Have you guys seen the Tasting Room ads on Pinterest? “The Netflix for Wine,” I’ll admit it’s a bit gimmicky but it was enough to spark my interest. I am a wine lover and I especially love when I find a high-quality bottle under $20 #frugalwinesnob.

I love trying new wines but as a busy working mom finding the time tow to stop by a wine and spirit store when I don’t have kids in tow is difficult.
The Tasting Room isn’t the first wine club on the internet, but it’s the first one I’ve noticed to target millennials in their marketing. I have been throwing the idea of joining a wine club for a while now, mostly because nothing beats booze delivered to your doorstep. Have you ever tried to juggle a wiggling toddler and a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau at a wine and spirits shop while the lady behind you is rolling her eyes and judging your life?

On cold days, I love to enjoy comfort foods. One of my favorites is Dal Tadka. It’s a dish I especially enjoy when I am feeling under the weather. Ginger, turmeric, chili, and mustard seeds are warming healing spices that offer immunity boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.

I always thought that dal was an Indian method of stewing lentils.
However, that is not the case. Dal is not the preparation of the lentil but the process of splitting pulses. When a whole mung bean is split into two halves, it becomes a dal. Dal can be made from any lentil, pea or bean.

Lentils and other pulses are diet staples all over the world. This fact is especially true in India where dal is the essential protein in for vegetarian based diets. All forms of dal are eaten in India, certain regions may favor one over another, but virtually all dal’s are eaten in every area.  The preparations, however, are unique in each region.

Rice and dal are eaten by the wealthy, and the poor alike. However, due to their highly affordable and readily available natures, Rice and Dal are vital foods for the poorer communities.

For a poor ruler farmer in Indias aired deserts, rice and dal with roti and the occasional pickle are sometimes the only food consumed in some cases only once a day.

This recipe calls for dal made from mung beans, or moong dal, my favorite of all time.
Mung beans are tiny, nutrient dense, green beads of love. They belong to the pea/lentil family and have been part of the Indian Ayurvedic diet for thousands of years. They are high in both protein and fiber as well as folate and magnesium. They are consumed both cooked and raw, sprouted and ground into powder.

This recipe has become my family’s favorite way to prepare dal; it was originally adapted from the NY Times Dal Tadka recipe. You can view the original recipe here.
The video and written instructions were a bit confusing, and out of sync, so I made a few modifications. The method is adapted to suit my cooking style.

I serve Dal Tadka with Jeera rice (rice steamed with cumin seeds) and roti made from Atta(Durum Wheat). Tangy and spicy carrot pickles are a perfect accompaniment to the savory, aromatic dal topped with flavorful tadka(tempering) made from tomatoes, mustard seeds, and fresh curry leaves.  You can find my Indian Carrot Pickle recipe here.

It’s March, spring is right around the corner and I’m patiently waiting for my new Curry Leaf plant to arrive from https://www.sowexotic.com/ nursery in Florida. We’ve had crazy winter in Philadelphia this year with temperatures ranging from single digits and two feet of snow to a sunny and humid 74 degrees. I plan to grow this tropical plant indoors in my kitchen; I am looking forward to the exotic smells of neem perfuming my kitchen and making lots more delicious Indian food to share with you.

Ahhh Kerala, the spice coast of India.

In Kerala, black pepper or “black gold” along with many other spices, has been grown and exported in enormous quantities since the Greco-Roman era. Some Historians believe that this lush tropical paradise was partially responsible for the colonization of the Americas.

Cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, red rice, coconut, banana and fresh fish are abundant and make up the predominant flavors of Kerala.  Local favorites include dishes like Fish Steamed in Banana leaves with Red Rice, Idli, and Beef Curry.

Wait… what? Beef Curry?
Mmmhmm.

“I’ve brought snacks!”  My mother exclaimed as she walked into our kitchen late one October evening. She unloaded her bag onto our kitchen table. Many little plates appeared, and she looked happy. Among the little white plates was a bright yellow cake, tiny and fluffy. Moistened with Syrup and topped with chili and small black seeds.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“That’s Dhokla, and it’s my favorite,” my mom replied with a smile.

Palak is the Punjabi word for Spinach. It is commonly believed that Palak Paneer originated somewhere in North India. Due to its high consumption of dairy and fertile land perfect for agriculture, I would be willing to bet Palak Paneer originated somewhere in the Punjab state. This recipe is a North Indian Village Style Palak Paneer, it’s different from what you expect to find in a North American restaurant. The spinach is cooked quickly so that it retains its bright green color, it isn’t pureed into a gravy or ladened with heavy cream.

My name is Anna, and food hasn’t always been my passion.

I spent the first years of my life allergic to almost everything. I remember the smell of fish frying in my mother’s kitchen almost sending me into anaphylactic shock when I was a child. Those days, my diet consisted of boiled chicken, steamed green vegetables, and the occasional green fruit.