BENGALI CHANA DAAL (WITHOUT ONION-GARLIC)

The Combination of Daal & Poori is distinctive and piquant. This Chana Daal which I cooked in Bengali style tasted awesome even though it had no onion, no garlic and even no tomato. Very simple recipe but indeed the best chana daal I have ever cooked.

Chana dal is the split kernel of a variety of chickpea known as desi or bengal gram. It has a sweet and earthy flavor, and the cooked bean is about the size and shape of a corn kernel. This ancient legume has been around for centuries and remains a healthy and satisfying comfort food in India and the Middle East today. Chana Dal is one of the many legumes used to make dal, the family of Indian legume dishes that form the foundation of Indian cuisine.
Chana Daal is considered a food low in saturated fat, without any trans fats, and packed with nutritious carbohydrates.

Bengal gram dal or chana daal is a very healthy choice for Diabetic people also, because of the glycemic index, is almost unbelievably low. It has almost no effect on your blood glucose level. This is something that is very important to anyone with diabetes and to many other people as well. Technically, it has one of the lowest indexes of any food on the glycemic index, 8 (where glucose = 100). Its index is 5 according to one study and 11 according to another.

There are many methods of cooking thus healthy legume, but I cooked it the simplest way. One thing which I have experienced with time that if we really want to taste the original flavor of something, we should add minimal spices or other ingredients in it. There are many curries I make which include just salt and chili powder in terms of spices. One such curry in my blog is TARKAN GOBHI MATAR| MILD CAULIFLOWER CURRY

Let us proceed with the recipe of this simple yet Scruptious Chana ( Cholar daal)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram dal
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 inch Cinnamon stick
2 Black Cardamoms
1/2 tsp. Sugar ( optional)
2 cloves
3-4 Black Peppercorns

FOR TEMPERING

1 tablespoon ghee
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 green chilies, slit into halves lengthwise
4-5 Cashews
a pinch of asafoetida/hing

METHOD

1. Wash and soak chana dal in water for an hour or so. Put soaked dal with 2 1/2 Cups of water, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, black Cardamom, Peppercorns, sugar and salt in a Pressure cooker
2. On a medium to high flame pressure cook the dal for 3-4 whistles.Once the pressure settles down on its own then remove the lid.
3.If you think that water is more, Stir and and keep the cooker on a low flame to simmer the dal, till the water reduces a bit. If you think that water is less, then add 1/2 cup of boiling water to dal to give the right consistency.
4. For tempering ,in a pan heat ghee and add Bay leaves and cumin seeds.
5. Then add cashews and stir fry them till they turn golden brown. Add Asafoetida and raisins and give them a quick stir. Now add red chili powder and give a quick stir again. Now add green chilies and Quickly add boiled and spiced dal to the Pan. Cook this dal for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
6. Take it out in the serving bowl and add ghee or butter on top and serve hot with Pooris/luchis/rice/rotis and enjoy.
Thanks,
Swati.
Other Daal recipe you might be interested in
Garlic Spinach Dal