Chana Dal is the Hindi term for both Bengal gram lentils (or black chickpea lentils) and saucy dishes made with them.
This classic Chana dal recipe features sweet, nutty split chickpeas (also known as Bengal gram) pressure cooked and then lightly fried on the stovetop with a variety of spices and aromatics.
Chana” is chickpeas, and "dal” is split lentils, peas, or chickpeas. Therefore, chana dal is split chickpeas in soup or curry form! For this dish, chickpeas are split and polished, resulting in a different texture and feel than whole chickpeas (while maintaining the same health benefits).