Chana dal roti
Preparation Time
25 minutes
Cooking Time
20 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Breakfast
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Chana dal (split bengal gram)
About This Recipe
In Karnataka, soaked chana dal is ground and kneaded into a roti dough with whole wheat flour, the way akki rotti is made with rice flour. This recipe keeps the chana dal and the atta at one cup each, a ratio that holds together on the tawa but keeps the dal's taste and bite. A pure dal paste, without the flour, sticks and tears when it is rolled.
The dal is ground coarse, not fine, so the rotis come out with soft spots of dal and crisp brown patches from the tawa. The dough rests for ten minutes before rolling, which keeps the rounds from springing back and tearing. It is also called bengal gram roti, and the dal is the same split bengal gram that makes besan.
Change the ratio to suit yourself: one and a half cups of atta to half a cup of dal gives a softer, more pliable roti. Leave out the chilli for children, or add grated carrot and a pinch of turmeric. Serve them for breakfast with chutney, or roll one up with pickle for a lunchbox.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Dough
- Chana dal (split bengal gram) — 1 cup
- Whole wheat flour (atta) — 1 cup
- Cumin Seeds — 1 tsp
- Green chilli, finely chopped — 1 piece
- Small onion, finely chopped — 1 piece
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped — 2 tbsp
- Salt — 1 tsp
- Water — 1/4 cup
For roasting
- Groundnut oil — 2 tbsp
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Serving Suggestions
Serve the rotis hot off the tawa with a bowl of curd, lime pickle and coconut or coriander chutney, or smear one with ghee for children. They travel well in a lunchbox, plain or spread with pickle. The chana dal recipes roundup collects the dal's other forms, and chana dal fry makes a proper dal to go on the side.
Tips for Cooking Chana dal roti
Do not skip the soak; unsoaked chana dal grinds gritty and the rotis turn out hard. Grind the dal coarse, with as little water as possible, or the dough goes sticky. Keep the tawa on medium-high: a low tawa dries the roti before it browns. Use the first roti to set the heat and thickness, then roll the rest to match it.
Chef’s Note
The roti is thicker than a plain wheat roti, so it holds chutney and pickle well without turning soggy. One roti comes to about 164 kcal, 7 g of protein and 5.5 g of fibre, the protein mostly from the dal and the fat from the oil on the tawa.
Per serving (approx.): 329 kcal, protein 14 g, carbs 43 g, fat 11 g, fibre 11 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Jun 20, 2026
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