This Sri Lankan dal of tender lentils, like other dals on Sri Lankan tables, are central to every meal and usually served with several other dishes, such as kukul mas maluwa (chicken curry). Because it is part of a larger meal, dal is often seasoned simply. This version is as well, but it is richer in taste from curry leaves, which infuse the lentils with their flavor.

"Stamp Out Hunger" food drive takes place Saturday. The United States Postal Service will be gathering food on its mail routes on Saturday, May 14. The 30th annual “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive has become the nation’s largest, one-day campaign to collect food for distribution to needy families. USPS employees in 10,000 communities take part.

It fuels, nourishes and nurtures us. It’s a medium for connection and for making memories. Unfortunately, it’s also a source of angst. When I ask people to describe their relationship with food, I often hear answers like, “It’s a pleasure and a source of stress,” “I love it and fear it,” or “I wish I didn’t think about it all the time.”

Try This Buttery, Vegetable-Topped Polenta. | Seattle Times | union-bulletin.com Comfort food can take different forms. At its most heartfelt, it’s those childhood tastes that resonate emotionally: a pan of noodle kugel, a chicken foot straight out of my grandmother’s soup pot, a buttered slice of my father’s warm anadama bread.