Chana Dal Recipe
Chana dal recipe – healthy, delicious and everyday dal recipe made with bengal gram. A video on how to make it in instant pot is shared above. In the card, both methods are shared stove top and instant pot.
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 131kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chana dal (Split bengal gram)
- 2 ½ cups Water for stovetop (2 cups water for instant pot)
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste or freshly grated
- 1 Green chilies chopped finely
- 1 cup Red onion chopped
- 1 cup Tomato chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- ½ teaspoon Lemon juice or lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped finely
For tadka (tempering)
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
- 8-10 Curry leaves
- 2 Dried red chilies broken into two pieces
Instructions
Preparation:
- Wash the dal under running cold water till water runs clear. Or rinse 2-3 times or till the water is not cloudy anymore.
- Soak the dal in enough water for at least 30 minutes or more. Then discard the soaking water.
Making on the stovetop:
- Take soaked dal, water, salt and a pinch of turmeric powder in a pressure cooker.
- Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and put the weight on. Let it cook for 6-7 whistles on medium heat.
- Let the pressure go down by itself. Then open the lid. Dal should be soft.
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chilies and cook for a minute.
- Then add chopped onions. and cook till they become translucent.
- Mix in chopped tomatoes and cook till they get soft.
- Mix in Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Saute for a minute.
- Add cooked dal with its water. If needed add extra water and make runny consistency.
- Let it come to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tadka on top as mentioned below and lemon juice.
Making in instant pot:
- Turn on the instant pot with saute mode. Once hot add oil.
- Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili. Sprinkle some salt to speed up the process. Mix and saute till onions become soft and light pink in color.
- Then add tomatoes and cook till they are soft and mushy.
- Then add remaining salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for 20-30 seconds.
- Add soaked dal and water. Stir well.
- Cover with the lid, keep the vent to sealing position. Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 10 minutes. If skipped the soaking step, then cook for 13-15 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally (NPR). Once the pin drops then open the lid.
- Add tadka as mentioned below. Add garam masala and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Making tadka:
- on the stove heat the oil in a small pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds. Let them pop.
- Then add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
- Add hing, curry leaves, and dried red chili.
- Immediately add the tempering to the dal, mix and serve.
Video
Notes
- Soaking the chana dal is not required. But it is recommended. If you have skipped the soaking step then you may need to cook the dal a few minutes more.
- I prefer the soft dal yet hold its shape. If you prefer the mushy version then you can cook a few minutes more to make it mushy.
- The water amount may vary depending on the dal consistency you prefer. The above measurements give medium-thick consistency. If you like thin add more water.
- You see, everything is customizable. Adjust as per your and your family’s liking (soft or mushy, spicy or less spicy, thin or thick dal).
Nutrition
Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5.3g | Fat: 5.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.7g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 618mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 6.2g | Sugar: 4.4g | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.6mg
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving
Tried this recipe?Please comment below and give ★ ratings