Indian Chana Dal

Indian food is one of our favorite cuisines as a family. Each and every one of us love to go out to eat Indian food and explore the different regions of Indian cuisine. On every trip we go, we always look for a local Indian restaurant and we never get tired of it. We love the spices, culture and the variety. It’s also a wonderful solution for me as a vegan to find vegan options in a not-necessarily-vegan restaurant.

My kids are home and they were craving Indian food. I made this Chana Dal for them and it turned out amazing!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger root, grated

1 tablespoon turmeric root, grated

3-4 cloves of garlic confit or 3-4 fresh garlic cloves, minced

1 yam, thinly chopped

1 carrot, thinly chopped

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 cups chana dal

5-6 cups water

1/2 cup strained tomatoes

1 bay leaf

+salt

+pepper

Directions:

Heat stove to high and take a cast iron pot. Add olive oil, onion, ginger, turmeric and garlic, salt and pepper, sauté for a few minutes until the onion gets translucent, then add yam, carrot, garam masala, sweet paprika, sauté for a couple more minutes and add chana dal, water and bay leaf. Cover with the lid. Cook on medium heat for about half an hour, add the strained tomatoes and lower the heat to low. Cook for about an hour and a half until the chana dal is soft. The cooking time may vary. If you have a simmer option, you can lower to simmer and let it cook slowly. Make sure to mix from time to time to prevent the dal from sticking to the bottom of the pot.