channa Archives | The Indian Foodie

This dal curry is made out of the split chickpea (Bengal gram) with the husk removed. I sometimes use this lentil to make a simple soup by seasoning it with sauteed onions, bay leaf, turmeric, and cumin powder.

This dal was a must every time Biryani was fixed at home. To make the dal tastier, Mom would have Cook add the bones left over from the large cut of meat that was chopped up for the Biryani. Since I use boneless meat for the Byriani, I add beef broth to give it a meatier taste, but it also tastes perfectly good just by adding water.

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Channa Dal Curry (Split Chick Pea Curry)

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 2

Servings 6

A delicious healthy, nutritious lentil dish that you can serve as a main dish or side dish. It goes perfectly with Biriyani, any kind of pilaf, plain boiled rice, or flat bread.

Ingredients

2 cups dried split chickpea dal (Sort for stones and grit, clean, and rinse. Soak the chickpeas for half an hour)
4 tbsp cooking oil
2 medium onions (chopped fine)
1 medium green Serrano chili (chopped very fine)
2 tbsp tomato paste (or 1 8 oz can tomato sauce)
1 tbsp ginger paste (preferably fresh)
1 tbsp garlic paste (preferably fresh)
salt (to taste)
4 cups water (or more, depending on the amount of gravy you want)
1 tbsp fresh green coriander (finely chopped for garnish)

Whole Spices

1 large black cardamom
2 medium Bay leaves
3 cloves
5 peppercorns

Masalas

2 tsp coriander powder
1 ½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp tumeric powder
¼ tsp red chili powder (more or less, according to your taste)

Instructions

Preparation

Sort for stones and grit, and clean, and rinse the chickpeas.
Soak for half an hour.

To Cook

Heat oil in a 4-6 quart pot over medium heat.
Add the whole spices and then add the onions. Sauté until the onions are ¾ brown. Approximately 8-10 minutes.
Add the ginger and garlic paste, then add all the masalas and stir a few minutes until fragrant. About 1-2 minutes.
Add the chickpeas, water, and tomato paste. Partially cover and cook until nice and tender. Approximately 45 minutes.
When nearly done, mash some of the lentils against the side of the pot to make a thicker gravy.
Cook for another 10 minutes.
Pour into a serving dish and garnish with about a tablespoon full of fresh chopped cilantro.

Notes

1. You can substitute some of the water with vegetable, beef or chicken broth. Add additional water if necessary to get a thick soupy consistency.

2. You can also serve this dal with Biryani, any kind of pilaf, plain boiled rice, or flat bread.

3. You can boil the dal separately and then add it to the curry masala and let it simmer for 15 minutes to absorb all the flavors.

4. I like to use a pressure cooker to hasten the process.

Course: Main Course, Non-Vegetarian

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Bengal gram, channa dal, curry

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We are visiting my husband’s Mamajee (mother’s brother) in Chandigarh. Mamijee (his wife) is busy in the kitchen supervising the meal. I am with her to see if I can lend a hand—and, since I am family, it would be most disrespectful of me to sit like a guest and not ask if I can help! The dal is already boiled, and the lauki (bottle gourd) is being prepared. I watch and try to stay out of the way until I am needed.

Bottle gourd belongs to the family of summer squashes in India like Ridge gourd (Tori) and Indian round gourd (Tinda).

Lauki always makes me think of Loki in Norse Mythology!

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Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd Chickpea Curry)

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings 6 people

A North Indian specialty, perfect for a vegetarian main or side dish!

Ingredients

For the Dal

1 cup channa dal
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger root
½ tsp turmeric
4 cups water

For the Gourd

1 medium gourd, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion chopped fine
2 medium tomatoes chopped fine
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1 serrano chili, sliced in half (optional)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)
½ tsp ground cumin powder
¼ tsp garam masala (or to your taste)
1½-2 cups water
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (fresh green coriander leaves)
3 tbsp cooking oil

Instructions

For the Dal

Sort and clean the dal well of any grit. Wash, rubbing grains together with your fingers, at least 3 times and soak in water for half an hour, then drain and place in a 4 to 6-quart pot.
Add 4 cups of water, chopped ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Set on the stove and cook on high, partially covered, until it comes to a rolling boil. You can remove any froth that surfaces with a spoon.
Lower heat and let simmer for approximately 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and blended. Turn off the heat.

For the Gourd

Peel and cut the gourd in half, then cut in half again and chop into bite-size bits. If the gourd is more mature, the inside flesh might be a little spongy, and you can remove some of it. Immerse in a bowl of water and set aside.

For the Curry

Heat oil in a large pot. Add cumin seeds and wait until they sputter and turn brown, about 30 seconds (careful, they burn quickly!).
Add finely chopped onions and sauté until three-quarters brown, 8-10 mins.
Add the turmeric powder, cumin, and red chili powder. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the finely chopped tomatoes. Let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are cooked and start to curl.
Add the bottle gourd after draining. Stir for about one minute, then add 2 cups of water. Cover and cook until almost done, approximately 15minutes.
Add to the cooked dal and let boil for another 5-10 minutes so the curry and dal are blended and flavors infused.
Check for salt. Add more hot water if the consistency is too thick. Sprinkle the garam masala on top and stir.
Pour into a deep serving dish. Garnish with coriander.

Notes

Serve with plain boiled white rice or rotis.

You can omit the tomatoes—it still tastes good!

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chickpea, north indian, vegan, vegetarian

Farmers’ Market (Apni Mandi) in Chandigarh by Sarbjit Bahga

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