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Easy Chana Dal Recipe. Split chickpeas make a smooth nutty soup. Flavored with roasted cumin tempering. Make it in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or a Sauepan. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe
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This easy chana dal makes a fabulous weekday meal. Chana Dal are brown chickpeas that have been split and skinned/polished. They have the same earthy nutty flavor profile as brown chickpeas(which are also called bengal gram, Kala chana in Hindi). You can use split yellow peas or split pigeon peas to make this recipe as well.
Chana Dal has a great texture and flavor and is available online at Bob’s Red mill or anywhere where you can find bob’s red mill legumes or amazon(Chana Dal (Split Desi Chickpeas)
). Get these to add a variety to the legume pantry and use them anywhere where you use split peas for variation!
The dal is cooked to al dente, then cooked further with the flavoring ingredients like tomato, garlic, ginger and spices and then finished off with a toasty tempering of cumin seeds. Simple and delicious!
Serve the dal with flatbreads or rice or cooked grains and cooked or raw sliced veggies on the side.
Chana Dal beans look like split peas, but they are textured and not smooth on the outer side. Chana dal is often used in Northern Indian dals and used in southern Indian cooking in tempering, chutneys and sauces.
More Dals/Dahls from the blog
- Dal Makhani
- Curried Chickpea stuffed Acorn Squash
- Dal Baati – Pigeon Pea Soup.
- Chickpea Sundal – Spiced Chickpea Coconut Salad.
Seattle and surrounding area people: There will be a march on April 25 at 2 pm through the University of Washington to protest the new animal lab.
Countries are banning animal testing, and major universities shrinking their animal research andthe UW is actually planning to build a brand new expanded animal laboratory underground. Just this month, the acting UW President admitted to a NARN Board member that she had never even toured the current laboratories, (which have been cited numerous times for animal mistreatment). Pleasejoin in to bethe voice for the animals that might end up tortured in this lab.
Also, Tweet storm todayto keep the pressure on the city to sendelephants Bamboo and Chai to sanctuary instead of another zoo. TweetSheet:https://www.freewpzelephants.org/docs/Tweet_Sheet.pdf
I will be giving away a few spice tiffins(masala dabba – pictured below) at the book launch! So keep an eye on the posts in May.
Did I mention that there are 25+ Dals in the book. 🙂 Legume love!
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4.91 from 22 votes
Easy Chana Dal Recipe. Split Chickpea Soup
Easy Chana Dal Recipe. Split chickpeas make a smooth nutty soup. Flavored with roasted cumin tempering. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. Make it in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or a Sauepan
Prep Time1 hour hr
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 2
Calories: 106kcal
Author: Vegan Richa
Ingredients
Dal:
- 1/2 cup (96 g) chana dal - split chickpeas or use split peas
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 1 large tomato
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 inch (0.5 inch) ginger
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) turmeric
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) paprika
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/3 to 1/2 tsp salt
To temper:
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) oil
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cumin seeds
- a generous pinch of asafetida hing
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garam masala
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cayenne
- 1/4 cup (4 g) chopped cilantro
Instructions
Soak the dal for 1 hour to overnight. Drain and combine with 2 cups water in a saucepan. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat. Open the lid a crack if the water threatens to boil over.
Meanwhile, blend the tomato, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, paprika and cayenne with 1/2 cup of water until smooth.
Add the tomato mixture and salt to the cooking split peas. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes or until the split peas are tender. Mash some of the split peas and continue to simmer until desired tenderness and consistency.
Make the tempering: Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and cook until they change color. half to 1 minute. Add in the asafetida. Add half of this tempering, garam masala, cayenne to the simmering dal and mix in. Taste and adjust salt and spice. Take off heat, add cilantro and mix in. garnish with the remaining tempering and serve.
Video
Notes
To make oil-free: Dry roast the cumin seeds until they change color and get fragrant. Add the roasted seeds, asafetida, garam masala, cayenne to the simmering dal. Mix well. Add cilantro and serve.
To make it in an Instant pot or Pressure cooker: Soak the chana dal for atleast 15 minutes, drain. Combine with 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot/pressure cooker. Blend the tomato and rest of the ingredient under Dal until smooth. Add to the Instant pot. Cook at Manual 8 minutes in the Instant pot or Cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes after the pressure has reached in a stove top pressure cooker. Let the pressure release naturally. Follow the last step for the tempering and serving.
Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Easy Chana Dal Recipe. Split Chickpea Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 106Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Sodium 406mg18%
Potassium 283mg8%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 975IU20%
Vitamin C 12.6mg15%
Calcium 42mg4%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?Please do leave a comment and rating below.. Tag me on Instagram @veganricha
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Hillary
Yum – just made this for dinner and it’s delicious! I didn’t have asafetida, but an online search for a substitute said to use garlic powder, so I did that. Thanks Richa!Reply
Vegan Richa Support
perfect, thanks Hillary
Reply
Pat
I looked everywhere to find asafetida. Finally I found it and I was thrilled as it seems to be in so many Indian recipes. I used it once and nearly fell out! I did not like it at all. Is there anything you might recommend using in its place? I’m afraid to even open the glass jar I put it in for fear of the scent.
ThanksReply
Richa
It’s an acquired flavor. Just omit it. Add a bit more garlic
Reply
Brooke Webster
Oh man, I love this recipe, but it didn’t scale up well 🙁 I tried to make 6 servings. Scaled up to 6 c water plus 1.5 c more in the tomato mixture. Made it in the instant pot. Now I have a huge pot of dal flavored water. Bummer.
Reply
Richa
The widget just multiplies everything. This works in skillet recipes but not instant pot. For doubling in instant pot you should use 1.5 times the liquid and so on. Liquid doesn’t evaporate in the pot. So you don’t need exact double amount.
You can add in more split peas and cook for another cycleReply
Laura
Very good and easy recipe. A lot of flavor. I made with grilled vegetables as a side dish and added Chana dal on top —-delishReply
David de Graaf
This is a consistent favorite in our home. Rapid and straightforward. And most importantly delicious.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
always the most important factor, thanks
Reply
Sofia
Love the recipe! It’s quick and easy to understand. I actually tried this with other types of dal and it worked out great.Reply
Vegan Richa Support
perfect! I’m glad. thanks for popping in !
Reply
Nilima Srikantha
I’ve used your Easy Chana Dahl recipe many times this year. Making dahl to taste like what I’ve eaten in India can be tricky, but this recipe rates among the very best to my taste buds, I come back to it again and again when making Indian foods. Best of all, it really is easy!! Thank you for posting!Reply
Arshid
I just made it with one twist, added Kasturi methi and onions to the cumin seeds and asfotida. It was just unbelievable! The whole family loved it!
Reply
SapnaL
I’d like to make 8 servings v 2 as per original recipe in an instant pot. Would I use two cups water or eight cups water in instant pot (after soaking the chana for 15 min) ?
Reply
Richa
use 6 cups, you want to use a bit less than the doubled or multipled amount of liquid in instant pot recipes
Reply
Zachary
This is really a spectacular recipe and so easy. I didn’t have asafetida so I omitted it as you suggested. If I were going to use fresh chilis instead of cayenne, should I mince and temper with the cumin or blend with the tomato mixture?Reply
Susan Bradanini Betz
Delicious! I’ve made it several times and will keep making it!Reply
Esther Garibay
Absolutely loved this recipe and I’m even a first timer to this wonderful alternative to meat! Thank you for your tried and tested recipe which means I don’t have any of the “hard” work to accomplish when making something new!I just subscribed and am looking forward to the updates and continued recipes!
Reply
Richa
Tthanks!
Reply
Florian
Thanks for the lovely 5-star recipe. It’s a super base to experiment a bit with and adjust for your own preferences.
In the blended mix i added half an onion, increased the garlic to a more reasonable amount and added some roast dried chillies. Super delicious!
P.S. many asafoetida on the market seem to be spice mixes with wheat flour hence may contain some gluten. Choose a mix using rice flour if you can find it.
Happy cooking and eating.
Florian http://www.flovision.netReply
Gene Callahan
“Chana Dal are brown chickpeas that have been split and skinned/polished. They have the same earthy nutty flavor profile as brown chickpeas”Well, since this says they ARE brown chickpeas, that makes sense!
