Comfort food to millions of Tamilians around the globe, this southern Indian classic reminds me curiously of the European favorite, beef broth-laden (oh Hindu horrors!) French onion soup. The broth is assertive, the onion is slow-cooked to yield sugary sweetness, and the spices provide complex heat—all coming together to yield that meatlike taste (umami) so endearing to the southies (and maybe to the French too). I usually ladle this over a bowl of white rice, and for added richness,