We expanded our spice cabinet quite a bit during quarantine last year, with all of the cooking and new recipes we were trying out regularly. As a result, we got to dabble in a lot of new cuisines and dishes — one of which has quickly become a favorite: lovely yellow dal. The lentil-based dish is a hearty and flavorful (and healthy, I like to think!) one that is perfect for a cold winter’s night, and always leaves enough for lunch leftovers the next day. It’s wonderful mixed in with a nice bowl of basmati rice, or eaten with some warm bread to sop it up.

While I’ve always had delicious naan at restaurants eating out, I had never thought to make it myself. Thanks to a good friend who gifted me some sourdough starter last year, I’ve been seeking out new ways to use the additional starter beyond my regular weekly boules — and naan presented the perfect way to do so. With some leftover starter kicking around, I decided to try my hand at sourdough naan, which turned out to be a great complement to the dal we were making regularly.

The end result was a delicious, warm and flavorful naan that went just as quickly as the dal. To complete the meal, we made a small batch of basmati rice (mixed with golden raisins, a little parsley, and some spices), an assortment of roasted veggies, and homemade sidecars (cocktails made with cognac, cointreau, simple syrup, and freshly squeezed lemon juice — topped with a little lemon peel curl). A perfect winter’s night meal!