Chana dal

Chana dal (pois chiche cassé)

What it is

It is the small dark desi chickpea, not the pale kabuli, hulled and split, and it carries one of the lowest glycaemic indices of any everyday starch. Dry-roasted whole it becomes daria, the crunchy split pea South Indian cooks drop into hot oil at the start of a tempering.

In the kitchen

Soaked an hour it cooks in about 35 minutes and the pieces stay whole — this is the dal for texture, not purée. A pinch of asafoetida in the tempering does more for it than any amount of extra salt.

Goes with

Cumin Asafoetida Ginger Turmeric Ghee Curry leaf Coconut Chili pepper

Same species

Black chickpea Chickpea flour Chickpeas

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us