Chana Dal Recipe (Punjabi Style)
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
20 mins
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Soaking Time
1 hr
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Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
272 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Indian
Chana Dal Recipe (Punjabi Style)
Description
The Chana Dal Recipe (Punjabi Style) features chana dal lentils cooked with turmeric until tender and then combined with a flavorful tempering of cumin seeds, finely chopped garlic and ginger, onions, and diced tomatoes. The addition of spices such as red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, dry mango powder, and optional asafoetida and fenugreek leaves builds layers of aroma and taste. The lentils become soft and mushy after pressure cooking, creating a thick, hearty dal.
Cooking this dal involves soaking the lentils to reduce cooking time and enhance softness. After pressure cooking, the spiced onion-tomato mixture is sautéed and then stirred into the dal, with simmering to adjust consistency. The result is a dish with a mildly tangy and savory profile balanced by spices and subtle heat from green chilies.
Chana Dal is traditionally served hot and can be enjoyed with plain rice or Indian breads. It offers a satisfying, protein-rich meal component and can be adjusted in spice level by modifying chili quantities. The recipe notes emphasize fresh lentils for best results and offer tips for consistency adjustments by adding water if too thick or simmering longer if too thin.
Ingredients
For cooking lentils
- 1 cup chana dal (bengal gram or split chickpeas) - 200 grams
- 2.5 to 3 cups water for stovetop pressure cooking and 2 to 2.5 cups water for Instant Pot cooking
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Other ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil or ghee (clarified butter, generic cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons garlic - finely chopped, or 4 to 5 medium-sized garlic
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- 1 cup tomato finely chopped, or 2 medium-sized tomatoes
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ginger - finely chopped, or 1 inch ginger
- ½ teaspoon green chilies - chopped, or 1 green chilli, can use serrano pepper instead
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or add as required * check point 4 in notes below
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves kasuri methi) - crushed, optional, dry
- salt - chopped, as required
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
Cooking Lentils
- Pick and rinse the chana dal well in running water.
- Soak the dal in enough water for an hour. Or soak in hot water (not boiling hot water) for 30 minutes.
- Drain the lentils and add them to a 3 litre pressure cooker along with turmeric powder. Add 2.5 to 3 cups water in the cooker and stir well. For Instant pot add 2 to 2.5 cups water.
- On a high heat pressure cook the lentils for 10 to 11 minutes or for 7 to 8 whistles or more, till the dal is softened and well cooked.
- In the instant pot, pressure cook on high mode for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Allow the cooker or Instant Pot to do a complete natural pressure release before unsealing the lid. That means to let the pressure falls on its own in the cooker or instant pot.
- Check the lentils. They should be very soft and easy to mush with the back of a spoon.
- Cover and set aside the cooked chana dal.
Making Chana Dal
- In another pan, heat oil or ghee.
- Add the cumin seeds first and fry for a few seconds till they splutter.
- Then add the garlic and fry till they become light brown.
- Now add the onions and fry till they get golden stirring often.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes, ginger and green chili.
- Stir and add all the dry spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, asafoetida, dry mango powder and coriander powder.
- Sauté stirring often till the tomatoes soften and the oil starts to leave the sides of the mixture.
- Add the crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) and stir.
- Pour the cooked chana dal together with its stock to the sautéed masala mixture or vice versa. Season with salt according to taste.
- Stir and simmer the dal for 6 to 8 minutes or more till you get medium consistency of the dal. The consistency is neither thick nor thin.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve the chana dal hot with some basmati rice or roti or bread.
Notes
- Soaking the lentils before cooking reduces their cooking time and improves texture.
- Adjust green chili and red chili powder amounts to control spiciness according to preference.
- Onion and garlic can be omitted but will alter the traditional flavor profile.
- Dry mango powder adds tanginess but can be substituted with lemon juice or omitted.
- Use fresh chana dal for quicker cooking; aged lentils require longer cooking.
- Adjust dal thickness after cooking by adding water or simmering longer as needed.
- For gluten-free preparation, omit asafoetida or use a gluten-free version.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 272 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 272kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 34g | 11% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 312mg | 13% |
| Potassium | 178mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 12g | 48% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 567IU | 11% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1mg | |
| Vitamin C | 10mg | 11% |
| Vitamin E | 5mg | |
| Vitamin K | 6µg | |
| Calcium | 102mg | 10% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 13µg | |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
| Magnesium | 12mg | 3% |
| Phosphorus | 20mg | |
| Zinc | 1mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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