Channa Dal

I've made Channa Dal before, but it's been years and I've picked up some cooking skills since then. In the past, my Channa Dal was gloopy and overly smooth, being more like a puree. Since then, my mother-in-law, who is the world's most awesome shopper, got me a stick blender. Actually, I think it was my brother-in-law, under the advice of his mom. After a few years of making soups, I've learned how to do it right.

You're not supposed to puree the dal. The idea is to crush enough of them to create a thick sauce, like I did with the potatoes in the Aloo dish. But, you're supposed to leave a large amount of it whole. It gives the dish texture and appearance, and also the flavors seem to keep more of a sense of self. Also, in the past I was too afraid to add the required amount of oil.

Channa Dal follows the same basic process as Aloo, Gobi, Mattar. You cook the spices in the oil, then the aromatics, then the vegetables. In this case, I had almost no fresh ingredients. I had fresh garlic, but I'd used the onion and peppers for my Aloo dish. So, my spices where:
Preparation:
1 cup Channa Dal (or yellow split peas)
5 cups water
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook until soft, maybe 1 hour
When ready, crush about half the dal and mix. If it's too loose, cook uncovered. If it's too thick, add water.

Step 1:
Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- I know it sounds like a lot, but given the other ingredients it's healthy
Add whole cumin and black mustard seeds
Add crushed red pepper flakes
Cook until seeds begin to pop

Step 2:
Add:
Ground cumin
Ground black pepper
Ground coriander
Ground ginger (lots of it)
Pinch asafoetida powder
Minced garlic
The oil should be thick with spices now

Step 3
Add spiced oil to the dal and mix
The dal should go from a bright yellow to an attractive brown with the seeds and pepper flakes being obvious and attractive.
Finish with salt and lemon juice


If the seeds are chewy or annoying, you didn't cook them enough in step 1.

The health of this dish is incredible. It's gluten free, casein free and vegan. The dal is chock-full of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, protein and nutrients. The asafoetida and the garlic aid in digestion, since dal can be a bit rough on the tummy. It's filling, satisfying and super-tasty.

Enjoy.