Chana dal pakora recipe with step by step photos – these crispy fried fritters made from bengal gram are one of the favorite tea time snacks at home.
These chana dal pakora Are different from the South Indian dal vada in terms of taste and texture. The taste is different as no curry leaves are used here. The texture is different as the chana dal is ground finely unlike the batter made for vada. Also some water is added when grinding the soaked chana dal. The result is a crisp texture from out and a soft bite from within.
In India, we make pakoras or fritters from many veggies as well as from lentils. while making pakoras from lentils, we need to grind them in a grinder and make a smooth batter along with some spices. I always soak the lentils overnight. But if short of time, you can soak the lentils for about 3 to 4 hours.
Serve the chana dal pakora hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup. A cup of hot ginger tea or masala chai will also go well with them. Here I served with my very easy and quick recipe of coconut chutney that requires no tempering.
If you are looking for more Pakora recipes then do check:
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chana dal pakoda
Ingredients
for grinding pakora batter
- ½ cup chana dal (bengal gram)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 to 3 small garlic cloves - roughly chopped
- ½ inch ginger - roughly chopped
- 1 green chili - roughly chopped
- 1.5 to 2 tablespoon chopped onion
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 pinch baking soda (optional)
- 1.5 to 2 tablespoon water for grinding
other ingredients
- 2 tablespoon chopped onion - to be added later to the ground batter
- ½ to ¾ tablespoon chopped coriander leaves - can also be added later in the batter
- salt as required
- oil for deep frying or shallow frying
Instructions
making chana dal pakora batter
- Pick and then rinse the dal for a couple of times in water.
- Soak the chana dal in enough water for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
- Drain the soaked dal and add them to the grinder.
- Add 1.5 to 2 tbsp chopped onion along with the chopped green chilies, ginger and garlic, asafoetida, fennel seeds, cumin seeds in the grinder.
- Add 1.5 to 2 tbsp water and grind to a smooth batter.
- Take the ground batter in a bowl. Add 2 tbsp chopped onion and salt.
- Also add a pinch of baking soda if using. Mix the batter very well.
making chana dal pakora
- Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai.
- Drop spoonfuls of the batter in medium hot oil.
- Fry the pakoras till crisp and golden.
- Drain the pakoras on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Serve chana dal pakoras hot or warm with green chutney or coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.
Step by step chana dal pakora recipe
1. Soak the chana dal in enough water overnight or for 3 to 4 hours. Drain them and keep aside.
2. In a wet grinder, add onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and whole spices. Add 1.5 to 2 tbsp water and grind to a smooth batter.
3. Take the ground batter in a bowl. Add some chopped onions & salt to it and mix well
4. Drop spoonfuls of the batter in medium hot oil and deep fry or shallow fry the pakora till crisp and golden.
5. Drain the chana dal pakora on paper towels to remove excess oil.
6. Serve chana dal pakora hot with green chutney or coconut chutney or tomato sauce.
Thank u Dassana ji the pakora were very tasty… My family really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing ur recipes with us.. I follow your website & I love all the recipes… Especially the detailed steps.its very helpful. God bless you & your family.
Thanks a lot cynthia for the feedback on the recipe as well as your kind wishes. Thanks for the rating too. Most welcome and happy cooking.
Hi I was wondering can I make the batter completely and keep overnight in the fridge to fry the next morning? Thanks
Yes you can do that.
Thanks for the detailed explanation which is now very clear to me.
welcome winnie.
An excellent recipe.the pakodas turned out too good.great tea time snack.everybody at home loved it.
Just wanted to know what difference it would make in texture if the lentils are soaked overnight or for 2 to 3 hours.thanks.
thank you winnie. soaking lentils overnight helps them to grind easily and they are easy to digest too. soaking chana dal for 2 to 3 hours gives a crisper texture as compared to soaking overnight. chana dal soaked overnight has a more softer texture as compared to chana dal soaked for 2 to 3 hours. so if you are looking for a crispy crunchy texture, then soak chana dal for 2 to 3 hours. hope this helps.
Thank u dassana jee the pakora were really yummy.. Thanks for sharing ur recipes with us.. I am in love with ur website.. god bless you:)
welcome ramona and thanks for your blessing and appreciating the site. keep visiting.