To be sure of what you are getting, you may be best to try looking in an Indian store.
Chana Dal is closely related to chickpeas. It has the same scientific family name as chickpeas, “Cicer arietinum”, but while chickpeas belong to the “kabuli” group, chana dal belongs to the “desi” group. “Desi” in Hindi means local or coming from the country (as in “India”) — they were always there.
Cooking Tips
Rinse, pick out any stones. Put into pot. Per 1 cup (7 oz / 190g) washed, add 2 ½ cups (20 oz / 600 ml) of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer till soft.
In a pressure cooker, use 3 cups (24 oz / 700 ml) of water to 1 cup (7 oz / 190g) of washed Chana Dal. Bring to pressure, then cook for 8 minutes.
Substitutes
Yellow split peas
 |
|
Amount
|
| Fat | |
6.5 g
|
| Carbohydrate | |
48 g
|
| Fibre | |
10 g
|
| Protein | |
23 g
|
Equivalents
1 cup uncooked = 6.75 oz uncooked = 190g uncooked = 2 ⅔ cup cooked.
Language Notes
The actual name is “chana” or “Bengal Gram” in English; the “dal” part refers to the cooked product.
“Bengal gram dal” in English; in Hindi “chana dal”; in Bengali, “cholar dal”.
The “gram” in some of the names comes from an old Portuguese word “gram”, coming from the Latin “granum”, meaning “grain”. The modern Portuguese word is grão.