Dhokla To Vada: 8 Tasty Recipes You Can Prepare With Chana Dal

Lentils are an integral part of Indian cuisine, and we include them at every meal. Loaded with protein, fibre, and vitamins, they can be easily incorporated into your diet. According to Healthline, consuming lentils daily can manage blood pressure, improve cholesterol, and support weight loss. There are a variety of lentils available in India; some popular ones are split pigeon peas, green lentils, red lentils, and split chickpeas.

Talking particularly about split chickpeas, they are high in soluble fibre, protein, manganese, and potassium. Commonly known as chana dal, it is considered to be the best for diabetic patients as it has almost no sugar and yet provides the body with the required energy. It can be enjoyed with both rice and roti. But if you are bored of your regular chana dal recipe, we have some interesting options for you.

From dhokla to vada, here are eight recipes you can prepare with chana dal:

Chana Dal Dhokla

Video Credits-NishaMadhulika/YouTube

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4 

Ingredients  

• 1 cup chana dal (soaked for 3–4 hours) 
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon of ginger paste 
• 1 teaspoon of green chilli paste 
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 tablespoon of oil 
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 
• Few curry leaves 
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing 

Method 

• Grind soaked chana dal into a smooth paste by adding a little water if needed. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chana dal paste, rice flour, yoghurt, ginger paste, green chilli paste, turmeric powder, and salt.
• Mix well to form a smooth batter. Let it rest for about 20–30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the steamer by adding water and bringing it to a boil. 
• Grease a round pan with oil. Set it aside. Then, add baking soda to the batter and mix well. The batter will become frothy. Pour the batter into the greased pan and place it in the steamer. Steam it for about 15–20 minutes.
• Once cooked, remove the pan from the steamer and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, cut the dhokla into the desired shapes.
• Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. Once they start spluttering, add sesame seeds and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds and remove from heat. Pour this tempering over the cut dhokla pieces. 
• Serve the chana dal dhokla garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves and accompanied by the coconut chutney.

Chana Dal Pitha 

Servings-3 

Ingredients: 

For the dough: 

• 1 cup of rice flour 
• 1/2 cup of water 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling: 

• 1 cup chana dal (soaked) 
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon of ginger paste 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
• 1 teaspoon of coriander powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder (optional) 
• Salt to taste 
• 2 tablespoons of oil

For the tempering: 

• 1 tablespoon of oil 
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
• A pinch of asafoetida 
• Few curry leaves 

Method: 

• In a mixing bowl, combine rice flour, salt, and water. Knead it into a soft and smooth dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and set it aside. 
• Cook chana dal for about 3–4 whistles. Once the chana dal is cooked, drain any excess water and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Mash the dal using a spoon or a potato masher. 
• In a pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then, add chopped onions, green chilies, and ginger paste. Sauté until the onions turn translucent. 
• Add the mashed chana dal to the pan along with coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder (if using), and salt. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let the filling cool. 
• Divide the prepared dough into small portions and roll each portion into a small disc or circle. Place a spoonful of the chana dal filling in the centre of each disc and seal it to form a dumpling-like shape.  
• In a steamer, place the prepared pitha and steam them for about 12–15 minutes, or until they become firm and cooked. 
• Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Let them splutter and release their flavours. Remove from heat. 
• Once the chana dal pitha is cooked, remove it from the steamer and drizzle the prepared tempering over it. Serve hot. 

Chana Dal Chutney 

Total Time: 15 minutes 

Servings: 4 

Ingredients 

• ¼ cup chana dal (roasted) 
• ¼ cup shredded coconut  
• 4 dried red chillies 
• 1 stalk of curry leaves 
• 3 cloves of garlic, optional 
• 1 small marble-size tamarind 
• 1 tablespoon of oil 
• salt to taste 
• water as required for grinding 

For Tempering 

• 1 tablespoon of oil 
• ½ teaspoons of mustard 
• ½ teaspoons of urad dal 
• few curry leaves 
• 1 dried red chilli (broken) 

Method 

• Take chana dal in a bowl, add chillies, curry leaves, and garlic, and sauté till the red chillies puff up. Cool completely. 
• Transfer the sauteed ingredients into a blender and add shredded coconut, tamarind, and salt. Add water as required and blend to make a smooth paste. 
• Now for tempering, heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil, add mustard seeds and urad dal, and allow the mustard to crackle and the urad dal to turn a light brown. Then add red chilli, hing, and curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds. Pour over the chutney and mix it well. Enjoy chana dal chutney with dosa or idli. 