Reply
Bianca
This has become a weekly staple, even my mom asked for the recipe which she now cooks at home on a regular basis too. We absolutely love it, thank you.
Reply
Richa
thats awesome!
Reply
Leann
Fabulous!Reply
Brigit
The taste of this recipe is fabulous but it took over 3 hours to make (I don’t have a pressure cooker). To save time, could I cook a large batch of dal until almost done and freeze it, then continue as the recipe states?Reply
Richa
Yes you can freeze it. The chana dal is like split peas. if they are old, it takes them ages to cook
Reply
Susan Stinson
I bought some split chickpeas, but didn’t know how to cook them. I just made this recipe and I can not believe how delicious it is. I didn’t have a tomato, so I used paste. I also didn’t have the temper ingredients, so I added ground cumin to the tomato. All of that, and it still is delicious. Thank you so much.Reply
Sam
Will be cooking split chick peas for 300 people. I am planning to cook 10 kg of split chick peas. How much fresh tomato should I use? Can I use crushed tomato cans instead? Do you have any recipe for Methi Matar Malai as well?Reply
Richa
Woah 🙂 Yes you can use crushed tomato. For that large an amount, i would cook the split chickpeas separately and make the massala sauce separately. Make this bhuna masala https://www.veganricha.com/2017/01/bhuna-masala-sauce-30-minute-1-pot.html . That way you can heat portions of the split peas with the masala and simmer and serve as needed. And also adjust the flavor as needed with spices, salt etc.
Yes, use this recipe for methi malai matar. Use all fenugreek or other greens + fenugreek.
https://www.veganricha.com/2014/01/rainbow-chard-and-peas-in-creamy-gravy.htmlReply
Eli
So what is the difference between a dal and a curry?
Reply
Richa
Dal means lentils(whole, split lentils, all legumes, split peas etc). Dal is also the name for a dish made out of the lentils, a soupy/stewy dish. Like chana dal is split pea dal. It is like the term tea. Loose “Tea” is used to make stewed “tea”.
Curry is a generic name for a dish that is made with either of or a combination of veggies, beans, cheese, meats etc and Indian spices. It can be a wet curry with some sauce or a dry curry. There isnt a good translation in english for the Indian dishes, so many dishes like cauliflower subzi are called Cauliflower Curry.
Curry is also used differently depending on the country or person using the term. Curries in UK can be a generic sauce spiced with curry powder (curry powder is a spice blend which is a westernised blend and not indian). Thai, Indonesian, certain African cuisines also have curries which are very different from Indian curries.
Hope this helps!
Reply
bron
hi. is there a substitute for asafetida? thk u
Reply
Richa
you can omit it.
Reply
priti
Hii–can I substitute tomato puree for this? How much would I use? THanks so much 🙂
Reply
Richa
about a 1/3 cup
Reply
Kate
I have made this several times in my old stovetop pressure cooker. We love it. Simple and tasty. Thanks!Reply
priti
If you use instant pot do yo need to soak the daal first too?
Reply
Richa
You dont need to. I prefer to soak dals and beans even when pressure cooking as it helps cook them evenly. just a 15 minute soak in warm water will be enough.
Reply
Amy
I made this in my Instant Pot using the recommended amount of water. I debated changing it since I know that less water is usually required when using the IP since there is no evaporation, but thought I would follow the instructions since it specifically states the same amount of water for the IP. It was way too liquidy–not at all like the photo. My solution was to add additional chana dal (the same amount used originally) and cook an additional 8 minutes. This had a better consistency but I think it muted the flavors somewhat. I think next time I would used half the water called for in the stovetop recipe–and I would make it again!
Reply
Richa
You can reduce the water. The pictures are from a few hours later and the dal soaks up a lot of liquid while cooling. Indian Dals generally are made quite soupy traditionally. So there is room to adjust the liquid content to preference.
Reply
Asma
Hi! I just stumbled onto your site while looking for a Chana daal recipe. I’m making it today using the instant pot for the first time and wasn’t sure how to proceed. Any suggestions?
Reply
Richa
I just added it in the notes section of the recipe. I am adding IP specifi instructions to posts that use a pressure cooker on the blog in the next few weeks.
Reply
Lauren
Hi! I cannot get cumin seeds for the tempering. Would it be better to try to temper the ground cumin I have or just throw the spices in the stew and let it simmer? Thanks!
