Fine salt

The crown jewel of Punjabi cooking. Black lentils slow-cooked overnight with butter, cream, and tomatoes. Do not rush this.

The extra step of browning the butter adds a toasty, nutty depth that elevates these from good to obsession-worthy.

A Mexican celebration soup: pork, hominy, and a deep red chile broth. Topped at the table with shredded cabbage, radish, lime, and oregano.

Charred marinated chicken in a silky, spiced tomato cream sauce. The tikka and the masala are two separate operations — don't skip the char.

Add a separate tadka (tempering) of whole spices and dried chiles fried in ghee, poured at the table. Drama and flavor.

King oyster mushrooms replace the pork. They hold up to the long simmer and have a similar pull when shredded.

Green version with tomatillos, pepitas, and chicken. Brighter, more acidic, completely different soul. Serve both at your next gathering.

For those who think the original isn't spicy enough. Green chilies in the tempering plus extra kashmiri chili. Not for the faint-hearted.

Swap chicken for homemade paneer. Better charring on the tikka, richer sauce that absorbs into the cheese.

Cubed lamb shoulder marinated and grilled. The same masala sauce but richer. Better the next day.

Coconut cream replaces the heavy cream, vegan butter for the tadka. Casein-free. The lentils are the star anyway.

1:1 gluten-free flour swap plus a splash of almond flour for texture. Undetectable. My celiac husband ate seven of these.