THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO LENTILS | Everything You Need to Know about DAL | Food with Chetna

🌱🍛 Discover the nutritional power and delicious versatility of lentils with my comprehensive video guide!
Join me as I dive into the world of lentils, exploring their health benefits, various types, and mouthwatering recipes. Whether you're a culinary enthusiast or seeking to incorporate more plant-based protein into your diet, this video will equip you with the knowledge and inspiration to master the art of cooking with lentils.
🎥 Watch now and elevate your meals with this humble yet extraordinary legume!
#Lentils #healthyeating #plantbased #chetnamakan #indianfood #vegan
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Chef Chetna Makan is a winner of the 'Christmas Bake Off 2016' and a former contestant on the Great British Bake Off in 2014.
She has authored 7 cookbooks, including 'The Cardamom Trail,' 'Chai, Chaat & Chutney,' 'Chetna's Healthy Indian,' and 'Chetna's Healthy Indian Vegetarian.'
Her cookbooks are available for purchase in stores and online.
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Thank you for watching.

[@iamslbc]

The big eye opener for me is how “generic” the term lentil is. In US stores, there are basically three colors of the same legume. Beans, for instance, would not be thought of in the same category. Thankfully, I have a great Indian market in my area. I can function with the specific names written down.

[@FoodwithChetna]

thats great

[@cindysebryk6015]

Would you consider doing a recipe for each type of lentil? These in my opinion are great opinions to have as food storage.

[@slicebo123]

So great. This is the lentil encyclopedia we’ve been looking for!🎉

[@markarbar2226]

Very informative, thank you! Super useful for the non-natives who love the culinary traditions of the Indian subcontinent. One nitpicking note: “dal” is a broader term than “lentils” and includes lentils, beans, and peas. The English equivalent is “legumes“ (even more pedantically - “pulses”). The distinction becomes important for Europeans, b/c the translation to “green lentils “ is always interpreted as the flat disk pulse, not mung beans.

[@kh23797]

Dear Chetna, a superb run-down! I so agree: home-soaked chickpeas are best, a great use for a neglected pressure cooker (or Instant Pot, Ninja, etc.). I find dried ones approximately double in weight after a 6-8 hour soak, so 125g dried = about 250g cooked, the drained weight of a 400g can. Many recipes, especially American, mention only the canned version, but soaking is almost zero effort anyway (best in a fridge in warm weather, to limit unintended fermentation).

[@lilabohan9815]

Hello Chetna, I just love everything about lentils. When an Indian friend started teaching me how to cook food from southern India, I went out and found every different kind of lentil I could. Love their simplicity and their beauty. Love having them in the pantry. Unfortunately, a mouse got into them so I have to get containers like you have and restock. 🙄😃 Great rundown!

[@CaliberDawn]

Loved this! I just realized moong dal us also known as mung beans! Would also love a vid explaining how and when you choose to add certain spices. I get confused why certain ones aren’t added in the beginning with the oil and added later etc.

[@deebee4817]

So enjoyable and I learned so much. Love to see you make meals with each of these. Excellent lesson!

[@greg3626]

Thanks Chetna. I have mainly used red lentils for dhal and chick peas for chole. We were on holiday in Amritsar and it was served at breakfast so I asked the chef for the recipe. I have this mysterious box of yellow lentils in the cupboard which has been there for some time. I am not sure if it’s Channa or Toor. I might take it to our Indian grocer for identification….. thanks for the video.

[@user-gg5cl4em7m]

Thank you so much, this was fascinating. I’ve always wanted a lentil explanation, will feel more confident cooking Dal in the future. Absolutely love your channel ❤

[@amberle28]

I was looking for information on lentils, the different types etc. So glad I come across your video.

[@AndrewWorkshop]

This is an awesome video! You should do a dal only cookbook! Do dry chick peas need to be cooked after soaking before using in salads?

[@lindaharris9714]

Yes they do.

[@hazysummer72]

I often cook up a full bag of kidney beans or chickpeas in the instant pot and freeze in portions equivalent to a can - really convenient

[@samroy5967]

When you have time - please consider creating a separate playlist for all the lentils/dals videos I know you have VEGETARIAN RECIPES playlist and dals can be found there after scrolling through all the other vegetable curries in the same playlist That would be helpful. Thanks in advance 🙏

[@lindaharris9714]

I agree, that would be so useful.

[@bullymama369]

Thank you! This helps the understanding so much! I love dals and cook them often.

