Dal Pakwan is a classic breakfast dish from Sindhi, Indian cuisine. Chana dal is served with PAKWAN (CRISP FRIED PURI), drizzled with some TAMARIND CHUTNEY, MINT-CILANTRO CHUTNEY and some chopped onions. Sharing an authentic recipe to prepare this lip-smacking chana dal, using pantry staples. This dal is traditionally served with pakwan, but it goes well with roti, puri or even steamed white rice.
WHAT IS DAL PAKWAN
Dal pakwan is a very popular, authentic Sindhi breakfast dish, relished by all ages. Dal pakwan, consists of mainly two components - dal and pakwan. Typically, chana dal is served over PAKWAN (CRISP FRIED PURI), drizzled with some TAMARIND CHUTNEY, MINT-CILANTRO CHUTNEY and some chopped onions. This classic dish is mainly served as a breakfast, but makes an excellent brunch or a snack.
Dal pakwan, is a bit time-consuming, it takes some time and patience to fry the pakwan. But, once you have it, trust me every bite is worth the effort. We all need a treat every once in a while, isn't. I prepare Dal pakwan, occasionally to treat my family. With little planning you can make some amazing dish, that will sure bring smile on everyone's face. And the best part of this dish is that, you can make this dal pakwan using pantry ingredients. Please see I have split this post in half, I will be covering how to make the chana dal for dal pakwan in this post. Please refer to my post for Pakwan that goes with this chana dal. Enjoy this authentic Sindhi breakfast - Dal Pakwan.
WHY I LOVE THIS CHANA DAL
Simple, comforting and tastes amazing.
Uses basic pantry ingredients.
Made with split chickpeas, easily available in most Indian / Asian grocery stores.
High in protein, and is quite filling.
Tempered with simple flavors using cumin seeds and asafoetida.
INGREDIENTS FOR DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
1 cup CHANA DAL (split chickpeas)
2 cups water for pressure cooking
½ teaspoon TURMERIC POWDER
1-2 tablespoon tamarind or lemon juice, adjust to taste
salt to taste
DRY SPICES
2 teaspoon CORIANDER POWDER
½ teaspoon CUMIN POWDER
½ teaspoon DRIED MANGO POWDER
½ teaspoon RED CHILI POWDER, adjust to taste
FOR TEMPERING
2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon CUMIN SEEDS
⅛ teaspoon ASAFOETIDA
FOR GARNISH
Handful of fresh cilantro
1 red onion, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
HOW TO MAKE DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
This dal is very easy to make and tastes amazing! The only time consuming part is soaking the dal. However, you can skip the soaking part and cook the dal little longer, it still tastes yum. With simple, basic tempering, this dal comes together in no time. I think the simplicity of this dal is what makes it so flavorful and delicious. The main flavors in the dal come from the tempering.
Tempering or tadka gives soul to this dish. This dal is tempered with most basic ingredients - flavorful cumin seeds, asafoetida and some aromatic Indian spices. Some tamarind juice or lemon juice is added to add some tangy flavor to this dal. Sharing the Chana Dal that is served with Pakwan, a crispy fried flatbread. You can make this dal in Instant Pot or in a stove top pressure cooker.
INSTANT POT DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
You will need INSTANT POT
As with all the lentils, I prefer to soak the lentils, even if it is for 5-10 minutes. I think soaking not only reduces the cooking time, but most importantly it enhances the flavors and helps eliminates any impurities in the lentils, beans or grains. If you prefer cooking the dal without soaking, simply increase the cooking time. Follow these simple steps for making this delicious dal pakwan Chana dal in Instant Pot.
Wash and soak the chana dal in water for 4 hours. After 4 hours, drain the water from the dal.
Note: You can do a quick soaking of dal. In a pot bring some water to a boil, now add washed and rinsed chana dal, cover and let it sit for around 45-60 minutes. After an hour, the chana dal will almost be double in size. Discard the water the chana dal was soaked in, rinse the dal and dal is ready to be used as suggested.
Note: You can also cook this dal without soaking, double the cooking time and add an extra ½ cup of water.
Pic Shown: Left - dry chana dal, Right - chana dal soaked for 4 hours
Add drained dal, water, turmeric and salt to taste. Close the Instant pot lid with vent on sealing position. Turn ON Instant Pot to MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK mode (high) for 20 minutes. Let pressure release naturally, around 10 minutes.
Open the Instant Pot, check the consistency of the dal, if desired add some water. I added around ½ cup of hot water.
Sprinkle dry spices – coriander powder, dried mango powder, red chili powder over the dal.
