Dal Chaval…for life

While Asha prayed with her eyes closed, her phone rang. She slightly opened her right eye to take a quick look at the number. Seeing the caller’s name, she quickly finished her prayers and picked up the call.

“Hello, beta! How come you’re up so early this morning? That too on a Sunday?” sounding concerned.

“My stomach is upset. What should I do?” Aarav groaned. “Hmmm…looks like someone partied pretty hard last night!”. “No Aai… I mean, a little bit…but not so much,” he said, slightly embarrassed.

“Okay okay, I know what is little and what is more. Now go take the cooker out,” she instructed him.

“Huh?” with a confused look on his face. “Trust me, and do as I say,” she said. At the other end of the video call, he started following her instructions.

“Take one small bowl of rice and wash it thoroughly. Two to three times. Now take a small bowl of dal and wash it thoroughly…. Two to three times!” he completed her sentence. “Yes! see… I know I taught you well. Now how much water will you put in each container?” she quizzed him.

“One inch above the rice and dal. I remember Aai!” slightly irritated. “I was just testing your memory,” she winks at him. “This was your favorite meal as a kid. At least one of the meals had to be “varan bhaat,” there was a hint of nostalgia in her voice. 

She snapped out of the memory and asked him, “Did you add a little turmeric and asafoetida to the dal?”. 

“Yes, I did,” he closed the lid of the cooker.

As the cooker steamed and the first whistle blew, he turned down the burner. “You know in the early days of our marriage when it was just your baba and me, Sunday dinners used to be either dal khichdi or varan bhaat.”

“Yes, I do… Sethi uncle has told us all your legendary Saturday night stories,” he giggled.

“What?”, she gets a little embarrassed. “Okay now focus. Four whistles are done. Switch off the burner.” He then took the cooker off the burner and waited for the pressure to release.

“I still remember our wedding day, we had such an elaborate menu. All the guests never stopped praising the food at our wedding. But all my stomach craved was for sadha varan bhaat — toop, meeth, limbu. They even arranged methkut for me!” there was a sparkle in her eyes. 

(The doorbell rings)

“Baba must be back from his walk. Hold on, I’ll get the door.”

As she opened the door, she found a delivery boy holding a box in his hand. Confused, she hesitatingly took the parcel from him and closed the door. As she opened the box, her face lit up like a little kid seeing the gorgeous cake inside with a greeting card. She walked up to her mobile and asked, “You remembered?”

“How can I forget? Now, close your eyes and turn around.”

Perplexed, she did as her son said. 

“Now open!” said her husband. 

“Ashish!”, she squealed seeing her husband with a bouquet of blue bell flowers.

“Happy Anniversary to you both!” Aarav wished them. 

“Thank you!”, both in unison. The three of them chatted for a while. “Alright, you guys enjoy! I need to go now.. will call you later. See you on Diwali. Love you!”

“Alright.. take care. And hold on! Why don’t you get your “special” friend home as well this time.”

“Huh! Who?”, he was dumbfounded.

“The same one.. for whom you secretly added another bowl of rice and dal thinking I wouldn’t notice”, she laughs. “I.. but..how did..you…?”, he stutters.

“We were young once too! Enjoy your varan bhaat. Bye!”, she winks at him and hangs up the call.

“So, what shall we do for dinner tonight?”, her husband asks.

“How about some dal-chawal? With Tangri kebab on the side!”

Glossary 

Sadha Varan Bhaat — plain dal and rice, dal is Hindi for lentils.

Toop — Ghee (clarified butter, widely used in Indian households)

Meeth — Salt

Limbu — Lemon

Metkut — It is a Maharashtrian spiced powder made from dry roasted rice, wheat, and lentils along with spices. It is eaten with hot cooked rice along with ghee. This powder is also served with soft over cooked rice to little kids. 

Aai — Mother

Baba — Father