The first time I had dal, I was at Lodha Dham Temple, an open-­air Jain monastery on the side of a trucking highway about 90 minutes north of Mumbai. There, the monks prepared a spartan yet delicious version of this simmered lentil dish, which got its creaminess from the simple act of cooking the lentils until reduced to the essence of their sweet-creamy goodness.

It was comfort food at its finest, particularly when topped with a flavorful tarka, a simple sauté of tomatoes, cumin, turmeric and cayenne. It created a push-pull sort of meal reminiscent of Italian polenta topped with a fiery ragù. Much of its appeal was in its simplicity. A noodles-­and-butter sort of affair that returns you to childhood, if you will.

So I was surprised when I arrived in Sri Lanka and learned dal there is robustly different. Still simple, yet packing flavor by an order of magnitude. I had it first at Lunu Mirisa, a jammed eatery in Boralesgamuwa, a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. I was late for lunch, so the options were few. Spinach dal it would be.

What came to my table resembled nothing like what I’d had in India. The base still was lentils cooked until soft and creamy. But one-for-one with chopped, wilted spinach, adding freshness and body. And the taste was deeply creamy and rich, as well as heavily spiced thanks to ample garlic, ginger and turmeric, the latter adding sweet earthy notes and vibrant color.

Inspired, I sought out home cook Mohara Dole back in Colombo, who happily taught me to make this dish, called nivithi dal. Much of the richness comes from cooking the lentils not in water—as in India—but in coconut milk. And adding it in two additions, first as a cooking liquid, then a second addition for a fresh hit of coconut flavor at the end of cooking.

Even her tarka was more intense. Mustard seeds sizzled in coconut oil, then paired with curry leaves, more ginger, copious chili flakes and chopped tomato cooked just until barely softened. The resulting marriage of a dish was every bit as comforting, yet distinctly Sri Lankan in flavor.

More proof that every time we think we know something, cooks everywhere are happy to teach us something new and delicious.