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Cheap, undisputed and adaptable, those lenses evoke warm memories of home and family for many South Asians.
By Priya Krishna
One of my favorite Hindi terms is “ghar ka khaana. “It literally means “home-cooked food,” but it also encompasses the singular joy and simplicity of food prepared in your own kitchen: dishes that remind you of childhood, the ones you wouldn’t possibly find in restaurants.
My ghar ka khaana? Dal.
Making dal seems like an alchemical feat, watching the lentils become creamy, starchy, and golden with turmeric. I love the sizzle of hot, very spiced ghee when poured over lentils, the way dal wraps around a bowl of rice. Like a hug. The first time I published my mother’s dal recipes in my cookbook, “Indian-ish,” I felt like I was revealing a secret to other people: a solution to their problems with weeknight dinner, courtesy of my ancestors.
Across South Asia and its diaspora, dal (which refers to both legumes and the finished dish) is intrinsically connected to convenience, whether simmered with coconut milk, sweetened with a little brown sugar, or topped with crunchy curry leaves.
In interviews, many other people said it was the first meal they gave their children. The food they missed the most when they were going to college. The plate with which they broke the Ramadan fast. The first thing they learned to cook was their mother, who insisted that prep times be given in pressure cooker whistles rather than minutes.
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