CHANA DAL PULAO / HOW TO MAKE CHANA DAL PULAO
Rice dishes are one of the staple foods in India. The plain rice dishes can be wonderfully paired with dals, vegetable stews, and curd-based (raita) dishes. But when the rice is cooked along with veggies, meats, or lentils, they turn into tasty pulao and biryani dishes. Chana dal pulao is such amazing rice preparation in which rice and chana dal(split Bengal gram) are cooked together along with some fragrant whole spices.
This chana dal pulao smells so aromatic while cooking that you suddenly feel so hungry to taste it. When the fragrant Basmati rice is cooked with the whole spices at low flame, it releases its aromas and flavors for which this rice is known. Chana dal(split Bengal gram adds the flavour and health to it. And the onions, when caramelized also leave a pleasant flavor with a sweet note. All these characters together make this Chana Dal Pulao so special to relish
Prep time – 5 hrs
Cook time – 30 minutes (at low flame)
Cuisine – North Indian(Delhi, Punjab, etc.)
Course – Main
Author – Bharti Dhawan
● INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
• Long grain rice(Basmati) – 1/2 cup
• Chana dal/Split Bengal Gram – 1/2 cup
• Water for rinsing and soaking dal and rice – as required
• Onions – 2 medium (sliced into Juliane)
• Water for cooking – 2 and1/2 cup
• Bay leaves/Tez Patta – 2 nos
• Cinnamon stick/dalchini – 1-inch piece
• Black cardamom/Badi ilayachi – 1 no
• Cloves /loung- 2-3
• Whole black pepper/kali mirch – 4-5
• Cumin/jeera – 1 tsp
• Salt – 2 tap or to taste
• Crushed black pepper – 1 tsp
• Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
• Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
● INSTRUCTIONS
1- Firstly soak chana dal/split Bengal gram for 5-6 hrs (it must be too soft to crush between fingers)
2- Soak rice for 30 minutes before starting the cooking process
3- Add oil to a pan or an open vessel and add bay leaves, cloves, cardamoms, and whole peppers. Roast them at low flame and remove them from oil. Keep them aside
4- Next, in the same oil, add cumin(jeera). Allow to splatter and add sliced onions. Cook them at low flame until they get brown in color.
5- Stir the onions at intervals to prevent burning. The browning process takes 8-10 minutes
6- Add salt and pepper powder at this stage(salt helps the onion to change the color very fast)
*Keep some caramelized brown rice aside to sprinkle over the cooked pulao. These taste amazing
7- Now add soaked rice and chana dal. Roast(bhunow) gently for a few seconds. Now add the previously roasted whole spices.
8- Next, add water and the red chilly powder and give a nice stir
9- Mix everything and cover the pan with a lid. Allow the pulao to cook at possible low flame
10- The chana dal pulao takes 20 minutes to cook at a low flame. Avoid stirring between the cooking process(stirring results in breaking the rice grain)
11- Check the pulao after intervals. When all the water is absorbed, switch off the flame and leave the pan covered for 7-8 minutes at rest(dum)
12- Turn the pulao gently with a fork. Sprinkle some brown rice all over the pulao. Tasty and fragrant chana dal pulao is ready to serve with BOONDI KA RAITA
NOTES AND TIPS
* You can replace oil with ghee(clarified butter)
* You can cook this chana dal pulao in the pressure cooker instead of the open vessel to reduce the cooking time. But the real taste of rice pulao comes when cooked slowly in the open pan by covering with a lid
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