Channa Dal Namkeen/Fried Channa Dal

Channa dal namkeen is a crispy, crunchy fried snack perfect for this late monsoon season. M and I love to munch these with a cup of cardamom chai. When i was working in Chennai i used buy packets of these channa dal and moong dal to munch after work.
Then i totally forgot about them and recently when i was talking to Amma she reminded me of those namkeen. I started drooling over and had an urge to nibble those cute little crunchies. But its down pouring outside and i can’t go out..Now the blogger in me woke up and i thought of trying them at home as it doesn’t require any other ingredient other than Channa dal and few spices. So immediately whatsapped a couple of friends and here I am with a successful outcome. I highly recommend this for all the chat-lovers out there and i also warn as they are highly addictive. This can be added to other chat varieties as they add an extra crunch and flavour.

Ingredients:

Channa dal/Red gram -1/2 cup

Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp (optional)

Chat masala powder-1/2 tsp

Soda bi-carbonate-1 pinch

Salt-as needed

Vegetable oil-For frying

How it Happened:

1. Wash and soak the channa dal in water for 3 hours along with a pinch of soda bi-carb.

2. Then drain the water completely and pat dry them in a clean dry cloth/ kitchen towel. Mix the red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and chat masala powder in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a kadai, it should be medium hot. Drop in a handful of those channa dal and fry in medium flame.

4. Once when the oil has stopped bubbling completely the channa dal will start floating on the surface.

5. Fish them out and drain the excess oil in a kitchen paper towel.

6. When the dal is still hot, sprinkle the spice mix on them and mix them well so that the fried channa dal gets cpated with the spice mix.

7. Follow the similar procedure and fry all the channa dal and mix them with the spice powder.

8. Store them in a dry air-tight container and serve as a tea-time snack.

Notes:

*The channa dal should be soaked in at least an inch deep water. They increase in quantity as they swell up.

*The bi-carb is added for the crunchiness.

* You can play around with the spice mix as per your taste and choice.

* They can be stored for about a week.

*Regulate the heat in medium during the process, as they tend to get burnt easily. This is the only step to be cautious.

* The home made channa dal is far better than those preservative added store-bought air filled packets.