Chana Dal Sabzi Recipe | How to make Chana Dal Sabzi

Chana Dal Sabzi Recipe | How to make Chana Dal Sabzi

Chana Dal Sabzi, do not get confused with Lauki Chana Dal curry or any other chana dal preparation. It is a sabzi type preparation using Chana dal. Once it was a new thing for me as I have always thought of all the dals mostly as curry. I had this sabzi in a dhaba where it was a dry preparation with a tadka of regular onion tomato and garlic. 

It is very important to soak dal for at least 6 hours before cooking. One dietician friend says that Dal should be always cooked soaked and never in a shortcut or quick fix. Dal is made to be eaten after soaking. Infect someone dealing with a rise in uric acid should always soak the dal for overnight before cooking and consuming it.

So I go by it and wash and soak the dal well in advance before putting it to boil in pressure cooker. Few dals may need 4 to 5 hours soaking and few may need more hours of soaking. Also soaking dal activates the enzyme phytase which helps in increased absorption of minerals in body. So next time if you plan to cook Choley, Rajma or any other dal, please soak well in advance and then cook. 

Now , lets come to Chana Dal Sabzi preparation. Chana Dal is a very common preparation as a curry often cooked with onion tomato paste and thrown in some garlic as well. In this recipe, we are going to keep the final dish dry. If you are curry liking person, please prepare a raita along side but give this dish a try !

Recipe Details : Chana Dal Sabzi

Ingredients for Chana Dal Sabzi

  • Chana Dal : 1 Cup
  • Onion : 1 (finely chopped )
  • Tomato : 2 medium (chopped)
  • Ginger Garlic Paste : 1 tsp
  • Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp
  • Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
  • Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp
  • Chopped Green Chili : 2
  • Coriander Powder : 1/2 tsp
  • Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp (adjust, optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Mustard Oil : 1 tsp
  • Lemon Juice : 2 tsp
  • How to make Chana Dal Sabzi

    In order to make Chana Dal Sabzi, heat oil in a pan. When oil is medium hot, add cumin seeds in it. Let the cumin seeds crackle and turn golden brown. Now add chopped onion. Here onion can be kept translucent or it can be browned. Please keep it the way you like it in your food. 

    Now, when onion is fried as per the mark, add dry spices one by one. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and mix well. Fry till all the spices are mixed well and the raw smell of spices is gone. Add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell of garlic is gone.

    Now add chopped tomato and green chilli. Cook until tomato is tender and the onion tomato mix starts separating from oil. When you are able to see the oil around the tomato onion mix, means that it is cooked.  Now add salt. 

    Now add Chana dal and 1/4 cup of water. Mix and cook covered until Chana dal is completely cooked. It takes around 20 minutes for well soaked Chana dal to completely cook on low flames. Keep stirring occasionally. If required, add more water but cook on the low flames. We should not add a lot of water. 

    After cooking for 20 good minutes , Chana Dal is soft and cooked completely. Here this cooking time will vary as per the thickness of Chana Dal and how well it soaked. Well check it by mashing it with a spoon. Completely cooked Chana dal will have no struggle during the process. Now, turn the flames off and keep it covered for 2 - 3 minutes. Garnish it with garam masala and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Sprinkle some lemon juice on top and it can be served with chapati or paratha. 


    Chana Dal can be accommodated along with other vegetables like bottle gourd (lauki) and Ridge Gourd (torai) . Lauki Chana Dal Curry is a very common preparation in summer in most north Indian homes. 

    What can be made of Chana Dal ?
    Chana Dal can be used to make Curry, Paratha, cutlets, soups and mixed in other vegetables. It can be used to make sweets like puran poli and halwa.

    What is Chana Dal in English ?
    Baby Chickpeas or Bengal Gram

    Why should we soak Chana dal before cooking ?
    Soaking dal activates the enzyme phytase which increases the absorption rate of minerals for body.

    Can we eat Dal daily ?
    Yes, specially for vegetarian people eating cooked dal once a day is important.

    Does Dal provide proteins ?
    Yes, For vegetarians dal is a major source of protein.  

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