The Miracle of Rice and Beans
A conversation with author Sapna Punjabi + A Giveaway + Upcoming Events
Hi everyone,
I’ve got a special newsletter today, featuring a Q&A and a recipe from author, registered dietician, and Ayurvedic practitioner Sapna Punjabi. Her book Dal Chawal (the Hindi words for pulses/beans and rice, respectively) has just been published and I think it’s really something special. Knowing that many of you are as fascinated and obsessed with these elemental ingredients as I am, I think you’re going to enjoy this book.
I also have an extra copy to give away! If you’d like to win it, simply comment below sharing your favorite dish that features pulses or beans. You have from now until next Friday, April 18, at 8:00am EST to enter. US addresses only. Update: Giveaway closed.
Dal Chawal is jam packed with everyday Indian recipes, but also with nutritional information, historical and regional context, and (something that particularly fascinates me) Ayurvedic notes. I’ve learned about Ayurveda here and there from my years doing yoga and in my work — it’s the oldest practiced Indigenous medicine in the world, encompassing much more than just what and what and how to eat — but it wasn’t until I read Sapna’s book that I started to fully appreciate its logic and scope. And as an Ayurvedic practitioner and a registered dietician, she is so uniquely qualified to bridge Ayurveda with Western nutrition science, as she does in her book.
Sapna has generously answered a few questions about her work and her new book below, as well as shared a recipe for Sukhi Moong Dal (Split Yellow Moong Dal Tempered with Spices), which I’ve been eating all week long. I love the balanced and bold flavors, the delicious texture of the split moong dal (a pulse I had rarely cooked before), and the happy satiety I feel after eating it. I hope you give it a try and enjoy!
Upcoming Events
First, a few upcoming events that I’m excited to participate in…
On Tuesday, April 15, you can come hear Sapna and me discuss Dal Chawal at MOFAD (the Museum of Food and Drink) — she is a wealth of knowledge and I can’t wait to moderate this conversation. Tickets are available here.
On Saturday, April 19, I’ll be talking with a bunch of food luminaries about (drumroll) the future of food! This panel includes Joe Yonan,
, Lesley Enston, and , and afterwards, I’ll be teaching a recipe writing workshop. This is a free event and it will be live streamed — find information here.
Q&A with Sapna Punjabi
What led you to write an entire cookbook about such an elemental combination of foods?
As a culinary wellness specialist, registered dietitian, Ayurvedic practitioner, mom, lifelong vegetarian, and a first-generation Indian immigrant born and raised in Mumbai, I’ve always seen food as both deeply personal and profoundly healing. Dal Chawal — the simple combination of lentils and rice — is the dish that connects all the dots for me. It’s where my Eastern roots meet my Western lifestyle, where cultural memory meets modern wellness.
For billions of Indians, dal chawal is more than just food — it’s a feeling, a ritual, a sense of coming home. It holds emotional weight, the kind of everyday comfort that anchors us. And for a Western audience, it speaks to everything we now value in food: plant-forward meals, sustainable ingredients, and nutritionally complete proteins. When pulses and rice are paired together, they form a complete protein — something we’ve understood for generations in Indian kitchens.
Every recipe in this book is vegetarian, gluten-free, and seasonally balanced. I’ve included Ayurvedic notes and practical tips in each one, so that home cooks — whether they’re steeped in this tradition or completely new to it — can adapt and enjoy these dishes all year long. Writing this cookbook was a way to honor both where I come from and how I live now — and to offer something nourishing, grounding, and joyful to every kind of table.
I’ve never encountered a cookbook that has Ayurvedic notes for each recipe. How did you come to this decision?
Indian cuisine itself has its roots in Ayurvedic principles — whether it’s the way we combine ingredients, use spices, or adapt meals to the seasons or individual needs. So when I began writing this book, including Ayurvedic notes alongside each recipe felt like a natural and meaningful decision. It was a way to offer readers a deeper understanding of the why behind these dishes, while keeping the tone warm and approachable — like guidance from a wise, loving auntie. Never rigid or prescriptive, but always rooted in care, intention, and wellbeing.
