The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word DHAL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
D
H
A
L
More clues leading to the result DHAL
- Bit of food in hospital eaten by boy, going the wrong way
- Pulse noted as children’s author has heart transplant
- Pulse found in fractured hallux
- Pulse showing Roald’s upset inside?
- No fun aimlessly mixing handful of lentils
- Henry following daughter’s vegetarian recipe?
- Allegedly Roald cooked lentils in India
- Author puts down a dish of lentils
- Dish having Asian lentils for starters?
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Dish having Asian lentils" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case dish having asian lentils = dhal.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does DHAL mean?
DHAL noun- Any of many dried husked pulses (legume), including peas, beans and lentils.
- A dish made from lentils, cooked with spices, tomatoes and onions etc.
- A tropical herb with yellow flowers; the pigeon pea.