[@PA-sb2jp]

I make healthy wraps with red lentils. I also absolutely love your Chana dal recipes, thank you Chetna.

[@lakshmihomekitchen_]

Thankyou for sharing useful video

[@kathycunningham2660]

Thanks so much! I’ve been cooking with beans for many years and this really cleared up a lot as to why certain recipes never worked well.

[@blackmamba3427]

Awesome video ❤ and information ❤

[@mountainbutterfly8791]

As someone who wants to introduce lentils into our diet, I’ve been overwhelmed by how many kinds I see in the store! Thank you for the rundown on the varieties.

[@FoodwithChetna]

🙏🏽

[@karenkilner1090]

Thank you Chetna , this video was really helpful x

[@faitheavowlanou5235]

Thank you so much. Very helpful information.

[@kamil5550]

Omg I always thought Chana dal was the same as our yellow split peas and have been using those instead for years 🤦 the diversity of pulses is just amazing, I love them

[@susanford2388]

I love lentils & legumes & Indian spices, so your video is very informative. Thank you very much.

[@geminigem599]

Thanks for the clarification. We needed that. Enjoy yr day.😊

[@jesterbargus333]

This made me wonder which are the lentils I use for my tarka dal. They’re sold as red lentils in spain but they look very small compared to the Masoor dal you showed. But they also turn bright yellow once cooked. Their flavour I’d say is kind of root like, quite a bit starchy and very earthy and overall every time I eat them I can imagine I’m literally eating the beginning stage of a plant maybe like s sprout of some sort. I just love them so much! Great video! Really makes me want to get a hold on every kind of dal I can find! Hehehe

[@parushag4528]

Thank you for this video. Very educational!

[@agaszmigiel5389]

Thank you so much! That’s exactly what I was looking for 🙏

[@Aman1092]

Wow thank you so much excellent 👌 for sharing 😊

[@reeti29]

Hi Chetna, I love watching your recipe videos. I love the way you present Indian recipes in English and make it sound all so easy to cook them. I wanted to know what containers are you using for storage in you kitchen pantry. i am trying to reorganise mine, but cannot makeup my mind.

[@petravermeylen]

thank you . really helpfull . this will make shopping a whole lot easier.

[@phini108]

Chetna this is the best explanation of the various dals I've seen for quite some time. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

[@FoodwithChetna]

My pleasure 😊

[@lindaharris9714]

Great informative post. I learnt about Kala Chana.

[@theresahonsaker8546]

Thank you so much for this! ❤

[@beverleybrangman2191]

Very very helpful, thank you soooo much

[@lesliesanger4255]

Thank you so much! I have been collecting lentils and beans, making dal and Indian snacks with them but I really wasn't sure about the difference between them all and how they are used in cooking. I was really wondering too. I buy a lot of them from our local Indian Foods market. So healthy and delicious I am enjoying experimenting and learning.

[@FoodwithChetna]

🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@arj-peace]

Gteat tutorial, thanks! I love lentils but only know a couple of ways to use them, so iI ook forward to exploring your recipes for more lentil dishes.

[@kerry4987]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@NayNay-zm5ln]

Thank you!!! This sounds like a book that is needed!!!💕🥰

[@FoodwithChetna]

😂

[@madcitywendy]

Thank you! This was so helpful.

[@armeeneshroff7908]

So so useful Many thanks 🙏

[@emilywilson7308]

Very interesting!

[@kathrynpatterson6565]

Very useful. Thank you

[@RR-vg5hg]

Absolutely love lentil

[@gregphillips.1312]

Wow, that was fascinating. I didn't know there were so many different Lentils available. I only have Red and Yellow Split, I need to up my game! 😉🙏

[@amanita1295]

You're a great teacher 😊

[@annesomasundaram261]

Thanks it was very informative

[@sohailaislam2416]

Useful 👌

[@nedrycasey]

Thank you

[@Krimpers]

Wow! Thank you so much for doing this Chetna 💗

[@FoodwithChetna]

My pleasure 😊

[@Azlooful]

Great vid! Would love some meal prep ideas for using lentils for /with salads for work lunches etc (cold). Xx

[@cindysebryk6015]

Especially looking for a urad Dahl recipe. ( split) lemon rice sounds interesting.

