Rich, Nutritious & Delicious Chana Dal or Split Chickpeas kheer/ payasa/milk pudding, easy to prepare & is a perfect sweet to enjoy on special occasions or just to cheer yourself or someone you love.
Kheer/Payasa/Milk Pudding is prepared very often at many homes in India, as it is easy to prepare & can be prepared fast with simple ingredients. They taste delicious & enjoyed by everyone.
Lentils are one of our staple foods, they are used in savoury dishes regularly & certain kinds of lentils are also used to prepare sweet dishes. Kheer/payasa/pudding made of lentils is one such variety dish.
There are innumerable Kheer/Payasa/Milk Pudding recipes in India. Every home have their own recipes, methods & ingredients, which makes it really fascinating to learn, prepare & taste. I am sharing my family recipe that we prepare at our home. It is a family Favourite.
Please do try this recipe, it tastes best when served warm.
You can also watch my video on 
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup – Chana Dal/Split Chickpeas/Kadle Bele
- 1 ½ Cup – Milk (I used milk with 3 % fat) (1 cup milk to cook the dal & ½ cup milk we add later to make the dal mixture more liquid).
- 1 Cup – Water
- 4 Tsp – Ghee
- ¼ Cup – Khoa/Khoya/Mava/Milk Solids (I used unsweetened Khoa)
- ¾ Cup – Sugar
- ½ Tsp – Elaichi/Cardamom Powder
- ½ Tsp – Nutmeg/Jaiphal/Jaayikai powder
- ¼ Tsp – Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tbsp – Badam/Almonds (thinly sliced)
- 1 Tbsp – Cashews/Kaju (thinly sliced)
- 1 Tbsp – Raisins/Kishmish (thinly sliced)
Prep Work:
- Rinse & soak Chana Dal/Split Chickpeas for atleast 2 hours (I soaked it for 2 hours).
- Once they plump up with a metal filter/colander drain the water out.
- We let the chana dal/split chickpeas sit in the filter/colander for 15 minutes to allow the water to drain out completely.
Method:
- Heat a pressure cooker & add ghee (plz keep the heat on low).
- As the ghee melts add the chana dal/split chickpeas we set aside earlier & sauté.
- We sauté for 1-2 minutes, until all the moisture from the dal/lentil evapourates & the dal/lentil is coated with ghee.
- Add turmeric powder, 1 cup water, 1 cup milk mix well (plz turn the heat to medium).
- Place the lid & we let it come to boil.
- Once the mixture comes to boil lock the lid & let it cook.
- We let the pressure cooker make 2 whistles after that turn off heat & when the pressure has reduced completely we open the lid.
- The dal/lentil has to be cooked just right, we can see the dal as a whole & when mashed they are soft.
- Stir the mixture.
- With a potato masher or with the back of a heavy spoon mash the dal partially (If you wish you can blend it to a smooth liquid too).
- We set it aside.
- Heat a wok/kadai/pan, add ghee (plz keep heat on low).
- As the ghee melts add the dry fruits & sauté for a minute or so.
- Then add the cooked dal/lentil & mix well.
- The consistency of the dal/lentil mixture will be a little thick so we add ½ cup milk & mix well.
- Add Khoa/Khoya/Milk solids & mix (if you wish to make it more rich add ¼ cup more Khoa/Milk solids).
- We need to mix well until the Khoa/Milk solids dissolve completely.
- Now we add the sugar & mix well (this gives moderate sweetness you can add more or less as per your choice).
- Now we add elaichi/cardamom powder & nutmeg/Jaiphal powder, mix well.
- We cover with lid & let it simmer for a few minutes (plz keep heat on medium low).
- After 2 minutes open lid & once it comes to complete boil turn off heat.
- Ready to serve. (it will thicken as it cools, just before you serve add ¼ cup milk heat it & serve).
