Dal Pakwan is a popular Sindhi breakfast recipe. This dish is basically a combination or pairing of the Dal served with Pakwan. The Dal is made with chana dal (bengal gram), spices and herbs. The Pakwan is a crispy deep fried bread flavored with a few spices.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 60 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 90 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Breakfast, Snacks
  • Cuisine: Indian, Sindhi

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chana dal (or bengal gram)
  • 2 to 2.5 cups water (or add as required, for pressure cooking)
  • 2 green chilies (- slit)
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves (- optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing))
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • 1 teaspoon dry mango powder ((amchur powder))
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar (or add as required, optional - can swap with jaggery instead)
  • salt (as required)
  • 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour ((maida))
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour ((atta))
  • 1 teaspoon carom seeds ((ajwain))
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or as required)
  • ¾ cup water (or as required)
  • 2 teaspoons oil (or ghee)
  • oil (- for deep frying, as required)

Method

Soak and Cook Dal

  1. Rinse a few times in water and soak the chana dal in sufficient water for almost 2 hours.
  2. Drain the water and keep the soaked lentils aside.
  3. In a 3 litre pressure cooker, take the soaked lentils and 2 to 2.5 cups water. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles on medium heat.
  4. The grains should be cooked soft and tender yet separate.
  5. Once the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid.
  6. Add all the ground spice powders, sugar and salt to the cooked dal.
  7. Stir and add water if needed. I added ½ cup water at this step. You can add the amount of water as required.
  8. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or more on a low heat till a medium consistency of the dal is reached.
  9. Keep the dal aside.

Temper Dal

  1. In another pan, heat oil or ghee.
  2. Crackle the cumin first and then add the green chilies and saute for a minute.
  3. Add curry leaves and asafoetida and saute for a further minute or two on a low heat.
  4. Pour this sauteed mixture along with the oil in the dal.
  5. Stir to mix and set aside.

Make Pakwan Dough

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl or on a wide plate (Parat)
  2. Adding water bit by bit, knead to a semi soft dough. Do not make a soft and smooth dough.
  3. Make small balls of the dough.
  4. Lightly dust with flour and roll them into 7 to 8 centimeters discs or circles. Prick the rolled dics with a fork.
  5. Deep fry in moderately hot oil till the pakwans are crisp and golden.
  6. Drain the pakwans on paper towels to remove excess oil.
  7. Serve hot or warm Dal with the crispy Pakwan accompanied with some finely chopped onions, coriander chutney and sweet tamarind chutney.
  8. Garnish the dal with some coriander leaves while serving.
  9. If not serving with dal, then once cooled, immediately store the pakwans in an air-tight jar to eat later as a tea-time snack.

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.