Reply
Richa
Add the ground cumin to the stew and skip the tempering part.
Reply
Kierah
Hello, I don’t have any tomatoes in the house. Just canned tomatoes… Do you think I can substitute? Thank you 🙂
Reply
Richa
Sure, canned tomatoes will do
Reply
@MumuShoes
Wondrous warming winter grub
Had to goooogle cilantro
Coriander in the uk !!Reply
Arun
Tried it
Super dal curry. Its simple and tasty
Thanks for the recipe
As a single man living alone this
Helped me a lotReply
Richa
Great!
Reply
Suzanne Powell
Looks delicious! Can I make this with my slow cooker? Thanks
Reply
Richa
Not sure. I have never used one 🙂
Reply
Raven
Did you ever make this in the slow cooker. This will be my first time making chana dal and I prefer to make big batches of food.Thank you
Reply
Emily
Made a double batch. This Dal always comes out so good!Reply
Peggy
If you made this in the instant pot, did you double the water?
Reply
Richa
see notes section for instant pot instructions.
Reply
Mae
I’m going to make this tonight! I can’t find chana dal anywhere. I have whole chickpeas and green split peas. Do you think either of those would work? Or should I go buy yellow split peas?
Reply
Mae
Ok, so I had to go back to the grocery store anyway, so I bought some yellow split peas. This is such an awesome and easy recipe! The spice level (heat) was exactly perfect for me. I’m definitely adding this to my list of easy work night meals 🙂 It comes together so easy…all of the prep and cleaning can be done in between steps. Love it!Reply
Richa
yay! glad it worked out! yes yellow split peas work great. I get either bob’s red mill chana dal online or the Indian store chana dal.
Reply
Charlotte Collins
Just wanted to say that it is really nice to see that you are not just a vegan blog that is about healthy food you are about the animals which for me,is the most important .
Thank you ,keep up the good messages !!
Reply
victoria cartwright
Oh my!!!!! Just played roulette with my local indian menu and ordered whatever my finger landed on and now im sooooooo glad it was chana dal because this has my mouth watering!!!!
Reply
Richa
yay!
Reply
amy
I like this recipe but I thought 3 cloves garlic was way too much. I will use just one next time and I also had to add about a tbs of sugar to cut down the acidity. I love how easy it is though!Reply
Richa
You can adjust the recipe to taste. This is more a traditional chana dal. Usually I would use 4 to 5 cloves of garlic. It also depends on the size of the clove, so maybe 3 very large cloves might be a bit much. The tomato cooks off with the split peas, so I don’t usually find the dal acidic enough and serve it with lemon.
Try this: Add the blended tomato to the tempering pan instead and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the tomato mixture thickens, that way the garlic will cook through and get mild and so will the tomato. Then add it to the simmering split peas.Reply
Laura
Hi, I hope this isn’t a dumb question, but can I just use chickpeas from a can? I know it will just be “chana” at that point as opposed to chana dal (since they won’t be split), but I’m not sure I’ll have time to soak the beans before I make it! Any thoughts would be most appreciated!
Reply
Richa
split chickpeas are dry chickpeas that are split. they look somewhat like red lentils. They cook faster than chickpeas. You can use chickpeas from a can for the recipe, it wont be a chana dal then. you also will not need that long a cooking time.
Reply
Ruth-Joy
What can you substitute for a pressure cooker?
Reply
Richa
The recipe is written to cook in a saucepan. you can also cook it in a pressure cooker.
Reply
Sabrina
This looks amazing. I just made a chickpea stew and am always looking for more chickpea recipes.
Reply
Teresa Kopel
Wonderful – I love chana dal at our local Indian restaurants and would love to make my own!
Reply
milaxx
YUM! I definitely want to try this!Reply
Lisa
Hi Richa, thanks for this recipe — and thanks for including the pressure cooker directions — I just got an Instant Pot on your recommendation in a recent post! And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pot! I was worried it wouldn’t work out for me and would end up in the “appliance graveyard,” but it’s wonderful. So far I’ve made perfect brown rice, wonderful polenta, and J.L. Fields’ black-eyed pea and collard green chili — and I’ve only had the cooker a couple of days. Next I’m going to make this dal! I just can’t say enough positive things about the Instant Pot; thank you SO much for mentioning it. It’s going to make cooking after work so much more do-able. I’ll be on the lookout for any more pressure cooker recipes/tips you feel like sharing. And I can’t wait till your book comes.
