Around the Riley Park Farmers’ Market, Gagan Dhillon is known as “The Dal Man.” A British-Indian, or Brindian, Dhillon moved from the UK to Canada after marrying a Canadian. In the UK, he had studied and worked in the telecom industry and as a professional photographer for weddings and newspapers, but he wanted to do something new, something related to food.

Dhillon began working with local ginger-shot purveyors Gingeraki at Vancouver Farmers Markets and soon found that he enjoyed the community and customers. And as a newcomer to the city, he especially valued the opportunity to meet people. His experience cemented the idea that he wanted to open a food-based business, originally drawn to the idea of making lassi, the popular Indian yogurt-based drink. “I had three criteria for what I wanted to make: It had to be nutritious, delicious and affordable,” and while lassi without question satisfies all these criteria, he didn’t see it fitting in at a winter farmers’ market.

The answer to what product Dhillon would devote his energies to came from an unexpected place, while watching a “Black Adder” sketch. Fans of the comedy troupe will recall Captain Darling and the “Hello Darling” hilarity.

The answer was dal, the Indian lentil dish he had been enjoying his whole life. And so Hello Dal-Ing was born, with the tagline It’s Daal, Dhaling!

Gagan Dhillon, top left, affectionately called “The Dal Man” at the Riley Park Farmers Market, serves his Hello Dal-ing — a nourishing red lentil dal inspired by his mother’s recipe and adapted with his own creative flair.

Dhillon gave his company an equally tongue-in-cheek name — Easy Tiger. He also created the bold packaging and a website featuring a bright and brash tiger with an attitude who he named Roary T. McRoary.

Bringing the product to production was a little more difficult. Dhillon had never worked in a commercial kitchen, so his learning curve in introducing his recipe to a larger-scale production was steep. “On my first day, I booked six hours in the kitchen and was there for 16,” ending up “covered in dal.”

After a challenging start, he persevered, and the result is a nourishing and warm staple, with split red lentils, onion, green and red chilies, tomato, garlic, ginger, cilantro, and spices that include cumin and turmeric, all packed in glass jars, ready to heat and serve. The website also refers to the addition of “a little secret blah blah blah.”

On being pressed further, Dhillon is reluctant to give away too many details other than to say that his recipe came from his mother, who first taught it to his sister-in-law, and was ultimately passed on to him. “Then… I zhuzhed it up… shall we say,” he adds.

Customers often remark upon the surprisingly creamy texture, which Dhillon attributes to his generous use of olive oil, something not present in the original. He also uses two different chilies as opposed to the green chili in the original recipe, one of which he refers to as “fresh and vibrant-tasting,” and a second that is “warm and aromatic.” “Chilies aren’t just about heat,” he explains. “There’s a lot of flavour there. And I’m not shy with the cilantro.”

As far as how to enjoy the dal, Dhillon has lots of recommendations. It can be served as a soup or, more traditionally, as an accompaniment to rice — a combination that offers a complete protein. Beyond that, Dhillon recommends all types of breads, from roti and chapati to sourdough and focaccia, which provides that large bubbly texture and generous surface area for soaking up the delicious dal.

“On a rainy winter Vancouver night — the kind when you don’t want to go out — mashed potatoes, dal, steamed veg,” is his favourite combination for staying in and watching classic films with his wife.

Customers have been receptive, and Dhillon has been pleased with the response, though surprised to learn that he didn’t need to explain what dal is as most customers were familiar with it. “I’ve stopped describing it as an Indian food. It’s a Canadian food from India.”

And certainly part of the positive response follows from Dhillon’s gregarious character. His infectious personality draws people to his stand, and he’s obviously very at home in the farmers’ market, where he greets everyone with an enthusiastic “Hello Dal-ling” and offers them a tasty sample… “I’m really more Willy Wonka than Gordon Ramsay,” he tells me.

Dhillon counts among his customers those looking for a quick work lunch or an affordable alternative to a take-away, as well as Indian students who miss their mum’s cooking. “It’s convenient. It’s tasty. And it’s just food. There are no additives, and I think that’s very important to people.”

His plans are to add other products using legumes and pulses to his “nutritious and delicious” line and to add what he calls a “naughty and nice” line of richer plant-based sauces for butter chicken and korma. There may even be some steamed dumplings in the future.

During summer months at the market, Dhillon also serves lassi, so his original business plan has partly come true, something not lost on him. “I get kind of emotional thinking about it,” he says.

And his favourite thing about being at the farmers’ market? “I get to meet lots of dogs. Of course, you get to meet people in the neighbourhood and make friends, but the best part is I get to meet all the dogs.”

Easy Tiger | easy-tiger.ca | @easytiger_ca