Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family

by Rabia Chaudry

Here’s how I make it: 1 cup split urad (maash) daal 1 cup split masoor daal (the tiny, orange daal) 1 teaspoon red chili powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (or unsmoked paprika powder) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 teaspoons garam masala 2 teaspoons salt 2 whole green chilis 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste 1 large black cardamom (optional) 2 tablespoons butter For the tempered oil: 3 tablespoons ghee (or vegetable oil if you must, but ghee is just so much better) 3 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (optional) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional) 6-8 curry leaves (dried or fresh, optional) 2 dried red chilies (optional) Mix the two daals in a bowl, fill with water, swish it around a bit, and drain just by tipping the bowl into the sink carefully. You don’t need a strainer and you don’t have to get all the water out, just most of it. Do this three times so the water isn’t so cloudy anymore. The daal will “grow” when you cook it, so make sure to use a good-size pot. Bring the daal to a boil in 6 cups of water. If any white foam rises to the top, skim it off, and then lower the flame to a simmer. Add all the spices and salt, the whole green chilies, garlic and ginger paste, and black cardamom, then partially cover, simmering it for 20 minutes or until it has turned creamy and homogenized. Add the butter, cover it, and let it steam with the flame off while you prepare the tempered oil. I’ll be honest, I can’t eat daal without a tarka, it doesn’t taste finished and lacks ...