Channa Dhall - Gram dhal

Most of the lentils are low fat and high in protein and fibre. This is another kind of lentil or dhal (in Hindi) or paruppu (in Tamil), we use in our everyday cooking. This is used to make coconut paste and this gives extra thickness to sambar. Nowadays people are becoming more health conscious. So instead of using more coconut which is high in fat, people in India replace this dhall in the place of coconut or reduce the quantity of coconut and increase the quantity of dhall.

With their sweet and nutty flavor, these are the most popular dal in India. They're made from splitting a small relative of the chickpea in half. They're a dull yellow and are renown for causing flatulence, which Indians try to counter by adding asafoetida to the dish. Before cooking, always rinse lentils and pick out stones and other debris. Unlike dried beans and peas, there's no need to soak them. Lentils cook more slowly if we add salt or acidic ingredients before cooking, so add these last. These lentils are also available in all Indian stores nicely packed, under the name Channa Dhall