Parsi Dal

Yellow toor dal cooked until very soft, seasoned with turmeric and salt, then tempered with mustard seeds, cumin, dried red chilli, and curry leaves in ghee — simpler and less sweet-sour than the dhansak dal, this is the everyday dal eaten at Parsi lunches with plain steamed rice. Sometimes a piece of jaggery is added to lend the faintest sweetness. The everyday face of a cuisine more celebrated for its complex festive dishes, the Parsi dal reflects the community's ability to be both simple and nourishing on a Tuesday and extraordinarily complex on a Sunday.