The wonderful world of dal

Paruppu is one of the common south Indian versions of dal. — Filepic

When I was growing up, my weekly Friday meals had little to no variation and while that proved to be a bit of a drag when I was younger, it grew to be something I looked forward to as an adult.

My late mother practised vegetarianism on Fridays, which meant we inevitably ended up having the ubiquitous south Indian lentil-based stalwart of sambar (a stew fashioned out of split pigeon peas) that is loaded with vegetables like carrots, okra, potatoes and drum sticks (moringa fruits).