A few months after my mother’s passing, my maternal grandmother came to stay with us and help manage the household. While familiarising herself with the kitchen, she wandered into the pantry and found herself in direct confrontation with jars of various kinds of daal [lentils and legumes]. A long sigh, which sounded like a muffled scream to me, escaped her.

“Beta, you’ll be called a ‘daal khor’ [literally ‘eater of daal’, implying vegetarian],” she aired her disapproval before emptying most of the jars on to an old newspaper and carrying their contents to the roof to offer to the birds. Among Afghans, daal khor is a pejorative for people from the Subcontinent. I was so taken aback that I did not notice that she had left one kind of lentil alone, while disposing of the rest.

All my young life, my elders — at least those on my paternal side, who are Punjabi — had told me about the benefits of eating daal. “Daal barra maal [Lentils are a treasure],” they would say. And here I was being judged for having daal in the pantry by my maternal side, who are Pakhtun.

I was told that the orange and dark brown or kaali daal — dhuli masoor and saabut masoor respectively — had a warm taseer — in traditional belief, a heating effect on the body — and would give me pimples. The rest was just “silly food”, except that one jar of daal which had been left alone.

For a grandmother who regarded most lentils as ‘silly food’, chanay ki daal was the lone exception

The daal my grandmother had not attacked like the others was chanay ki daal [split chickpea]. When I asked my grandmother about it, she chuckled: “Beta, the only daal that we Pakhtuns have no issues with is daal chana, because it is the only one that may be cooked with meat.”

Looking back, I realise my grandmother was not objecting to daal itself, but to the idea of eating it on its own. Chanay ki daal, when cooked with meat, passed her test and remains one of my favourite comfort foods.

DAAL GOSHT [LENTILS WITH MEAT]

The meat may be half a kilogramme (kg) of chicken, mutton or beef. But the daal must be chanay ki daal. Soak 0.5 kg of chanay ki daal in water for a couple of hours. Before you start cooking, drain the daal and boil it in a large saucepan, in enough water to cover it by around two inches. Cook over medium heat until the water evaporates.

Then take half to one cup of cooking oil to prepare a curry base with two medium-sized onions, diced. When the onion becomes translucent, add a tablespoon of crushed ginger-garlic paste, followed by one teaspoon of red chilli powder, one teaspoon of turmeric powder, one teaspoon of dried coriander powder, one teaspoon of white cumin seeds and a quarter teaspoon of garam masala powder.

Sauté for 30 seconds before adding the meat and one teaspoon of salt (or to taste). Sauté for one to two minutes till you see the meat changing colour. Add in two cups of water and cover the saucepan. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. The quantity of water may change with the kind of meat you are cooking the lentils with. For instance, chicken cooks quickly and requires two cups of water. Mutton takes longer and needs between four to five cups, while beef takes the longest and requires the most water.

Cook the meat till the water has completely evaporated and only oil is left. Now add another three cups of water and bring it to a boil before transferring your already boiled daal to the cooking pot. Let it simmer on low heat for an hour while checking on it often. You may or may not add a tarrka [tempering], but serve after sprinkling with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

THE TARRKA [TEMPERING]

While cooking lentils and legumes, the tarrka — with its many variations — plays a key role. I will share my favourite, which uses desi ghee, onions, three to five garlic cloves, white cumin seeds and curry leaves. Heat around three tablespoons of ghee in a frying pan and add half a teaspoon of white cumin seeds to it. After 10 to 20 seconds you will hear crackling, which is your cue to add one medium-sized onion, diced. Sauté for 10 to 15 seconds before adding in chopped garlic and curry leaves. Sauté for another 10 or 15 seconds before pouring it all over the already cooked lentils, which you quickly cover to allow the oil to steam and help blend in the flavours.

CHANA DAAL MAKHNI (VEGETARIAN)

Soak and boil half kg of chanay ki daal and keep aside. Prepare the base by heating one cup of oil and adding to it one teaspoon of white cumin seeds and two solid black cardamoms. After 10 seconds, add two medium-sized onions, chopped, and fry them till they turn golden. Add a tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, two medium-sized chopped tomatoes and one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of turmeric powder, one teaspoon of black pepper powder, a quarter teaspoon of garam masala powder, one teaspoon of coriander powder, one teaspoon of red chilli powder and half a teaspoon of chilli flakes.

Cover and leave to cook on low heat till the tomatoes are tender. Add half a cup of cream and let it simmer for five minutes before transferring the boiled daal along with one cup of its cooking liquid. Cook until everything blends in. Serve sprinkled with freshly chopped coriander, green chillies and garnished with extra cream.

The writer is a member of staff.

X: @HasanShazia

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 7th, 2026