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Dal pakwan
Fried bread with spiced chana dal
دال پڪوان (dal pakwan): Sindh's weekend breakfast of crisp fried pakwan with spiced chana dal and tamarind chutney
Sunday morning in Karachi's old Sindhi neighbourhoods, and in Hyderabad, means a queue at the dal pakwan stall, or a home kitchen hot with frying oil. Pakwan are crisp, bubbly discs of cumin and black-pepper dough, fried until they shatter like a cracker, and they are eaten broken into a bowl of soft, lightly spiced chana dal, then topped with sweet-sour tamarind chutney, raw onion and a dusting of chilli. The contrast of crunchy, soft, sweet and sharp is the whole point, so the parts are kept separate until the last moment. Thick pakwan are the most common disappointment: rolled too thick, they turn chewy instead of crisp. Chef's tip: roll each one as thin as you can and prick it all over with a fork before frying, so it puffs only a little and stays flat and crunchy.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pakwan
- 9 oz plain flour (maida)plus extra for rolling
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 /2 tsp black peppercoarsely crushed
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup waterapproximately
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
For the dal
- 9 oz chana dal (split chickpeas)rinsed and soaked 2 hours
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 /2 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
For the tamarind chutney
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 3 tbsp jaggery (gur)grated
- ½ cup water
- 1 /2 tsp roasted ground cumin
- 1 /4 tsp salt
To serve
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: For the pakwan, mix 9 oz plain flour (maida), 1 /2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 /2 tsp black pepper, then rub in 3 tbsp vegetable oil until the flour holds together when squeezed.
2 minStep 2: Add ½ cup water gradually and knead to a stiff, smooth dough; cover and rest for 20 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Meanwhile, drain 9 oz chana dal (split chickpeas) and simmer it with 3 ¼ cups water, 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt, partly covered, for 25–30 minutes until the grains are soft but still hold their shape, skimming any foam.
30 minStep 4: Make the chutney: simmer 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 3 tbsp jaggery (gur), ½ cup water, 1 /2 tsp roasted ground cumin and 1 /4 tsp salt in a small pan for about 5 minutes until syrupy, then cool.
5 minStep 5: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and, when it crackles, 2 green chillies, 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder and 1 /2 tsp dry mango powder (amchur); pour straight into the dal and stir. Keep the dal warm; it should be thick but spoonable.
2 minStep 6: Divide the dough into 8 balls and roll each into a very thin round about 15 cm across; prick all over with a fork.
5 minStep 7: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for deep frying in a deep pan to 350°F (a scrap of dough rises at once). Fry the pakwan one at a time for about 1 minute per side, pressing gently with a slotted spoon, until crisp and golden; drain on kitchen paper.
15 minStep 8: Serve the dal in bowls topped with 1 onion, 3 tbsp fresh coriander and a spoonful of chutney, with the pakwan on the side to break over it.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dal pakwan take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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