Chana Dal Tadka

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes 

Servings-4 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup chana dal (soaked for 30 minutes) 
• 2 cups of water 
• 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped 
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste 
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 
• 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder 
• Salt to taste 
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing 
• 2 tablespoons of oil 

Method 

• In a pressure cooker, heat oil and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let them splutter. Add chopped onions and green chilies to the cooker. Sauté until the onions turn translucent. 
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute. Now, add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes soften. 
• Add soaked chana dal to the cooker and mix well. Pour 2 cups of water into the cooker, close the lid, and cook on medium heat for about 3–4 whistles. 
• Once the pressure releases naturally, bring the dal to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Heat a small pan with a teaspoon of oil and add some cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
• Pour the tempering over the cooked dal and mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve. 

Chana Dal Chaat 

Total Time-15 minutes 

Servings-2

Ingredients   

• 1 cup chana dal (soaked) 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 tomato, chopped 
• 1-2 green chillies, chopped 
• Half cup green chutney 
• 1 tsp black pepper 
• 2 tsp chaat masala 
• Salt to taste 
• Red chilli powder to taste 
• 1 lemon 

Method   

• Deep fry the dal in a strainer till it turns golden and crispy. Sprinkle some salt, black pepper powder and red chili powder on the dal and toss well. 
• Add chana dal in a bowl. Add chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chillies, green chutney, salt, black salt, chaat masala and mix well. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon juice and serve. 

Ghiya Chana Dal 

Total Time-30 minutes 

Servings-4 

Ingredients  

• 1 cup chana dal 
• 5 cup water 
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp turmeric 
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger 
• 2 tbsp ghee  
• 1 tsp cumin seeds 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1/4 cup grated tomatoes 
• 2-3 green chillies, slit 
• 1/2 tsp garam masala 
• 2 tsp powdered dhania  
• 1 tsp chilli powder 
• 2 cups bottle gourd, peeled and cut into small pieces 
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnishing 

Method 

• Pressure cook the dal with 3 cups water, salt, turmeric and ginger. Cook the lentils for about 12 minutes. Heat the ghee in a pan and add cumin and bay leaves.  
• When the seeds splutter, add the tomatoes and stir-fry till the fat separates. Add the green chillies, garam masala, dhania, chilli powder and bottle gourd and mix well. 
• Add the dal to this mixture and bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve hot garnished with the coriander leaves. 

Chana Dal Tikki 

Total Time-1 hour 

Servings-4 

Ingredients  

• 1 cup split bengal gram, soaked 
• 1/2 cup scraped fresh coconut  
• oil for shallow frying 
• 2 green chillies, roughly chopped  
• 1 inch ginger, roughly chopped  
• 2 onions, chopped 
• salt to taste 
• 1 tbsp gram flour  
• fresh mint sprig for garnishing 

Method 

• Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Put split Bengal gram, curry leaves, green chillies and ginger in a mixer jar and grind.  
• Add coconut and onions and salt and grind again to a coarse paste. Transfer into a bowl, add reserved onions and gram flour and mix well. Shape the mixture into equal sized balls and flatten them slightly to make tikkis. 
• Place the tikkis in the pan and shallow fry, turning sides, till crisp from both sides. Drain on absorbent paper. Arrange them on a serving plate, garnish with a fresh mint sprig and serve hot.

Chana Dal Vada 

Total Time: 35 minutes 

Servings- 4 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup chana dal (soaked) 
• 1-inch ginger 
• 2 chillies 
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons coriander, finely chopped 
• 3 tablespoons dill leaves, finely chopped 
• 2 tablespoons curry leaves finely chopped 
• pinch hing  
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• Oil for deep frying

Method 

• Add soaked chana dal to a mixer along with ginger, chilli, and cumin. Blend to a coarse paste. Transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl and add coriander, dill leaves, curry leaves, hing, and salt. Squeeze and combine them well. 
• Grease your hand with oil and prepare small balls.. Flatten the vada. Deep fry in hot oil until the dal vada turns golden and crisp. 
• Finally, serve dal vada hot along with masala chai.