Chana Daal Paratha

I have been feeling quite lazy since I’ve come back from India. Its been almost 2 weeks, and I haven’t cooked anything for the blog. The dreary weather and nagging husband don’t  help either. We decided to watch a movie last weekend since we rarely watch anything together. We have entirely different sets of interests when it comes to watching movies and TV series. But last weekend we did sat down and picked one thriller after at least half an hour of negotiations. But guess what! My laptop crashed. And then obviously the techy husband’s mind couldnt think of anything else in this world other than fixing the issue with the computer first. So we invested (rather wasted) another hour on that after which I had no enthu remaining to watch a brain-kicking thriller anymore. 

We did watch the movie later though, on our own laptops. Individually. Him on the same night, myself during the week. And that too turned out to be super boring! Like I said, no motivation to blog at all… 

When I get bored, I turn to food. I go sit in the cafes I love and sip coffee with a grilled panini or salad aside. I read some book or just play with the phone. It unnerves me and helps me moving. This time I made myself a treat in the form of  some healthy breakfast. These Chana Daal Parathas are just as yummy as they are nutritious. Sadly they are not that popular over Alu Paratha and Paneer Paratha. 

More Parathas – Paalak aalu Paratha | Paalak Paneer Paratha | Paneer Dhaniya Paratha | Mooli ka Paratha 

If you like the taste of texture of Puran poli, am sure you would love these Daal Parathas as well. They are made exactly the same way, with just savory filling instead of sweet. Check the recipe of Puran Poli here

Chana daal, as we all know, is a power packed legume.  It has a lot of Protein, fibre and essential minerals. When combined with whole wheat flour in  the Paratha and Indian spices, it only makes a healthy and filling meal which can be eaten any time of the day.  

I havent done justice with the photos at all, the actual texture was more soft and fragile. By the time I came around to click the pictures, the Parathas were already cold and hence a bit harder. They will taste the best if you have them fresh, which I highly recommend.  There is another version of Daal ka Paratha which is made using Urad Daal, check out the recipe here. 

Lets move to the recipe now. For more breakfast recipes- click Here.

What you need?

• 3-4 cup whole wheat flour – atta
• ¾  cup Chana Dal
• 2-3 green chilies- chopped very small
• A small piece of ginger- grated
• ½ cup fresh coriander leaves- chopped
• 1 tsp oil + oil for roasting Parathas 

• A pinch of asafoetida (heeng)
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• ½ tsp  coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
• ¼ cup red chili powder
• ¼ tsp dry mango powder (amchoor/khatayi)
• ¼ tsp Garam Masala
• Salt to taste – about 1 tsp 

How to make?

• Rinse chana daal properly and soak it for 2-3 hours. Pressure cook Daal with ½ cup water till one whistle. Turn off the flame and let the pressure ease off from  the cooker, open when its all out. The lentils should be cooked well and yet stay separate
• Drain the Daal to remove any excess water and keep aside for a bit till it cools off. Remember, we don’t need any moisture or water present in  the daal else we wont be able to roll out the parathas.
• Once its all strained well, grind it without adding any more water. Keep aside.
• Heat  1 tsp oil in a small pan. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
• Add in chopped green chilies, grated ginger and coriander powder and fry for a few seconds.
• Transfer the ground Daal paste and remaining spices to the pan and mix well. Let everything roast/cook for a few minutes. Add fresh coriander leaves and turn off. Let the mixture cool off. 
• In the meanwhile, knead the dough. You may use the same water that we had strained from the cooked dal. Knead the dough with a pinch of salt and warm water and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. 

To make Parathas-

• Pinch some dough and roll it out on a flat surface. Fill in a small ball of the stuffing inside and seal the sides. Roll  into a Paratha dusting some dry flour
• Roast the Parathas on low-medium flame, applying oil on both sides and cooking till both sides turn brown.
• Serve hot with Raita, pickle and chutneys aside. 

More Chana Daal Rcipes – Chana Dal with Spinach |  Chana Dal with bottle guard (squash)

Notes: 

• Apart from the Raita, another great accomplishment with this Paratha is Aalu tamatar ki sabzi (potato curry with loads of tomatoes). Its another simple and easy to make sabji which goes very well with Chana Dal Parathas
• Its is a great meal for kids and adults both since its light on stomach than most of the typical Parathas we eat.
• I have not added chopped onion in this recipe, but usually I do add onion a lot in my Parathas. And I don’t roast them with the other spices, I just like them raw. So choose your pick.  

 Talking about healthy breakfast, try this equally nutritious Paratha –

Alu Paalak Paratha