Chana Dal Recipe (Punjabi Style)

Name: Chana Dal Recipe (Punjabi Style)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Asian, Indian
Ingredients: 1 cup or 200 grams chana dal ((bengal gram or split chickpeas)); 2.5 to 3 cups water (for stovetop pressure cooking and 2 to 2.5 cups water for Instant Pot cooking); ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder; 3 tablespoons oil (or ghee (clarified butter)); 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 2 teaspoons or 4 to 5 medium sized garlic (– finely chopped); ½ cup onions (– finely chopped ); 1 cup or 2 medium sized tomatoes (– finely chopped); ½ to 1 teaspoon or 1 inch ginger (– finely chopped); ½ teaspoon or 1 green chilli (– chopped, can use serrano pepper instead); ½ teaspoon red chili powder; ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric)); ½ teaspoon garam masala; ½ teaspoon dry mango powder ((amchur powder) or add as required * check point 4 in notes below); 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing), optional); 1 teaspoon coriander powder ((ground coriander)); 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves ((kasuri methi), crushed, optional); salt (– chopped, as required); 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves ( (cilantro))

Instructions

Prep:10minCook:20min

This Chana Dal is a Punjabi-style recipe made with Bengal gram lentils (hulled and split black chickpeas) cooked with onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices. The lentils are simmered with a spiced onion-tomato base. It pairs well with Indian flatbreads like roti, phulka or paratha. This dal also goes well with steamed rice.

Updated at: Sun, 03 May 2026 00:07:29 GMT