[@chrisminer5884]

Good breakdown. Problem is so many different names for things. UK English US English use different terms. Various names in different Indian languages let alone other languages around the world. Useful video. Well done

[@Winterwonder55]

Hi Chetna another interesting blog. Can I ask you where you got those storage containers please as not seen them ones before. Also do you not live in the uk. Your blogs brings back so many memories of Indian cooking and Asian super markets parents use to go to and get the items you share in blog. Have you ever made yuca I can’t remember the Punjabi name for it but know my parents use to buy it and boil it and have it with tiny bit off salt on it. Is there a blog on how to make garbeji on your channel. ( cabbage).

[@banandababa]

Thanks so much for this. I would really love if you put time stamps on this video if you can ❤

[@catherinejegels4328]

Tanks! ❤

[@helloitsheena]

[@IvanIV05]

I am not that kind of person who thinks What am I going to cook tomorrow? So I mostly use red lentils because they cook quickly even without soaking. I also have some chana dal and chickpeas, but I use them only rarely. Your "collection" of dals is very impressive 🙂

[@FoodwithChetna]

Thanks

[@ciarainthebeloved]

Love this Chetna. Very helpful, thanks so much! I had a friend from India tell me that Toor dal was better than meat.😂 It was nice to hear your thoughts on it as well.

[@aseul2682]

Very useful thank you

[@karinamaissin7890]

Love red lentils always always have them in the pantry

[@shamiragroombridge2470]

WOW LEARNT SOMETHING NEW RE: DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF DAAL INFO. VERY USEFUL INDEED! THANK YOU🙏🌷💕

[@FoodwithChetna]

My pleasure

[@terrydale2491]

I like your dal storage containers. They look like they use space efficiently. Can you tell me what brand they are or where to find some?

[@lynnettejohns4733]

Thank you. And I love your canisters.

[@FoodwithChetna]

👍🏼

[@carokitson6740]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@FoodwithChetna]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Janet.D.C.]

Chetna, thank you so much! This is like a class on beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils. 😃 You answered many of my questions. I just got an order today of various lentils and beans, including some special varieties (Black Beluga lentils and Harvest Gold lentils). Time for a tasting of pulses! ❤🫘🫛😋

[@FoodwithChetna]

yeah

[@sowelu66]

Thank You, Chetna

[@bobsamchuck]

Great info thanks for sharing

[@FoodwithChetna]

Thanks for watching!

[@andyfairchild2383]

Very useful video Chetna, thank you. Just wondering about one thing… I’ve seen Toor Dal sold as either plain/dry or oily? I’m guessing you use the plain and curious what the difference is?

[@keeperofthegood]

Fun video. I would ask A) why not whole pigeon pea, why only split as toor dal? 1) whey Besan? Why not other dal flours? And) Maybe some side-by-side dishes? Channa Dal only one version is the chickpea and the other the only change use the black eyes peas (for instance) and show the differences? Yes, there are a LOT of variety of legumes :) One red split dal I have yet to try that my local store has is a small split lentil that instead of the flat pale orange is vibrantly deep red-orange with greater shape. It's a few dollars more than my comfort level but certainly on my "will try" list :)

[@anapredoi4075]

Great video, thank you 🙏

[@FoodwithChetna]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AmandaJYoungs]

I love the sound of those red kidney bean burgers - I hope they will feature in a video on your channel, Chetna! Or if not, maybe in one of your books? Thank you so much for this - I certainly would have made the mistake you describe about using whole mung beans and then complaining that they didn't cook in time!

[@Hopcarr]

If you have not made Chetna's rajma, I highly recommend it!

[@loati94]

Thanks for the video! It used to be very complicated for me to differentiated all the kinds of dals, specially when they come in whole and split but are considered different for different reasons ( like the cooking time like you explained) In Spain we consume a lot of brown lentils, but I don't think they are the same as the Masoor you showed. We have one that's called pardina which is smaller and then a bigger one called Castellana. We do have the split red kind, although they are marked as "bio" and are considerably more expensive for some reason. I was lucky to find a small store in my city that sells Moong, Urid, Masoor and chana dal. It does't have toor dal though but at least now I can try some recipes.

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

We have masoor dal which is actually brown lentils but here in UK you also find green lentils which is similar to masoor. I use both of these in the recipes which I've shown :D

[@louriehitchcock9011]

Thankyou

[@FoodwithChetna]

🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@vassan08]

I needed this - thank u

[@FoodwithChetna]

you are welcome

[@qt_pi6504]

I just moved to the us and trust me when I say this I cannot live without my dal 😢 it’s been my comfort food back in India I did not realise how much it meant

[@utipusi4ka]

thank you very much for your video, can u make the similar video about millets?😊

[@FoodwithChetna]

Great suggestion!

