Food Alphabetical: D is for Dal/Dhal/Daal

If you go to an Indian* restaurant and don't have a side of dhal**, you are really missing the point. It's a dish which most Indians other than the poorest will eat probably twice a day. At its best, it's sublime, but there are inherent dangers. Singed lentils, for example, are disgusting. As when you burn garlic, there is no way back.

To say it's a dish is, of course, a dreadful error. There are probably as many variations as there are cooks, and probably nary a one is ever written down. Oral tradition is even more important in an eastern kitchen than in a nation's folklore. But there is one constant - the legume. (I nearly said lentil, but read on.)

Here's where you start to find out stuff. The total trivia for which Tom's Food! is rightfully infamous. The sort of fascinating facts which will ensure that people at parties move into the next room as you approach. In my case I think someone once jumped out of a window, which I thought a tad extreme. Mind you it was only on the first floor.

The word dāl comes for the Sanskrit meaning to split. OK, I've heard of split lentils, usually the orange ones which for some reason we call red. But then the thought occurred to me. How the **** do you split a lentil? I mean we know about these wee boys doing minute stitches in exotic rugs, but surely there aren't factories with children and tiny chisels? No, relax.

Once you remove the outer skin, a red lentil comprises two halves (cotyledons) and will split almost automatically. There is more to it than that, but I'm beginning to bore even myself. There are in fact many types of lentil which can be used, plus different varieties of beans and peas. They are stuffed full of protein; they are rich in dietary fibre; and they are full of iron, potassium and other minerals. In other words, an essential supplement to a vegetarian diet where the basic calories are likely to come from rice, or wheat (in the form of rotis, chapatis or the like).

That of course would be the basic diet of the poor, probably enlivened with a chilli or two. But in better to do households dhal is an essential side dish. You may have a different one for every day of the week, and it will probably be tarka dhal. I'd seen the word tarka many times, and had no idea of its significance. It means tempering, or flavouring, those last minute additions which transform a tasty dish into a great one. Typically this will involve ghee (clarified butter) and aromats.

So my advice to you is to add dhal as a shared dish whenever you can. Soon you'll be as beguiled as I am by the subtle variations. Then, when you really want to spoil yourself, go to your nearest branch of Dishoom and order their house black dhal. Perfection on a plate.

*Apologies. I'm using the lazy British terminology to refer to any restaurant which sells the food of that vast subcontinent.

**I'm aware of three spellings, as per the header. I believe they are interchangeable. To avoid confusion, I'm sticking to dhal. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

On The Side will return in a couple of weeks

 

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