Books & Cooks Letter T: Turmeric
This year I’m going to be combining two of my passions – cooking and kid lit for Books & Cooks! I’ll be bringing you great recipes based on spices of the alphabet that pair perfectly with kid lit books! Next up? The letter T and the brightly colored Turmeric!
Spice: Turmeric
Turmeric is found in many curry dishes, adding to the deep rich color of the dish. This is also why I love turmeric – I love curry! Curry comes in a few different colors and flavors and they’re all delicious. If you have an interest in cooking across parts of Asia and Africa, adding turmeric to your cabinet is a must. Be forewarned, turmeric has a tendency to also dye your kitchen utensils orange but will wash out after a few uses.
Book Review: Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar
I thought Ahimsa would be the best fit to pair with this dal recipe. This story takes place during India’s Independence Movement, a time I learned very little about in school. Anjali’s mother joins the freedom movement and begins making changes to assist like wearing homespun fabrics and working with the dalit community, or the lowest caste in the Indian society.
What I really enjoyed, beside learning so much historical context, was that the author’s great grandmother worked with Gandhi and was the inspiration for this novel. This is a fascinating historical fiction novel that I bet many American kids know little, if any, about.
Recipe: Indian Red Lentil Dal
I wasn’t sure if I’d like dal when I first saw it, but after years of eating different Indian dishes, I knew I had to try it! It’s delicious (like all the Indian food I’ve had)! It’s also a vegetarian meal that is filled with protein which is awesome and if you pair it with some naan, you’re good to go! Red lentils are usually split and take less time to cook than other lentils, making this an easy weeknight meal. Although it looks like a lot of ingredients, the richness of the flavor comes from combining these spices together, you don’t want to miss out.
During the month of April, I’ll be participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2020. For my theme this year (Books & Cooks), I’ll be combing children’s books with cooking spices and including a recipe to bring the book into your very own kitchen! I love to cook and read, so I thought this would be a fun way to combine two of my passions. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! Let’s dig in! And if you want to see what I’ve done in the past, check out the past few years – 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019!
