What is taal?

My childhood memories is fragrant with smells of taal, khejurer gur and grated fresh coconut made into various desserts and pithas. Taal is not available in Pakistan or other places I have lived. I difficulty is that I did not know the English name of this bitter-sweet strongly flavored molasses from a palm tree. But the other day, found out from facebook that it is called Toddy palm paste. 

loitta sutki vorta (Bhorta with dry Bombay duck fish)

Ingredients: (all according to taste)

Shutki (Bombay duck dried)
Salt
Dry red chillies (whole)
Onion
Garlic
Mustard oil

Method:
Cut the dry fish into small pieces and wash in hot water very well. After that remove the water carefully and dry roast on a pan. Now grind it in a mortar and pestle. Now mix with dry roasted and crushed chillies, salt, finely chopped onion, fried garlic and a little mustard oil.

Serve with warm boiled rice.


Source:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rannakori/

Bengali Cooking (some selections from here and there)

(these notes are lifted from a discussion group)

The Bengal Cookbook: Bangla Ranna, by Minakshie Das Gupta
The Calcutta Cookbook, by Jaya Chaliha, Bunny Gupta, Meenakshi Das Gupta
Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals by Chitrita Banerji, Deborah Madison

Supposedly the "Bengal Cookbook" is the best for newbies in Bengali cooking. Also provides social/religious/cultural background behind the recipes.

"Bhojon Shilpi Bangali" by Buddhadeva Bose--who himself never went into the kitchen. The cover and illustrations are by a well-known contemporary artist, Ramananda Bandyopadhyay. The book contains some "belles-letteres" (ramya-rachana); plus some excerpts dealing with food (and feasts) from BB's novels--and at the end, includes some family recipe put together by BB's daughter.

Another interesting books is "ThakurbaRir Ranna"-- (Cooking from the Tgaore Family) by Purnima Tagore. This has lots of recipe collected by Indira Devi Chaudhurani (Rabindranath's niece) who herself never cooked ("and doubtful if she ever stepped inside a kitchen"). But she collected recipes from all over India and abroad.

The Bengali Gourmet by Sutapa Ray seems like a good site.