How to Make Chana Dal at Home

Chana Dal
Chana Dal

Chana Dal

Chana dal is an Indian lentil recipe made with chana dal (split Bengal gram), tomatoes, onions, spices, and herbs.  This is a very simple, easy, and quick dal recipe, which goes well with steamed rice, seasoned rice, roti, paratha, or with poori.  This is a vegetarian recipe.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chana dal
  • 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped.
  • 2 small tomatoes finely chopped.
  • 7-8 Garlic cloves finely chopped.
  • 1 inch ginger finely chopped.
  • Finey chopped green chillies to taste.
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder.
  • 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil or ghee
  • Salt to taste.
  • Water as required.
  • 1/4th tsp hing (asafoetida).
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder or to taste.
  • ½ tsp cumin powder.
  • 1 tsp coriander powder.
  • ½ tsp garam masala.
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves.

Instructions
 

  • Take a bowl and add the chana dal.
  • Rinse the chana dal 3-4 times and soak the dal for at least 1 hour.
  • After the dal soaked for 1 hour, take a pressure cooker and add the soaked dal along with1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder, salt to taste, water as required to boil the dal, and 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil, and mix all these ingredients well.
  • Put on the pressure cooker lid and pressure cook the dal on a medium flame for 4-5 whistles or until dal is well cooked.
  • Turn off the flame and let the pressure cooker to release the pressure itself.
  • When pressure cooker releases all pressure, remove the lid and transfer the dal to a bowl and keep aside for later use.
  • Take a kadai and turn on the flame.
  • When kadai is hot, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil or ghee.
  • When oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
  • Add chopped garlic, ginger, finely chopped green chillies to taste, and hing.
  • Mix all these ingredients well and saute the garlic and ginger on a medium flame until they turn light golden in colour.
  • Add chopped onions and mix well.
  • Saute the onions on a medium to high flame until onion turns light golden in colour.
  • Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, and salt to taste and mix well.
  • Cover the lid and cook the tomatoes on a medium flame until tomatoes are soft and mushy by stirring occasionally.
  • When tomatoes are soft, add red chilli powder to taste, cumin powder, and coriander powder and mix well.
  • Cook the masala on a low to medium flame for 4-5 minutes or until oil gets separated from the masala by stirring occasionally.
  • When masala is well cooked, add boiled chana dal and mix well.
  • Add water as required and mix well.
  • Increase the flame and let the water come to a boil.
  • When water comes to a boil, lower the flame and simmer the dal for 10 minutes by stirring often.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala and chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
  • Cover the lid and cook the dal for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Turn off the flame and transfer the dal into a serving bowl and serve hot with roti, paratha, poori, steamed rice, or with seasoned rice.

Notes

You may increase or decrease the quantity of ingredients depending on your taste and for how many people you are making for.

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