Chana dal bel puri

Bel puri is very common street food snack all over India and is delicious served alongside a spiced and warming cup of masala chai mid afternoon. The main ingredient to this dish is the spiced and roasted 'chana dal' which is made up of split yellow lentils. They can be spiced and roasted at home, or you can buy these ready made from a specialist Indian grocers. As I had the ready made version, this was a fantastic lunch option on my 5:2 diet.

What you will need

200g masala chana dal

1 medium red onion

1 medium tomato

1 green chilli

Fresh coriander

1-2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tea spoon chilli powder

1/2 tea spoon ground cumin

Sev to serve (optional)

 

Prepare by firstly finely chopping the onion, tomato and green chilli.

Stir the chopped ingredients into the masala chana dal and add the chopped fresh coriander. As the chana dal is already spiced and seasoned, carefully add in more salt to taste and the extra spices of chilli powder and ground cumin.

Just before serving, add the lemon juice and top with a tea spoon of sev for extra crunch and texture. The lemon juice will soften the chana dal, so the dish should be eaten immediately.

For a similar Indian snack, see my recipe on chana chaat.