Sharjah,UAE— The traditional Indian dal was given a modern interpretation at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026), as British-Indian chef and food consultant Nitisha Patel demonstrated how familiar ingredients could be combined with different culinary influences to create a nutritious vegetarian dish.
During her session, “The Indian Dal Kitchen,” at the fair’s Cookery Corner, Patel drew on her Indian heritage to prepare a kale and coconut milk dal, combining the comforting flavours of a traditional lentil dish with ingredients associated with different cooking traditions.
The award-winning chef began by boiling red lentils, commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking, with water, turmeric and salt. As the lentils cooked, she prepared a tadka, a traditional Indian tempering technique in which spices are heated in fat to release their flavours.
Patel gave the dish her own twist by adding coconut milk, palm sugar and kale, allowing the greens to soften before finishing with lime juice and fresh coriander. She served the dal alongside white rice, garnished with desiccated coconut.
A fusion of culinary traditions
The chef explained that the combination of coconut milk, tadka and kale brought together South Indian, West Indian and British culinary influences. Patel, author of The Delicious Book of Dhal, described the kale dal recipe as one particularly close to her heart.
The demonstration offered visitors a look at how traditional recipes can evolve through experimentation while retaining their cultural roots, with Patel showing how a familiar Indian staple can accommodate different ingredients and cooking styles.
The 12-day SIBF takes place at Expo Centre Sharjah and features 1,500 cultural, creative and artistic activities, including literary discussions, author interactions, workshops, theatrical performances, the Thriller Festival and Cookery Corner. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the fair is hosting 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries, showcasing more than 1.7 million titles.
