Revisiting a childhood classic: Shorshe-Mushroom'r Jhal

So this recipe belongs to my mom. Growing up as a kid with severe digestive issues, I could never really digest and burp proteins well. I still can't. So my mum had to, quiet often, rack her brain and find dishes that would appeal to my rather picky palate.

This dish was a comfort food for me during the monsoons. Kolkata's rainy season is severe and as kids we were required to eat food that would fill our tummy but also help the body produce heat to keep the cold at bay. Its the same logic that is applied to chicken soup. Mustard does that and mushrooms were an amazing substitute for protein.

Over the years, through my travels, I've missed home cooked food a lot and this one ranks on top. I would crave and cry for some hot steamed rice and this 'jhal'. Thankfully, through trial and error and a lot of yucky experiments, I've finally perfected this dish. The best part is that when I make it nowadays, my mum often compliments me about how this is better than her version of the 'jhal'

Comments

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