I did wonder at first if Ayurveda might be seen as too traditional or niche in the publishing world, but as someone trained in this tradition, I also knew it had to be part of the book. I’m grateful that my team recognized its importance and supported the vision. Including Ayurveda was my way of honoring the richness of India’s Vedic heritage — and giving readers a window into a timeless tradition that still speaks to the needs of modern life.
I constantly hear from people that they love beans and want to eat more of them, but they just can’t work through the digestion issue. What’s your advice?
This is such a common concern — and totally valid! The good news is digestion can be supported and improved. In Indian kitchens, we’ve always had built-in practices that help — like soaking lentils, cooking them with digestive spices like hing (asafoetida), cumin, and ginger, and keeping portions small as your body adjusts. Ayurveda also suggests eating beans when they’re warm, well-cooked, and part of a balanced meal, not ice-cold in a salad. It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat — slowly, mindfully, and in sync with your own constitution. Over time, many people find their bodies actually start craving the grounding, balancing nature of pulses. So start small, always soak your beans, cook with digestive spices and eat dal and pulses warm and well-cooked. With time and right prep, your body adjusts — and may even start loving them back!
How does geography, and local and seasonal eating, figure into an Ayurvedic approach to eating?
Ayurveda is inherently local and seasonal — it teaches us to live in harmony with where we are and when we are. What your body needs in winter is very different from what it craves in summer, and dal chawal can flex beautifully with those seasonal shifts. In hot, humid summers, we favor cooling foods like moong dal or coconut rice — light, soothing, and easy to digest. In cold winters, we lean into heartier dals like urad, enriched with ghee, garlic, and warming spices that comfort and sustain. Geography plays a role too—what grows naturally in your environment is often exactly what your body needs. That, to me, is the quiet brilliance of dal chawal: it’s a nourishing template that adapts to both your location and your season. Ayurveda reminds us that food isn’t just sustenance — it’s how we stay rooted to the rhythms of nature and the place we call home.
You write that bitterness and astringency are not particularly common in Western diets. Can a palate be re-trained to appreciate such flavors? And what is their nutritional value for us?
Absolutely, a palate can be retrained — gently and gradually. In Ayurveda, bitter and astringent tastes are seen as cleansing, cooling, and balancing. They help counter excess heat, support liver health and bring clarity and calm. Yet these flavors are largely missing from modern diets, especially the Standard American Diet (SAD), which leans heavily on sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
Astringency, in particular, is central to pulses — the heart of this book. It’s the quality that tones tissues, supports digestion, and leaves the body feeling light yet nourished. Common Indian pulses like moong, masoor, chana, urad, and toor naturally carry this astringent profile, but when cooked with the right fats and digestive spices, they become deeply satisfying and accessible — even for palates that aren’t used to those flavors. Reintroducing these tastes doesn’t require a dramatic shift. It can be as simple as adding more leafy greens, incorporating bitter vegetables like karela (bitter gourd), and methi (fenugreek leaves), or choosing a gently spiced dal with balancing herbs. Over time, the body begins to crave this sense of equilibrium. These tastes may be quiet, but their impact is profound.
You work full time, are raising two kids, own your own business – you’re very busy! Take us through an average Tuesday night dinner at home.
Tuesday night is usually cozy and practical. It’s a long day for my daughter — she has tennis practice after school — so I make sure dinner is both nourishing and nutrient-dense to help her refuel. One of her favorite meals, and one of the recipes in the book, is Dheeli Khichdi — a gently spiced, one-pot comfort dish made with soaked yellow moong dal, rice, turmeric, and salt. I program the soak and cook time in my electric cooker before I head out, so by the time we’re back home, it’s perfectly warm and ready. While she freshens up, I make a quick tadka — a tempering of cumin, and black pepper in homemade ghee — and pour it over the khichdi. Some nights I sauté a simple veggie on the side; other times, I toss whatever vegetables I have on hand into the pot for a more hearty, masala-style version. It really depends on the time I have, but that’s the beauty of dal chawal — it adapts. No matter how hectic the day, a nourishing home-cooked meal always feels within reach.
