Ratatouille Lesson 101

We went for Indian food at Ajanta restaurant Sunday night. They've got great food there, but I decided to just have something simple, so I ordered the dal bhat. Bhat means rice, and dal is a mixture of lentils, tomatoes, onion, spices and herbs. It is about the simplest thing you'll find on an Indian menu. Usually there are dozens of other more enticing dishes that will steal your eye when scanning the menu at Ajanta, but a good restaurant should be able to serve up even the simplest dish in a way that challenges your expectations. It is a lesson straight out of the movie Ratatouille. Well, I don't know if they had Remy under someone's turban or what, but, indeed, the dal bhat turned out to be the best thing I've had so far at Ajanta. I have only ever seen dal served in something that resembles either a gravy dish or a small bowl before, so I was surprised when they brought out a container that resembled a mini champagne bucket and set it on the table. Instead of a bottle of champagne, of course, it was filled with rich colored dal and had a ladle enticingly sticking out.  Everyone scooped ample amounts over our steamed rice and began spooning it down. I think we all had to resist the temptation to ransack the kitchen for the recipe.