Obama says he knows how to make 'dal'

Former US president Barack Obama on Friday revealed his culinary skills, saying that, "I'm pretty sure I'm the first US president to have the dal (lentil) recipe. My keema is also excellent... my chicken is okay."

Speaking at a newspaper event, he said a waiter who served him dal on Thursday night, among other dishes, began explaining how it was made. Obama said he told the waiter that he need not do so since he knew how to make daal and had learnt the recipe from his Indian roommate when he was a student.

Asked whether he could make a chapati, Obama said he could not. "Ah, no, making a chapati is too hard," he said.

Asked who represents America - "Donald Duck or Donald Trump," Obama said, "The cacophony of America is what I love about the country. The political trends are a thread of life. One of the joys and frustrations about America is that it can be contradictory. We can be kind and cruel. I think it's the same with India."