Prepare the tempering for the dal on a stove top. On a high heat, in a sauce pan, add oil. When oil is hot add cumin seeds, asafoetida, wait for cumin seeds to crackle. Turn OFF the heat. Pour the tempering over the dal.
Add lemon or tamarind juice to taste. Turn ON Instant Pot to SAUTE mode (more), bring dal to a gentle boil.
The consistency of this dal is semi-thick. Slightly mash the dal with the back of the spoon. Turn OFF Instant Pot.
Dish out the dal in a serving bowl. Garnish with some fresh cilantro. Enjoy Dal Pakwan Chana Dal ( split chickpeas) with some PAKWAN (CRISP FRIED PURI), Indian bread -roti, paratha or poori (fried Indian bread).
STOVE TOP PRESSURE COOKER DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
Follow the same recipe as discussed earlier. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Rest of the recipe is same as Instant Pot.
TIPS FOR DELICIOUS DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
Soaking the chana dal is not required. Soaking the dal does help enhance the flavor and creaminess in the dal. Soaking the dal also reduces the cooking time and also removes any impurities in the dal.
The dal thickens over the period of time. Add some water to adjust the consistency of the dal.
Since, this dal does not require a lot of ingredients, it gets most of the flavors from the tempering. You can add spices as per taste.
FAQ ABOUT DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
CAN I USE ANY OTHER LENTILS - Yes, you can use other lentils in combination with chana dal such as mung dal (with or without the husk), whole moong.
Note: Depending upon the type of lentils used, the taste of the dal will vary.
CAN I ADD GARAM MASALA - I personally, don’t prefer any other spice, in this recipe. However, if you like to add some additional flavor, feel free to use garam masala.
FOR TANGY FLAVOR - You can use tamarind pulp, some lemon or lime juice, for tangy flavor.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS - This dal does not need any elaborate sides, you can relish this yummy dal with some PAKWAN (CRISP FRIED PURI), Indian flatbread – roti, paratha or poori. The combo Dal Pakwan is what I grew up eating with. It can also be enjoyed with some poori as well.
HOW TO STORE DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL - Dal stays fresh for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Store it in a air-tight, glass container.
Dal can be frozen for up to a month. Freeze it in a freezer safe container. Defrost it in the refrigerator, heat and serve.
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Dal Pakwan Chana Dal
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS FOR DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
- 1 cup CHANA DAL (split chickpeas)
- 2 cups water for pressure cooking
- ½ teaspoon TURMERIC POWDER
- 1-2 tablespoon tamarind or lemon juice, adjust to taste
- salt to taste
DRY SPICES
- 2 teaspoon CORIANDER POWDER
- ½ teaspoon CUMIN POWDER
- ½ teaspoon DRIED MANGO POWDER (amchur), adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon RED CHILI POWDER, adjust to taste
FOR TEMPERING
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon CUMIN SEEDS
- ⅛ teaspoon ASAFOETIDA
FOR GARNISH
- Handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
INSTANT POT DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
- You will need INSTANT POT
- Wash and soak the chana dal in water for 4 hours. After 4 hours, drain the water from the dal.Note: You can also cook this dal without soaking, double the cooking time and add an extra ½ cup of water.
- Add drained dal, water, turmeric and salt to taste. Close the Instant pot lid with vent on sealing position. Turn ON Instant Pot to MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK mode (high) for 20 minutes. Let pressure release naturally, around 10 minutes.
- Open the Instant Pot, check the consistency of the dal, if desired add some water. I added around ½ cup of hot water.
- Sprinkle dry spices – coriander powder, dried mango powder, red chili powder over the dal.
- Prepare the tempering for the dal on a stove top. On a high heat, in a sauce pan, add oil. When oil is hot add cumin seeds, asafoetida, wait for cumin seeds to crackle. Turn OFF the heat. Pour the tempering over the dal.
- Add lemon or tamarind juice to taste. Turn ON Instant Pot to SAUTE mode (more), bring dal to a gentle boil.
- The consistency of this dal is semi-thick. Slightly mash the dal with the back of the spoon. Turn OFF Instant Pot.
- Dish out the dal in a serving bowl. Garnish with some fresh cilantro. Enjoy Dal Pakwan Chana Dal ( split chickpeas) with some PAKWAN (CRISP FRIED PURI), Indian bread -roti, paratha or poori (fried Indian bread).
STOVE TOP PRESSURE COOKER DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
- Follow the same recipe as discussed earlier. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Rest of the recipe is same as Instant Pot.
Notes
- TIPS FOR DELICIOUS DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
- FAQ ABOUT DAL PAKWAN CHANA DAL
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
KEYWORD
dal pakwan, chana dal, instant pot dal pakwan, instant pot chana dal
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