Chana Dal

As a diabetic I am always looking for things that I can eat which won't raise my blood sugar. Thanks to David Mendosa and his site I discovered Chana Dal.

This bean looks just like yellow split peas, but is quite different because it doesn't readily boil down to mush. It's more closely related to garbanzo beans, or chickpeas. The differences are that chana dal is younger, smaller, split, sweeter, and has a much lower glycemic index. But you can substitute chana dal for garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in just about any recipe.


My favorite way of cooking them is to:

Rinse and pick over 1 cup of the chana dal to make sure there are no little stones amongst the dal.
Place the chana dal in a crockpot on low.
Add 2 1/2 cups of very hot water or stock to the chana dal.
7 hrs or so later, the chana dal will be nice and soft.


The nice thing about this approach is that there is no pre-soaking, no foaming, no boil over, no sticking, and no stirring. I usually start it around 5pm, before Shabbat, and it is ready for Saturday lunch. If I have to make a pit stop during the night the smell that wafts up the stairs is incrediable.

Before I eat it, I will saute some onions and mushrooms and add them to the dal. Really nice with a salad with a dressing that has a bite to it.

Recommended seasonings for chick peas would apply to chana dal as well. These seasonings are chili peppers, coriander, cumin, curry, garam masala, garlic, ginger, lemon, onions, parsley, and turmeric. The source of this recommendation is Prevention's The Healthy Cook, Rodale Press, 1997, page 182.

I've bought chana dal in the local supermarket but it is not as nice as the dal I buy from the indoor market.


SPINACH AND CHANA DAL

(serves 4)

1 cup chana dal
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
1 tbsp mustard seeds
½ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp asafetida
2 dry red chilies
2 green chilies
10 oz/285 g canned spinach, drained
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
4 tbsp vegetable oil
fresh green chili to garnish


Wash and soak dal for 3 hours.
Boil the dal in 4 cups of water with salt, turmeric, until the dal is soft.
Chop the onions, ginger, green chilies.
Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan.
Add the mustard seeds, after 30 seconds add dry red chili and onion and cook, stirring until golden brown.
Add green chilies, ginger and the drained spinach to the pan.
Mix in a chili powder, coriander powder and cumin.
Stir - fry the mixture for 7-10 minutes over low heat.
Add the dal to the pan and blend into the spinach mixture, stirring gently. so that it does not break up.
Transfer the mixture to a serving dish. Garnish with green chili.
Serve immediately with rice or bread.


I haven't made this yet, it looks so good.

Chana Dal Halwa

250 grams Chana Dal
250 grams Jaggery (grounded)
5 Cloves
½ cup Coconut(grated)
3 tbsp. Poppy Seeds
1 cup Clarified Butter(Ghee)or Cooking Oil
50 grams Cashew Nuts(sliced)(for garnish)
50 grams Sultanas(for garnish)


1) In a dish soak the chana dal for at least 1 hour. Add 4 cups of water to it and cook it in the pan until it is soft. Set it aside and let it cool.

2) Powder the poppy seeds and the dry coconut. Heat 2 tbsp. of the ghee or oil in a non-stick pan and deep-fry the cashew nuts and sultanas. Drain out the ghee or oil and set aside.

3) In the remaining ghee or oil, while it is still on the fire; add the cloves and the boiled chana dal with water. Add the powdered poppy seeds and the dry coconut. When it starts boiling add the jaggery. Keep stirring until it turns dark brown. When all of the water evaporates, it will come to a soft consistency. Garnish with cashew nuts and sultanas.

4) Finally garnish with the cashew nuts and sultanas.

note: Jaggery is a coarse, unrefined sugar made from the sap of certain palm trees, and is popular throughout southern and Southeast Asia.

Jaggery is most often available in cake form, and ranges from fairly crumbly to nearly rock-hard. There are some versions available that are much softer, like brown sugar. It is available in Indian markets.