Today is the final day of lentil and bean based protein dishes for this mega marathon. I have recipes for 8 different lentils and beans and varied dishes like a soup, breakfast and main course. Today’s recipe is a simple and quick snack – roasted chana dal / bengal gram. You can have it as is or mix it with some puffed rice and chutneys and eat it like a bhel puri. I have a super quick bhel puri recipe that you can check out. If you do not have the chutneys you can still fix yourself a ‘sookha bhel’ (dry bhel).
I don’t use chana dal very often. Its use is mostly restricted to being part of all mixed rice varieties I make or in the ‘dosa chilly podi’. So in my effort to use it more, I picked this crunchy recipe for this marathon.
The seasoning for this roasted chana dal can be anything of your choice depending on your palate. I had some ‘desi tadka’ spice mix that I needed to use up and so I used that. You can use red chilly powder, chaat masala, etc.
Protein – Bengal gram / chana dal
Recipe adapted from here
Makes 1 cup
WHAT WE NEED
Bengal gram 1 cup
Oil 2 tsp
Spice powder mix 1 tsp
Salt
Water
WHAT TO DO
- Soak the chana dal in water for an hour
- Drain it and place it in a vessel with enough water to fully cover the chana dal
- Heat the vessel and bring to boil
- Simmer for a minute and turn off the gas
- The chana dal should be cooked but retain its bite and not become mushy
- Spread it on an absorbent towel for around 15 minutes to dry
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Line a baking tray with 2 layers of aluminium foil
- Toss the chana dal with the oil, spice mix and salt in a bowl
- Place the chana dal on the baking tray in a single layer
- Bake for 30-40 minutes
- Remove the tray every 10-12 minutes and give it a shake
- The chana dal will be crisp and will become crisper on cooling
- Allow it to cool and store in an airtight container
- Enjoy!
PIN IT FOR LATER
This is my post for the Mega Marathon under the theme, ‘Protein Dishes’.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 80
Bread Therapy 
I once made the fried namkeen of this chana dal but never ever tried baking it. I guess baking would make it guilt free healthy snack.
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Wow ! The channa daal looks very crunchy and perfectly roasted . Love these clicks , very vibrant and tempting .
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This is one of the snacks my mom used to make for Diwali every year. We call it as nei kadalai even though there is no ghee involved in the recipe. Your post is bringing back those sweet memories. Love the way you have added it in bhel. That bowl looks absolutely inviting..
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I kept ogling at the bhel puri bowl -and this baked channa dal has eluded me 3 times : it either goes completely hard or is under baked n remains soft 😦 bookmarking ur recipe, sowmya
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Yummy munchie!! Totally worth the try.. Baked version is interesting.. I wanted to give a try soon!!
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Love the chana dal you have baked but like kalyani I am ogling at the bhel puri bowl. Since I do not enjoy chana dal much and I am supposed to be on a diet where chana dal is not acceptable will try moong dal, Thanks lady.
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Simple, handy, guilt free and healthy snack
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Wow , roasted chana dal, what a wonderful healthy way to enjoy this snack. We make the fried one. Bookmarking this recipe.
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Gulit free munching. Love that serve ware. I have tried this once with moong dal. Now got try this with channa dal.
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There was a time when this was often made at home..I think with time we tend to skip certain dishes!..your final bhel picture looks awesome!
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The first and the last pic looks superb Sowmya.I made one such beaked version and we loved it. Never though of making a bhel out of it! What an idea!!!
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Dangerously addictive channadal, i love to munch these crunchy munchy dal anytime of the day. And that bhel bowl is a real torture.
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Chana dal is not used a lot at my house too except for usili. Roasted chana looks like something good to munch on
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Never tried the baked version,sounds inviting and guilt free.
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Havent tried baking chana dal. Sounds interesting and definitely guilt free.
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thanks for sharing
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Thank you for dropping by
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