Chana Dal Sundal is tempered and sautéed dry dish made with cooked chana dal, few spices, herbs and fresh coconut. Chana Dal Sundal is also called as Kadalai Paruppu Sundal where 'Kadalai Paruppu' is the Tamil word for Chana Dal.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 60 minutes
  • Cook time: 35 minutes
  • Total time: 95 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Side Dish, Snacks
  • Cuisine: South Indian, Tamil Nadu

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chana dal ((hulled and split bengal gram))
  • 1.5 cups hot boiling water (- for soaking)
  • 2.5 cups water (- for pressure cooking)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons oil (can use peanut oil, sunflower oil or coconut oil)
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal ((hulled and split black gram))
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 1 to 2 dry red chillies (- broken and seeds removed)
  • 1 generous pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • salt (as required)
  • ¼ cup coconut (- fresh grated or add as required)

Method

Soaking Lentils

  1. Rinse the chana dal in water for a couple of times. Take the lentils in a bowl and add 1.5 cups hot boiling water.
  2. Cover bowl with a lid and soak the lentils for an hour.
  3. After the soaking time is over, drain all the water and set aside.

Cooking Lentils

  1. Add the soaked chana dal in a pot or pan and add 2.5 cups water.
  2. Also add ½ teaspoon salt and stir.
  3. Keep the pan on stovetop.
  4. Cover pan with lid and on a medium-low to medium heat begin to cook the chana dal. Alternatively, you can cook chana dal in stovetop pressure cooker for 1 whistle.
  5. When the water starts frothing, remove the lid and cook lentils without lid on medium heat.
  6. Do check at intervals when the chana dal (kadalai paruppu) lentils are cooking.
  7. Cook the lentils until they are tender and softened but still retain their shape. Taste a few lentils to check if they have cooked perfectly.
  8. Drain all the water and keep the cooked lentils aside.

Making chana dal sundal

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in another pan or kadai. Keep heat to a low and add mustard seeds and urad dal.
  2. On a low heat stirring often fry both mustard seeds and urad dal.
  3. Fry until the mustard seeds crackle and the urad lentils turn golden.
  4. Next add the curry leaves, dry red chillies and asafoetida (hing).
  5. Mix and fry for a few seconds until the red chilies change color. Ensure that the spices and herbs do not burn.
  6. Now add the cooked chana dal or kadalai paruppu.
  7. Add salt as per taste.
  8. Mix very well and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on a low heat. If there is any moisture or liquid in the chana dal then cook till the moisture gets dried.
  9. Lastly add the fresh grated coconut.
  10. Mix very well and turn off the heat.
  11. Serve Chana Dal Sundal hot or warm. You can garnish with some fresh coconut or a few coriander leaves if you want.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.