Thanks also for the info about the lab and the elephants. It’s hard to believe a large new lab would be built at this point in time — I’d hoped we were all becoming more enlightened than that. I wish I lived out West so I could go to the rally/march to protest. Ugh.
Reply
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship
This looks so good! Like, a healthy, indian, baked bean recipe!
Reply
Tamar
I love your recipes! And in this case I also love the little bowls! Where are they from?
Reply
Richa
you can get them at the larger indian stores like in new york or online on patelbrothers.com or amazon. i will be giving away a few bowls at the book launch too!
Reply
Cassie
LOL, I’m having roti and naan tonight for dinner! Gotta make the curry now 😉
Reply
Alvin
Can I do this using whole chana dahl? I bought too big a bag by mistake.
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Richa
I am not sure what you got. If its whole, then it wont be called chana dal. It would be called just chana. how does it look like. what does the bag say about cooking time?
if it is whole chana(brown chickpeas), you will have to cook it about 25-minutes in the pressure cookerReply
IR
This is a tasty recipe! I know the recipes in your book will be just as yummy! =)
I did research in a university, and from personal experience, some rats and mice do feel pain while being euthanized because every drug and every mammal is different…Luckily, I wasn’t the one who made the incisions, but it is still wrong. Every institution follows different protocols and sometimes do not have enough funds to pay for effective drugs. I wish there were better regulations or another way to conduct such studies…
Reply
Richa
This is a bigger lab with primates, mice, pigs, rabbits, cats and other animals. they are tripling the size of the current primate lab. UW’s Labs have had fines for mistreatment of and deaths of the animals. https://nonewanimallab.com/about/uw-animal-research-care-facility/
I hope all the pressure will make them reconsider. the baby monkeys 🙁Reply
Susan
I want to make this! I love yellow split peas and this will give me another option for making them. Thanks!
Reply
Veronica
I will start making all those delicious dals. I love beans and your recipes look delicious. I was searching for a khesari recipe, but didn’t find. Do you use it?
Reply
Richa
Great! No i dont use Khesari Dal. Khesari dal or grass pea is ok to eat infrequently, but should not be eaten too often.
Kesari also is a name of a dessert which is made with semolina and saffron. Not sure if you were looking for one or the other.Reply
Veronica
Yes Dal. I know contains a neurotoxine and should be rarely consumed, but I was curious how is prepared. It’s not important now that you mention the kesari dessert. 😀
Reply
Richa
🙂 i havent tried the dal yet. it might work in any dal recipe. just adjust cooking time.
Reply
Veronica
Thanks! I made this recipe and my tastes buds were completely satisfied 🙂 I served with a bowl of rice to make a complete meal. All those dals are just my kind of food, mushy and nutritious and delicious. Can’t wait to read your book, too!
Richa
Awesome! so glad you liked it!
Kalindi Morgan
Reply
Ivette
I purchased chana dal from my local Indian market…I soaked according to your instructions and proceed to make receive, to my DISMAY, 3 hours passed and the beans were STILL hard??? Do you know why?…also, I just left them prepared overnight in my fridge; am attempting to cook again today _ IF you can’t help, will I have to throw out?
Reply
Richa
hi Ivette, sometimes the beans are too old and they take too long to cook. This is a frequent problem with split peas (yellow or green) and split chickpea (chana dal). if you have a pressure cooker, they will cook quickly in the pressure cooker. if not, Just add more water, cover and continue to cook in a saucepan until they get tender. if they are already slightly tender, you can blend them up and cook for a bit and serve as pureed soup. don’t throw them yet.
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Steve
Great answer and thank you for your kind advice. Worked perfectly for me.
William Nemecek
That was banned due to a suspected neurological disorder associated with this Khesari dal. It was later reversed I believe for use for feeding animals. Why would you wamt to use this over Channa dal?
Reply
Maria
Ok, I want this right now!!! Do you deliver? 😉
Reply
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