From the pakoras and bhajis to the moreish Ruby Chicken, our meal at Dishoom turned out to be one of the best of our trip. Among all the spice and color on our overloaded table, the creamy, buttery black dal stood out to me the most. Not at all like the Southern Indian red lentil dal I was accustomed to, the thick, rich, stew was the one dish I pined for when I got back home.
Fortunately, Dishoom published a cookbook called Dishoom: From Bombay with Love, so I snapped it up to relive the meal, especially that simple black dal. It turns out it’s not so simple. The headnote warns you that the restaurant cooks theirs for 24 hours to make the tough little black lentils break down to creamy luxuriousness. The recipe for home cooks requires 4 to 5 hours. I’ve made it many times and it’s awesome, but sometimes I want a bowl of lentil soup without being tethered to the stove for that long.