Dal Pakwan

Before you start

• Soak the chana dal 2 hours, or overnight if you are cooking this for breakfast. Drain before cooking.
• Make the pakwan dough first and rest it 30 minutes — resting is what stops it puffing up like a puri.
• Sindhi dal pakwan is a breakfast dish; both parts can be made the night before and the dal reheated.

Method

1. Knead the maida, rava, 1/2 tsp ajwain, 1/2 tsp salt and 4 tbsp oil with about 3/4 cup water into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
2. Pressure cook the drained dal with the turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt and 4 cups water for 2 whistles, then 4 minutes on low. The grains should be soft but still separate, not a puree.Chana dal for pakwan must hold its shape. One whistle too many and you have gravy.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a small pan, crackle the remaining cumin and ajwain, add the hing, green chilli and half the ginger.
4. Add the tomato, chilli powder and amchur and cook 3 minutes until the oil separates, then pour the whole tempering into the dal.
5. Simmer the dal 8-10 minutes, mashing a ladleful against the side to thicken it. It should be spoonable, like loose porridge.
6. Divide the dough into 12. Roll each into a thin 12cm disc and prick it all over with a fork — 20 or 30 holes, right through.Every unpricked patch will balloon. Prick more than you think you need.
7. Heat the frying oil to medium — a scrap of dough should rise slowly, not race to the top. Fry each pakwan 2-3 minutes a side until pale gold and rigid.Hot oil gives you a puri: puffed, soft, wrong. Medium oil is what makes it snap.
8. Drain the pakwan upright in a colander so they stay crisp rather than steaming on kitchen paper.
9. Ladle the hot dal into bowls, top with chopped onion, remaining ginger, coriander, chaat masala and black salt, and squeeze over lemon.
10. Serve at once with the pakwan alongside, to be cracked and dipped.

Storage

The dal keeps 3 days refrigerated and thickens; reheat with a splash of water. Pakwan keep a week in an airtight tin once completely cool — any residual warmth and they go soft overnight.