We'll talk about simple dal, cooked with simple spices. That my Daadi (paternal grandmother) and Naani (maternal grandmother), my Maa (mother) used to cook and now my sister's and I cook.
To make a good simple dal first you need lentils. Red lentils, Mung lentils, or Toor Dal can all be staple lentils at your home to make daily life dal. They cook fast, and are easy to digest.
Ever since I started this journey I have met many people who have been curious to know more about spices and my blends. It's really amazing to see so many people being interested in learning about the food culture that I grew up in. It also has opened my eyes to know that the food and techniques I grew up eating and watching and I take for granted can be totally new for somebody, especially when it comes to using spices. So I thought I'll write a little about spices. SPICES ARE NOT SPICY One of the common question I get asked is are spices spicy? The short answer is No, spices are not always spicy. Indians don't generally eat...
In India most households eat according to season, when its winter you feed your body warming food like corn roti, green leafy vegetables cooked in spices, rice, lots of dal, in summer it's the opposite you feed what's cooling for your body so fruits like mango, watermelon etc, one stays away from tart things, eats veggies like sweet potato, beetroot, nuts etc, stays away from too much processed food. Our home food habits are so entwined with season that one doesn't need an ayurvedic degree to eat according to ayurved, its just the way of life. One of the benefits of eating seasonal food is it gives the right kind of minerals, energy, vitality to your body, just what your...
I talk a lot about Indian food sensibilities, but what exactly does it mean? In India most household still follow their ancient food habits. Indian cooking is one of the most evolved cooking, we still eat the way our ancestors ate, cook the way our grandmothers and their grandmothers cooked. Eat according to season, region, flavour and produce. Mostly know how much to eat, when to eat, what to eat and what not to eat. These ancient food wisdom have been followed for thousands of years after thorough understanding of the pranic value of a food. Pranic value or prana of food is the energy factor that food provides. In Indian food sensibility food is measured against prana. Does this...