Varan bhaat is a vegan, [1] Indian food preparation involving pigeon pea dal and rice as its main ingredients. [2] It belongs to Marathi and Goan cuisine. Its other ingredients are turmeric powder, cumin seeds, asafoetida, jaggery and salt. [3] [4] According to Sanjeev Kapoor, it is a part of a Goan wedding meal. [4] Naivedhya offered to Ganapati on Ganesh Chaturthi includes varan bhaat. [5] It has been described as a favourite dish or comfort food by celebrities such as Priya Bapat, [6] Yatin Karyekar, [7] and the late Bhimsen Joshi. [8] Shobha De describes herself as one who is "as Marathi as varan bhaat", thus considering it as a quintessentially Marathi food preparation. [9] Varan bhaat has been described as "filling and non-spicy" and good to have during the Indian summers. [10] According to Tarla Dalal, the Gujarati preparation "lachko dal" and rice combination is similar to varan bhaat. [11] A CNN story includes it in the list of "40 Mumbai foods we can't live without", [12] describing varan bhaat as "simple and humble... soul satisfying food of Mumbai city".