Chana Dal
 
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Cook time
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Chana dal is a nutritious, delicious and easily digestible dal recipe. Chana dal is also known as Bengal gram. Chana dal goes well with roti, plain paratha, rice or pulao. Learn how to make chana dal with this step by step recipe.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4 - 5
Ingredients
  • 1 ¼ cup chana dal / bengal gram spilt and skinned
  • 5 cup water
  • ¾ cup fine chopped onion ( 1 large onion )
  • 1 cup fine chopped tomatoes ( 2 medium tomatoes )
  • 2 green chili
  • 7 – 8 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 8 – 10 curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • Pinch of asafetida
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • Salt according to taste ( approx. 2 tsp )
  • Coriander for garnishing
  • Lemon juice if required.
Instructions ( 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml)
  1. Wash the chana dal properly. Soak it for 1 hour in warm water. You can soak it more than 1 hour. It won’t be harmful.
  2. Drain the water and keep it aside.
  3. In a pressure cooker add chana dal, 5 cup water, salt and turmeric.
  4. Pressure cook for 7 – 8 whistles. Then keep on simmer for 10 min or cook till dal get cooked and soften.
  5. Allow it to cool down. When cooker get cool open it and mash the dal with spoon.
  6. When you are boiling the dal, meanwhile fine chop the onion, tomatoes and green chilies. Keep it aside. Make a fine paste of garlic and ginger in a mortar – pastel.
  7. Heat oil and ghee in a pan.
  8. Add cumin seeds.
  9. When cumin seeds crackle, add green chilies and curry leaves.
  10. Saute for a minute. Add fine chopped onion. Add pinch of salt. Mix well.
  11. Cook till onion get light brown in color. Add ginger-garlic paste. Mix well.
  12. Saute till raw aroma of garlic and ginger goes away.
  13. Add fine chopped tomatoes. Mix well.
  14. Add all dry spices except turmeric powder. Mix well.
  15. Cook till oil get separates from gravy. Add it into boiled chana dal. Mix well.
  16. Cook the chana dal till the chana dal get medium thick in consistency.
  17. Add fine chopped coriander. Add lemon juice if required.
  18. Garnish the chana dal with coriander leaves.
  19. Serve hot chana dal with [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]tej loung pulao, [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]steam rice or steamed rice.
Notes
If you don’t have more than 1 hour for soaking. Soak it in boiling water for 30 minutes. Then pressure cook it. If you planed in advance then you can soak it for 5 – 6 hours or overnight.
Recipe by Zeel's Kitchen at https://www.zeelskitchen.com/recipe/chana-dal/