For more information about Sapna, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.
If you’d like to win a copy of Dal Chawal, simply comment below sharing your favorite dish that features pulses or beans. US addresses only. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, April 18, at 8:00am EST. UPDATE: GIVEAWAY CLOSED.
Sukhi Moong Dal
SPLIT YELLOW MOONG DAL TEMPERED WITH SPICES
From Sapna: “We begin the journey into the world of dal with my mom’s recipe for sukhi moong dal. This was my dad’s favorite moong dal dish and Mom cooked it almost every single week, serving it with warm rotis (Indian flat bread); and leftovers would end up in our school lunch boxes, rolled inside the roti along with a smear of chutney or achaar (Indian pickle). It can also be served with tortillas, smeared on toasted sourdough bread, or nestled atop a bed of greens for a fun twist on a salad. Sukhi means “dry,” and this recipe uses the yellow split moong dal, which is the split and peeled form of whole moong beans. This variety is one of the easiest dals to cook and also to digest. It requires the least amount of soaking time, so this dish can be prepped and cooked in under 30 minutes. If you can cook pasta, I promise you can make this hearty sukhi dal just as easily. It’s also a zero-waste recipe—even the water in which the dal is cooked is put to good use!”
The drained dal cooking liquid makes a lovely broth. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a dash of lime juice, making this a zero-waste dish.
If you overcook the dal (unintentionally or intentionally), you can retain the liquid in the dal and cook to soup consistency and proceed with the tempering as directed.
AYURVEDA NOTES: Yellow moong dal is sweet and astringent in taste and cooling in potency. It is tridoshic in nature but mainly calms vata and pitta dosha. It can be enjoyed all year long and should be a staple in our pantries.
VATA Add extra ground coriander. Favor ghee or peanut oil.
PITTA Add extra cilantro; avoid Kashmiri powder. Favor ghee or olive oil.
KAPHA Replace Kashmiri powder with ground black pepper. Favor sunflower oil or ghee.
LV notes: If you’re primarily familiar with soupier styles of dal, you’ll enjoy this one, which keeps the split moong dal in tact. Be careful not to overcook them.
Excerpted with permission from Dal Chawal: 85 Vegetarian Indian Recipes Combining the Power of Dal and Rice by: Sapna Punjabi, published by Hardie Grant North America, April 2025.
Yield 4 servings | Prep time 10 minutes | Soak time 10 to 15 minutes | Cook time 15 minutes
1 cup (200 g) dhuli moong dal/yellow split moong dal
5 cups (1.2 L) water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons (30 g) ghee or oil, such as peanut, avocado, grapeseed, olive, or sunflower
⅛ teaspoon hing/asafoetida powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Garnish
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
½ teaspoon toasted ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon amchur/dried mango powder
½ cup (30 g) finely chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
Rinse the yellow split moong dal in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear, about a minute. Transfer to a medium bowl, add water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm), and soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain.
In a 3-quart (3 L) pot, combine the soaked dal, water, salt, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover, and cook until the dal softens when pressed between the fingers but still holds its shape and is not mushy, 10 to 12 minutes.
Drain off the cooking liquid and save (see Tips). Transfer the dal to a serving bowl.
In a medium skillet, heat the ghee, add the asafoetida followed by cumin seeds, and let sizzle. for a few seconds. Pour this hot mixture over the bowl of cooked yellow moong dal. Garnish with Kashmiri powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, mango powder, and cilantro leaves.
If you’d like to win a copy of Dal Chawal, simply comment below sharing your favorite dish that features pulses or beans. US addresses only. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, April 18, at 8:00am EST. UPDATE: GIVEAWAY CLOSED.
I made Sapna's Sukhi Moong Dal last Sunday, and it made me excited to cook through the entire book.
omg this book sounds WILDLY exciting!! as an indian, i eat dal chawal almost everyday--my favorite preparation might have to be my mom's dal makhani with basmati rice. mmmmmm.