[@RayaanAbdullahi32]

Thank you ❤️☺️

[@FoodwithChetna]

You’re welcome 😊

[@ProctorsGamble]

Are the green lentils you show also called mung beans? They are used for bean sprouts. When I think of green lentils I think of French green lentils or LePuy. They are really delicious and stay whole during cooking making for great salads. Try them.

[@nehavora3357]

Hi Chetna!! Can you please share the recipe of burger patty using rajma? TIA

[@RayaanAbdullahi32]

I love your vibrant radiant refreshing energy. I'm struggling to make asian bread properly can you show us how you make healthy roty out of the lentils any of the them really. Thank you Lovely

[@FoodwithChetna]

roti out of lentils? you will have to use some flour in it.....

[@janiceN4Nugs]

In your Masala urad dal Do you use the whole black version or the shelled yellow ones :) i had only seen the yellow version and not realised may actually need black 😮😊

[@ProctorsGamble]

Are the green lentils you show also called mung beans? They are used for bean sprouts.

[@armeeneshroff7908]

Which Dal do you use to make sprouted mung / bean sprouts for salads?

[@DP-tf7qb]

Where are your food containers from?

[@andrewkavros6501]

This is the best, I'm just starting to get into dal and I couldn't love it more. Thank you!

[@rupzzie]

Can I soak chickpeas and store in fridge for like a week?

[@holyflowerpots1400]

Vey helpful, thanks Chetna. One question - I've seen oily toor and dry toor in Asian shops - what's the difference? Love your recipes!

[@threadandfloss]

Oily toor or arhar dal is coated with a thin film of oil and sun dried. This protects the lentils from insect pests. The milling of whole beans into split lentils has been an ancient practice in India. The break in curvature reduces the ability of insects to lay eggs as compared to whole lentils. Our forefathers were indeed brilliant and understood insect behaviour.

[@josephinegeorge2585]

Very good and informative. Now I know the difference between lentils and grams. I think😂

[@lalilala8559]

Thank you Chetna

[@FoodwithChetna]

You are welcome 😊

[@SitaDevi-rx4sn]

Love the storage containers, where are they available from? Love your recipes.

[@Maiasatara]

So in my experience (in the US) it’s 99% Masoor Daal (green) that I see and have cooked. It’s also what one gets if ordering something with lentils in it at a non-Indian restaurant. To me they are chalky so I’d love knowing whether other varieties do or do not have that quality. You mention how different they all taste but not in what way and that’s something I’d like to know. Also, in the varieties used in tempering how in HELL do you not break a tooth?!!! If a dried lentil is just flash cooked in oil, when they typically take 10-60 minutes in boiling water to soften, I’m not understanding how they could possibly get soft enough to chew. So, love what’s here so far but a deeper dive would be appreciated!

[@greenplant5197]

Urad dhuli is ideal for making dahi bhallas-- Ummm Punjabi cooking rocks 👍🤪

[@1jugglethis]

I tried to.make Lemon and Peanut rice from Hari Nayak's cookbook, but the yellow split peas he uses did not soften up at all...is there a big difference between US yellow split peas and Indian yellow split peas?

[@StephenSmith-ju2tp]

Very helpful thank you 🙏🇬🇧🩷

[@FoodwithChetna]

You are welcome

[@bakergirl88]

Very good video! I cook with a lot of these and the family loves them all! I’m curious to know which one of the dals would be good mixed with sautéed onions as a stuffing for paratha’s, or flatbreads in general? Also could you substitute one for chickpeas in falafel?

[@FoodwithChetna]

you can actually watch my dal paratha video for that but to tell you now its - Moong spilt (yellow) or Toor or red lentils all these will work really well

[@bakergirl88]

@@FoodwithChetna👍🏽🥰

[@vicentacastillo363]

😘👍👏👏👏

[@kavithaanna5656]

Hey , Why don’t u do a kitchen tour ?

[@greenplant5197]

Two more varieties of urad dal- urad chilka& moong chilka- ideal for making khidchri- ideally lentils& pulses need to be soaked overnight for best creamy results.

[@goosyd4900]

what about green lentils? can you do a recipe for it?

[@FoodwithChetna]

sure

[@cyclingcircle2733]

I normally mix chana dal with yellow split peas for the perfectly textured smoky dal tadka😅

[@FoodwithChetna]

👍🏼