Chana Dal Recipe (Punjabi Style)

chana dal garnished with coriander (cilantro) leaves in a white bowl

4.94 from 145 votes

This Chana Dal is a Punjabi-style recipe made with Bengal gram lentils (hulled and split black chickpeas) cooked with onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices. The lentils are simmered with a spiced onion-tomato base. It pairs well with Indian flatbreads like roti, phulka or paratha. This dal also goes well with steamed rice.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Soaking Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For cooking lentils

1 cup or 200 grams chana dal (bengal gram or split chickpeas)
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 oil or ghee (clarified butter)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons or 4 to 5 medium sized garlic – finely chopped
½ cup onions – finely chopped
1 cup or 2 medium sized tomatoes – finely chopped
½ to 1 teaspoon or 1 inch ginger – finely chopped
½ teaspoon or 1 green chilli – chopped, 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 dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed, optional
salt – chopped, as required
1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (cilantro)

US Customary - Metric

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.

Video

Notes

Lentils: Use fresh chana dal. Older lentils take longer to cook. Unpolished lentils are a good choice.
Soaking: Soak for faster cooking and better texture. If skipping, expect a longer cooking time.
Spices & aromatics: Adjust green chillies and red chilli powder to taste. You can skip onions and garlic if needed, but the flavor will change. Omit kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) if unavailable.
Tang: Amchur (dry mango powder) adds a light tang. You can use a little lemon juice instead or skip it.
Gluten-free: Skip hing (asafoetida) or use a gluten-free version.
Consistency: If thick, add some water and simmer. If thin, cook longer to thicken.

To cook chana dal in a pot or pan:

Soak the lentils for 1 hour.
Add soaked lentils and 4 cups water to a pot.
Add turmeric, cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until soft. Add more water if needed.
If it froths, cook uncovered first, then cover. A few drops of oil help reduce frothing.
Add the sautéed onion-tomato masala and simmer until slightly thick.

Nutrition