Dal Pakwan

Name: Dal Pakwan
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon garam masala (spice mix); ½ teaspoon red chile powder; ½ teaspoon table salt; 1 tablespoon fine semolina flour; 2 tablespoons atta (whole-wheat flour); 10 to 12 black peppercorns, crushed; ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 quart (800 ml) vegetable oil; ½ cup (30 grams) chopped fresh cilantro; 1 cup (120 grams) maida (refined flour) or pastry flour; ¾ teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder); 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 8 to 10 fresh curry leaves; 1 medium red onion, peeled and diced; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 4 or 5 green chiles, stemmed and slit; 1 cup (200 grams) chana dal (split Bengal gram); ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; ½ teaspoon table salt, or more to taste

A crisp bread served with flavorful lentils

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

How to Cook Indian

By Sanjeev Kapoor

Published 2011

About

In Mumbai, long queues form outside shops selling this dal and bread on Sunday mornings; it’s a popular breakfast dish in the Sindhi community. The best pakwans are made fresh at home right before mealtime. Just break off the crisp, golden-brown pieces and spoon up the dal with them.

Ingredients

For the dal

1 cup (200 grams) chana dal (split Bengal gram)
½ teaspoon

Asia
India
Starter
Vegan

Method

Make the dal: Put the dal in a bowl, wash in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 3 cups (600 ml) water and soak for about 1 hour. Drain the dal in a strainer.