Our Favorite Chana Dal, from Herbivoracious

This is our FAVORITE chana dal recipe. So delicious, especially on a cold day in Finland. Recipe from: Herbivoracious. (A few of our recipe notes in red.)

Puri Jagganath Temple Chana Dal, Herbivoracious Style
Serves 4 as a main course with rice, or 8 as a side dish
Vegetarian and gluten free; vegan if you use oil instead of butter
(We like to double the recipe and freeze some for quick meals)

• 1.5 cups of chana dal
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons salt
• pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• seeds from 4 cardamom pods or 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 4 whole cloves or 1/4 teaspoon clove powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon ghee, butter, or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (we cannot find these in Finland, so we have never used them in this recipe--still turns out delicious!)
• optional: cilantro for garnish

1. Carefully pick through the dals looking for any stray pebbles and such. Rinse them thoroughly. Bring to a boil with 4 cups of water, the turmeric, salt, and sugar. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the chana dal (and lentils) are almost tender. Don't let them scorch, and do add more water as needed. (this process takes about 45 minutes)
2. Meanwhile, in a small food processor, combine the coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, and coriander seeds with 1/2 cup of very hot water. Puree until it is a rough paste and the coconut has started to soften. Add more water if needed. Add this mixture to the dal and cook for 20 more minutes. We have found that letting the dal cook for an additional 45 minutes here makes it creamier.



It tastes so good, you will want to lick the bowl!

3. Just before serving, heat the butter (we do not roast them in butter, we simply put the mixture on a hot skillet) over a medium-high flame in a small skillet and toss in the remaining cumin seeds along with the mustard, fennel, and fenugreek. Fry for about a minute, until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Don't burn the seeds. Stir them into the dal, taste for any final season adjustments needed, garnish with cilantro, and serve.