>whoops, got my culinary knowledge put in place.
Ha ha. No, to be clear, I didn't mean it in a critical sense. We all make mistakes and don't know a lot of things that some others do. It was in that spirit that I was sharing stuff I knew a bit better, due to being Indian.
>1) yeap, confirmed that's it
Cool.
>2) this was in Sri Lanka, they did also have sambal that is closer to the one with onions done in Malasya/Indonesia but this one was with coconut and no onions, more dry than wet, just fine strands of what seems semi-dry coconut with spices (smashed chillis?) and they served it in many regular places along the dal tadka?
Ah, that probably explains it. Sri Lanka cuisine had some Malay peninsular influence from the Sri Lankan Malays (a misnomer, look it up).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_cuisine
The sambal you are may be from that origin. I was surprised because sambal is not generally used in India, as I said (and wrongly assumed you ate that dish in India). That sambal sounds like it may taste good, BTW - coconut and red chillies. Rich flavor from coconut and heat from chillies. Maharashtra in India has a similar one called lasun chutney, made from garlic and red chillies and some other common Indian spices, maybe cumin and coriander (powder, not leaf). A wet paste. Goes well with Maharashtrian dishes, as well as with parathas. Use in small amounts, it is strong and has a delayed effect.
>one thing is common throughout though, vegetarian food is good and varied anywhere)
True. Indian vegetarian food is underrated, IMO. One reason is that you only get a few of the huge variety of veg dishes in Indian restaurants, whether in India or abroad. Only the most popular ones. But plenty of others are tasty, some might say more so than the restaurant ones.
E.g.: You usually never get a dry or wet cabbage curry in most restaurants - as an individually bought dish, in a la carte menus, I mean, because, you do get it as an item in veg thalis - and that currry is a damn tasty dish. There are many more like that. Only way to experience them is to get invited to an Indian friend's house for food.
I wish India and countries abroad both had more restaurants serving such items, particularly regional ethnic ones and traditional ones. They could be a big hit with people. In fact, some of those recipes will be lost in another generation or two, likely. A food startup (though maybe not high scale) and a food museum opportunity there.
>Well yes, I actually ate it many times
Dals are great. Good umami food and good protein too, although to be complete, they must be had along with cereals like wheat or rice, in roughly a 1:3 ratio (1 dal : 3 cereal units).
Read this in a book from the Indian Institute of Nutrition, a govt. research body, long back. Turns out our ancestors may have discovered that point empirically, because that is the rough ratio in which we tend to eat that combo. Only then do you get the amino acid profile that humans need for complete protein (from veg foods) - so said that book.
>Thank you for correcting me, I have to go back and do a proper research and take notes of it.
Welcome :) Good idea to take notes.
>> In some ways they are more nutritious
>This is one of the things that I think separates vegetarian cuisine well done from others. You never feel like the dishes are lacking in taste, texture, or that you haven't got enough "food" to keep you well fed while still being usually light on the body.
I agree. And usually easy to digest too. Only a few items like chana (chickpea) and say rajma (red kidney beans) and bajra (a millet) are a bit heavy. But nutritious.
And there is a certain not quite describable good feeling you get (at least I do, but I think many others too) after eating an Indian veg thali meal. (I've heard many others mention this when coming out of restaurants after eating a thali meal.) It seems to be more than just satiety. I don't get the same feeling even after eating an a la carte Indian veg meal of individual dishes, like say roti, dal and some sabji, or the same but with rice instead of roti. Only with veg thalis (North or South Indian) do I get that feeling. Guessing here, but I think it may be due to the particular combinations of ingredients and spices and masalas used, many of which are traditional and Ayurvedic in nature. (The rasam, curd or buttermilk may also be part of the cause.) I have heard that there are a few books that talk about this connection, but don't know the names. Want to read them.