New Delhi, June 7 -- People go to France and lose their mind over grapes. The Pinot this, the Gamay that, a whole vocabulary built around a fruit you can hold between two fingers. Show me a country and I'll concede it one obsession: potatoes to Peru, chillies to Mexico, grapes to France, and yes, France can keep its cheeses too, I'm feeling generous. But put me in front of an Indian grocer's shelf of lentils and I know I'll run out of years before I run out of lentils.

Today, the spotlight is on chana dal, or Bengal gram dal, which along with tur, moong, masoor and urad, plays a vital role in most Indian kitchens.

Chana dal carries the strongest flavour of the lot while still slipping into almost any dish.

Will you bulk up a savoury di...