Chana dal had a special place in my heart growing up, mainly because it wasn’t made every day in my house unlike the humble moong dal or the simple toor dal. My mom made chana dal once every few months when we got super bored of eating the same dal, so it always felt special. Her version had a simple masala base of onions and tomatoes finished with a tadka of ghee with garlic and cumin seeds.
My version of chana dal has more spices, and a deeper flavor. The smoky touch at the end takes it to the next level and it pairs beautifully with warm rotis or jeera rice.
This recipe has a special place in my heart and it’s truly one of my favorite dal recipes ever. There’s so much flavor in this dal that if anyone says that dals are boring, I will ask them to give this recipe a try, it might change their opinion on dal!
I also have an instant pot chana dal recipe on the blog, that’s much easier and one pot so if you are looking for a super simple recipe, check that out. For this recipe, I use a few extra spices and steps and boil the dal first and then make the masala in a separate pan and then mix the two and then finish it with a second tadka. This recipe is also vegan and gluten-free.
To Soak the Dal or Not?
I never soak my dal and I have never had a problem cooking it. However, some people experience the dal remaining uncooked if they don’t soak it- most of the time, it has to do with the dal being too old. If you are on the fence, I would recommend soaking it for 2 to 3 hours and if you are in a rush, soak it hot water for 45 minutes before you pressure cook it.
My Tips for a Flavor-Packed Dal!
- Use fresh ingredients– this is important since that’s how dal is traditionally made in India. I never ever saw canned tomatoes or chilies being used in my house and we ate dal every day. So, use fresh tomatoes, fresh ginger-garlic, chilies. Pounding the fresh ginger-garlic using a mortar and pestle adds lot of flavors.
- Add kasuri methi– dried fenugreek leaves give a wonderful aroma to the dal, so do not skip on them especially in this chana dal recipe.
- Smoke the dal– I love smoking my dals with dhungar method. The smoky flavors elevate the flavors of the dal and make it more dhaba-style/restaurant-style.
Ingredients
Let’s Make Chana Dal
- Pressure cook the chana dal
I like using my Instant Pot to cook the chana dal, if you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also cook the dal using a stove-top pressure cooker (8 to 10 whistles on high heat). Once cooked, the dal should be soft, and you should be able to mash it easily using your fingers (just like we cook the urad dal for dal makhani).
- Sauté the whole spices with onions
Whole spices like cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon make this dal very fragrant and I love using them in my recipe. Add the chopped onions once you can smell the aroma of the spices and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Use fresh ginger-garlic for maximum flavor
Freshly pounded ginger garlic (using a mortar pestle) makes a big difference to the final taste of dal. Cook until the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away and then add the tomatoes.
- Stir in the dry spices and cilantro
Once the masala “base is cooked”, then add the dry spices, I also like adding chopped cilantro along with spices. Cook for a little bit before adding the cooked chana dal.
- Let the dal simmer while you prepare the tadka
After mixing the dal with the masala, simmer the dal on low for 5 to 6 minutes, and meanwhile prepare a tadka with ghee, garlic and dried red chilies.
- Finish by giving dal a smoky flavor
After adding the tadka, I like doing the additional step of giving dal a smoky flavor by using dhungar method. Place a piece of hot charcoal (make sure it’s not the one that self-ignites) in a bowl placed inside the dal. Pour few drops of ghee on hot charcoal and cover the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes. The dal absorbs the smoky flavor. Serve hot with warm rotis and a side of homemade aloo gobi or my simple bhindi masala (my favorite combination)!
But I Don’t Have a Pressure Cooker?
No problem! You can easily make this on stovetop too. I would suggest soaking the dal overnight or for 6 hours minimum. Then add it to a pot with water, turmeric, and salt and bring it to boil. Then turn heat to medium, cover and cook for around 20-25 minutes, or until the dal is soft and cooked. Keep removing the white foam that forms on top of the dal as it cooks, with a spoon. Keep adding more water as needed. If you don’t soak it, the cooking time will be much longer.
Chana Dal Recipe (Step by Step)!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chana dal, 205 grams
- 3 cups water, 24 oz , divided, more or less as needed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 & ¼ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
- 6 large garlic cloves, divided, 4 whole and 2 chopped
- 1 & ½ inch ginger
- 1 green chili, or use more for extra heat
- 2 tablespoons +2 teaspoons oil , divided, 30 ml + 10 ml , I used avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 & ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 1 medium red onion, 160 grams , chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, 285 grams , chopped
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder, this is for color and is not hot
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, crushed, dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 whole dried red chili
- piece of charcoal , for dhungar method, optional
Instructions
- Rinse 1 cup chana dal (205 grams) and then add it to a pressure cooker along with 2 & ½ cups water (20 oz), ½ teaspoon turmeric and ¾ teaspoon salt.Pressure cook the dal until it's cooked and soft. On regular stove-top pressure cooker, it would take 8-10 whistles on high flame. If using an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 13 minutes. In both cases, let the pressure release naturally.
- Meanwhile, crush 4 large garlic cloves, 1 & ½ -inch ginger and 1 green chili in a mortar pestle and set it aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the whole spices- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 3 cloves, 2 green cardamom and 1 & ½ -inch cinnamon stick. Sauté for a few seconds until the spices are fragrant.
- Then add 1 medium onion (chopped) and cook for around 3 to 4 minutes until they are soft and start to change color. Now, add the freshly pounded garlic-ginger-green chili and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add 2 medium tomatoes (chopped), stir and cook for 7to 8 minutes until they are very soft and completely cooked. Also add ½ teaspoon salt along with the tomatoes.
- Then add the dry spices- ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and 1 teaspoon kasuri methi. Also add 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped). If you want to make the dal spicier, you can replace half of the Kashmiri red chili powder with regular chili powder which is hotter. Stir and cook the spices for 30 seconds.
- Now, add the boiled chana dal to the pan along with ½ to ¾ cup water ( 4 to 6 oz), depending on the consistency you prefer. Stir and let the dal simmer for 5 to 6 minutes on medium-low heat.
- For the tadka, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil (or you can use ghee) in a small pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add remaining 2 garlic cloves (chopped) and 1 dried red chili (break it before adding it to the dal for extra heat) and cook for one minute until the garlic starts changing color. Transfer tadka to the simmering chana dal and stir. You can serve the dal at this point or give it a smoky flavor.
- This step is optional. For the dhungar method, place a steel bowl on top of the dal. Then using tongs heat a piece of charcoal over direct heat until its red hot. Place the hot charcoal in that steel bowl on top of the dal using a pair of tongs .Pour oil or ghee on top of charcoal. You will immediately see fumes coming out of charcoal. Immediately close the pan with a lid. Let it remain like this for 3-5 minutes. Then remove the lid and remove the bowl from dal. The longer you keep the lid closed, the smokier dal will get. Enjoy hot with roti or rice.
Notes
- This recipe uses oil so it’s vegan. But you can use ghee here, it will add flavor and make it taste more restaurant-style.
- Use regular chili powder and more green chilies for a spicier dal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
