Chana Dal: What It Is and How to Cook Split Bengal Gram
Identify chana dal, discover its texture and uses, and see how to prepare split Bengal gram.
Chana dal is made by skinning and splitting desi chickpeas, the darker chickpeas often sold whole as kala chana. The resulting yellow pieces have a pleasant, nutty flavor and are used in dals, vegetable dishes and other preparations across India.
You'll also find the name on a finished dish, as in “a bowl of chana dal.” The packet contains the pulse; the bowl contains the delicious result.
Is chana dal the same as yellow split peas?
No. Chana dal comes from chickpeas; yellow split peas come from a different pulse. They can look similar in a bag and both can be cooked into dal, but they differ in flavor and may take different amounts of time to soften. Read the label rather than choosing by color alone.
Chana dal is also different from the large, pale kabuli chickpeas commonly sold canned. They are related chickpea types, but whole canned chickpeas and dry split chana dal give a dish different textures.
How to cook chana dal
Rinse and pick through it, then follow the package or your recipe. Soaking helps with stovetop cooking. In one saucepan method, Swasthi's Recipes recommends a 30-minute hot-water soak, followed by simmering until tender and beginning to break down; the recipe suggests around 30 minutes of cooking, with more hot water added as needed.
Use that as a recipe-specific starting point. Pulse age, soaking and equipment change the time. Taste several pieces: for a dal, you may want some to soften into the sauce while others retain a little shape. For a drier vegetable side, stop when tender but not falling apart.
How can you use it?
- Simmer it into a seasoned dal and serve with rice or flatbread.
- Combine cooked chana dal with coconut and spices in a vegetable-style side.
- Use a small amount in a tempering when a recipe calls for its toasted crunch.
- Combine it with urad in a mixed dal, cooking each as the recipe directs.
Chana dal can also be ground into flour. Flour, roasted chana and the raw split pulse are not interchangeable without adjusting the recipe.
What's a useful substitute?
For a soft dal or soup, yellow split peas can work if you cook them according to their own directions, accepting a change in flavor and texture. In a small tempering, another crunchy ingredient needs a different technique; use a recipe that specifies the replacement rather than adding an uncooked pulse at the table.