Dal paratha is a popular breakfast in north indian homes often served with lashings of butter & achar (indian pickle). However, its versatility shines when paired with a side of vegetable curry and a bowl of refreshing yogurt, making for an exquisite main course. All varieties of parathas hold a special place in our hearts. In north indian households, we relish plain paratha alongside flavorful curries during lunch or dinner. As for breakfast, stuffed parathas like methi aloo paratha, palak paneer paratha, or paneer paratha take the spotlight. Accompanied by a cup of hot tea, the stuffed parathas truly make for a satisfying meal. During summer, these delicious paratha with a dal stuffing used to be made quite often. With aloo ka jhol (potato curry) and boondi raita, the meal used to an absolute delight. My children adore them as well. What’s truly wonderful about these chana dal parathas is that they remain irresistibly delicious not only when warm but also when enjoyed at room temperature. They’re suitable for road trips and lunch boxes.
About my recipe
You are going to begin by preparing the chana dal stuffing. For it, begin by soaking the lentils. Then we are going to cook the lentils with an optimum amount of water so that they are cooked through. However we are not cooking the lentils to be runny like in lauki chana dal. We are going to cook them till they are soft but hold shape like in aloo tikki chaat and chana dal tikki. For the whole wheat flour or atta dough, I use the same recipe as for my other stuffed parathas. You could add spice powders to the dough itself while kneading, but I like to keep it simple and only add salt.
Ingredients
For The Lentil Filling
Chana Dal - Or Bengal gram lentils. These are easily available in indian grocery store. You could also use yellow moong dal or split pea lentils if you want. Spice Powders - Hing, Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Amchoor (dry mango powder), Garam Masala Cilantro (Fresh coriander leaves) and green chilies
For The Dough
Atta - Wholewheat Flour. You could easily get a bag at most indian grocery stores. Indian atta is milled finer as compared to whole wheat flour you get in the baking aisle and hence it does affect the overall texture of the paratha. Salt,Water to knead the dough, Oil or ghee to fry the parathas.
How To Make Dal Paratha (Step pictures)
Prepare The Chana Dal Stuffing
Tip #1- The dal stuffing should neither be dry nor pasty. It should be lightly moist. You should be able to a make a soft small ball of the dal mixture. See image 8.
Knead the Dough
Stuff, Roll & Fry The Paratha
Tip #2 - In general, stuffed parathas taste better when they are rolled not too thick or thin. Be gentle handed during rolling, else the dough will stick to the rolling pin, tear and the stuffing will start coming out. Tip #3 - You may sprinkle dry flour during rolling the paratha, however dont add too much, because the dry flour sticks to the surface of the paratha and when you will fry it, there will be black specks on the paratha (that look quite unappetizing). Tip #4 Personally, I don’t press the stuffed parathas a lot while cooking. For a flaky and crispy parathas, allow to cook low and slow flipping and browning on both sides as needed on a constant heat.
Serving & Storing
Serve dal paratha wil yogurt, butter, achaar (I like mango pickle) and a cup of chai for a satisfying meal. You could pair it with aloo paneer curry, aloo jhol or a creamy curry like navratan korma or malai aloo curry for a satiating main meal. Roll up the parathas and pack it for meals on the go. These parathas store well refrigerated in a close container for 2-3 days. You could reheat on a griddle or microwave(for 6-8 seconds)
Recipe Tips
Dough
Always make a fresh dough for the best taste. Avoid adding too much salt to the dough else as the dough rests, it starts getting sticky and you will have difficulty rolling it. Always rest the dough for 10-15 minutes, this rests the gluten. Rolling to a perfect round shape takes practice. Even I am not great at it. Don’t be frustrated if you cannot get a perfect shape. If you ask me, good tasting parathas are more important than good looking ones!
Stuffing & Rolling
You could make the dal stuffing 1-2 days ahead and keep refrigerated. You could add more or less spices or flavors to the dal stuffing as you prefer. I personally don’t like to add a lot of spices so that the taste of lentils shine. Make sure to over fill the dal stuffing. The dal stuffing is soft and has salt and it will start to come out when you roll the paratha. If you roll the parathas too thin, they will not be soft or if you roll thick(they will remain uncooked).
Cooking The Parathas
The texture of paratha depends on the material of skillet. I use a heavy tawa or cast iron griddle for cooking the paratha. You could use non stick or aluminum pans too (I feel that the parathas aren’t that khasta(crispy flaky) when cooked on those). For a karara (flaky and crisp) parathas that are still soft on the inside, cook on a constant heat, keep a close eye and flip & brown as needed. Don’t skimp on oil else the parathas will taste dry.
