian astrology, I also like to partake in Chinese astrology – and wow what a year we have ahead of us!
It is said the Year of the Water Dragon is the perfect climate to dream big and act on all those impossible dreams we have buried within us. The Dragon gives us the best chance to make our dreams a reality. For business, money and love, this is the year our planted seeds can bear fruit—especially lucky for those born in Dragon, Snake and Rat years. Prosperity in business ventures and happy relationships are both possible in 2012!
Ten years ago was the first time I came to know about Lohri when I got invited to a Lohri party. Lohriis an Indian festival celebrated on the eve of the winter’s solstice-the longest day of the year–in the state of Punjab, the ‘breadbasket’ of India.
Not growing up in India, all I heard about was how fun Lohri was and how everyoneloved Lohri. Although I didn’t make it to the Lohri party that year, since then I long to be in India for Lohri!
I’m sharing a Happy New Year recipe to keep you feeling better this winter. This really helps me and is a great way to include some daily turmeric. It’s time for turmeric!
I used to have this theory that odd years (as in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007…) were lucky and even years (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010…) were not so good for me.
An almost Happy New Year to you all! I want to share with you I’ve been passed forward the Versatile Blogger Award given to me by Meenakshi of MasalaArt, a wonderful blog about food, fashion and lifestyle. I can’t express enough thanks for this honour and to be a part of the wonderful blogging community!
Thank you for The Versatile Blogger Award!
I’m so grateful to have this platform to share with you my recipes, snippets of Indian culture, holidays and festivals, share my travel experiences and more. Thank you for your support, kind words of encouragement and wonderful feedback—it means so much to me!
In the spirit of receiving the award, I am required to thank awesome blogger Meenakshi of MasalaArt for the recognition, share with you 7 things about myself and pass this forward to 15 great bloggers.
Good morning everyone…Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Curried Cranberry & Almond Quinoa adds some subtle Indian flavours to the holiday table.
On Christmas day my family like everyone else’s celebrates with a big meal – but one that’s definitely free of curries! Some years we like to switch things up. One year I had an Italian themed Christmas celebration—everything from the wine to baked pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta, to the panettone for dessert was eaten with some Italian flair. Buon Natale!
Treat a loved one to an Indian cooking class - learning whole wheat handmade naan from scratch is a welcomed skill for any Indian food lover!
This is the time of year when we show thanks to all the people who helped us throughout the year and show expressions of our emotions to those we love through gift giving and words of gratitude. What irks me about the holidays is when this message gets clouded with consumerism and the holidays become more about getting to the mall than spending time with each other. I’ve never been a fan of ‘big-box’ shopping and I must say the mall often leaves me with a feeling of anxiety!
Although I do my best to avoid the malls, I like to go to admire their beautiful Christmas light displays. This year's larger-than-life reindeers at Toronto's Eaton Centre makes the holiday season seem magical.
My favourite gift ideas are those that are handmade, homemade, artisanal, food gifts and experiential in nature keeping the environment at the forefront! If you’re still looking for a gift (that won’t clog the landfill) here are a few ideas:
Of all my holiday baking recipes that I make annually, this recipe is my favourite. The citrus notes pair amazing with Arvinda’s Chai Masala–which is the perfect holiday spice blend!
I can't imagine life without hot sauce! Try this amazing Red Pepper Hot Chili Chutney if you like it hot.
In today’s cooking class we made a Vegetable Korma dish, one that’s typically mildly spiced with cream, yogurt and ground nuts. For my personal palate I find most Korma dishes way too mild unless I make it for myself with the extra chilies.
A common question I often get in our cooking classes is how to cater Indian dishes to a family that have different tolerances for heat levels. Some defintely like it hot!
The easy answer is the make a great hot sauce. Those who like heat will be just as happy with a milder dish with a fiery condiment on the side. I love a hot sauce that hits the back of the palate like a lightening strike. Now that makes a better Korma!
Holiday Garam Masala Cake makes a great hostess gift.
It’s hard to believe it’s time to plan Christmas baking once again. I’ve scheduled my cookie bake-off this weekend just in time for sharing during the holiday festivities.
I’m all about hostess gifts from the kitchen. It’s a lovely gesture that comes from the heart and you can never go wrong with bringing food to a party!
Not only amazing in this cake, but try garam masala in your spiced holiday cookies, fruit cake and my favourite – hot chocolate!
The garam masala in a cake is warming and reminiscent of the holidays.
The savoury Indian spice blend really compliments any sweet with fruit, rum or dark chocolate—think of a salted caramel or dark chocolate with chili–it’s a similar combination.
Namaste! I'm Preena Chauhan and I welcome you into the world of Indian spices and happy & healthy Indian cooking through my recipes and food ideas.
It is only recently the world has discovered the immense medicinal power of turmeric. In India, the use of turmeric has been used for its medicinal value for centuries. A teaspoon a day, keeps the doctor away...
