I adore “Never Have I Ever” and wanted to pair it with a food seen in the show, so I went with thakkali sambar, a tomato lentil dish.

This vegan, gluten-free and soy-free recipe makes 4 “servings.”

Ingredients
1 cup jasmine rice, dry (optional)
1 package steamed lentils
1 can crushed tomatoes
0.25 teaspoons turmeric
0.125 teaspoons asafoetida (a.k.a. hing)
1 cup water
3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon sambar powder
1.5-2 cups water
2 tablespoons diced green chiles from a can
1.5 tablespoons tomato-infused olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 dry red chilis, seeds removed
12 curry leaves
0.125 teaspoons asafoetida
1 cup uncooked rice (optional)

Instructions
If wanted, you should be cooking your rice per the packaging instructions as you are putting the thakkali sambar together.

Start the thakkali sambar by putting the lentils and crushed tomatoes in a pot over medium high heat.

Stir in the turmeric and asafoetida. If you don’t have asafoetida (a great low FODMAP alternative to garlic), you can use garlic powder in its place.

Pour in 1 cup of water and mix everything together.

Let it cook for 12-15 minutes on medium high heat, stirring occasionally.

Turn the burner to medium low heat and add the tamarind concentrate and sambar powder. Mix well.

Add 1-2 cups of water so it reaches your desired consistency. We just did 1 cup for a thicker thakkali sambar.

Bring it to a simmer and add the green chiles, stirring them in.

Cook for 12-15 minutes on medium heat.

Cover and set aside.

In a small pot, heat your oil. We happened to have a tomato-infused olive oil that I thought would be perfect for this tomato-based dish, but you can use whatever seed or vegetable oil you have.

Add the mustard seeds and toast until they crackle.

Drop in the red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry for a few seconds until the chilies are darkened and the leaves are crisp, making sure not to burn everything.

Pour the seasonings and oil into the sambar mixture. Stir everything together and cover for 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy with “Never Have I Ever!” (If you aren’t making rice, you can eat this with premade rice, dosa or idli.)

The Easy Route
You could probably use a paste or powder in place of that last round, but it might not be as flavorful as making your own spiced oil.

We already took several shortcuts in this recipe, including the use of premade products like steamed lentils, tamarind concentrate, sambar powder and canned diced green chiles.

Of course, the easiest route is to find a restaurant near you that makes thakkali sambar and place an order for delivery or takeout.

The Pairing
As I said up top, I love “Never Have I Ever.” While I was sad to see it go earlier this year after four exceptional seasons, I was also glad it got to end on its own terms, unlike some of my other recent favorites that have been canceled way too soon.

“Never Have I Ever” revolves around Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a high school freshman who is a brilliant student and has just suffered through the untimely death of her father. The series, especially the first season, shows the different ways Devi processes her grief with support from her therapist, Dr. Ryan (Niecy Nash).

Meanwhile, the formative years of high school are happening, and Devi and her two best friends, Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young), are on a mission to lose their virginity.

Devi goes so far as to go right up to Paxton (Darren Barnett), the most popular kid in school, and tell him she would like to have sex.

I’m going to stop there with the plot intro, because there are some twists and turns across all four seasons that are wonderful, so you should check them out for yourselves.

I will say the clear chemistry between Devi and Ben (Jaren Lewison) as they bicker about being valedictorian throughout all four seasons is one thing that kept me coming back episode after episode.

The show also delves into Devi’s home life, with her mother, Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan), and a cousin who lives with them, Kamala (Richa Moorjani). These two actresses are just amazing in these roles, and they both get subplots to flesh out their characters, as do the supporting players in Devi’s academic and social life.

But Ramakrishnan does a great job with Devi as the heart and soul of this show, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

If you decide to make thakkali sambar and/or watch “Never Have I Ever,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, threads, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes