Google will show you many ways to make this. I’ve opted for this recipe because it’s one that was shared by my family friend from Delhi and is the one I keep coming back to.
SERVES 4
250g chana dal
1 litre of water
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
TADKA
3 tbsp vegetable oils
1 tsp cumin seeds
110g white onions, thinly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or mild chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
Finely chopped tomato, 90g
2.5cm ginger root, sliced in matchsticks
Salt, to your liking
To garnish: Chop coriander
- Place the chana daal, water, and turmeric in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 1¼ hours, until the dal is soft, stirring every few minutes to make sure the dal doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Use a potato masher to mash the dal. Turn off the heat and let cool.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. After a few seconds, add cumin seeds. Next, add the onions. Fry for 8 minutes, stirring often so that they brown evenly. Stir in the garlic. After frying for a minute, add the crushed fennel seed, chilli powder, and ground coriander. Once the tomato is softened, add the ginger to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Pour the tadka mixture over the cooked dal. Add enough boiling water to thin out the dal. Let the dal simmer for a few more minutes to heat through. Once it is heated through, season it with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve with rice or roti.