Dal Pakwan Tostadas
Spiced Sindhi-style chana dal on crispy tostadas with onion, tomato, cilantro, and chutneys. A no-fry Indian-Mexican fusion snack ready in under 45 minutes.
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Small tadka pan
Ingredients
For the dal
- 1 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram) rinsed
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 green chili slit, optional
- 3 cups water for pressure cooking
- 1 teaspoon ghee or neutral oil
For the tempering (tadka)
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil for vegan
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1-2 green chilies slit
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
For assembly
- 8-10 tostada shells baked or fried
- 1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato finely chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons green chili minced, optional
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 3 tablespoons green chutney mint-cilantro
- 3 tablespoons sweet tamarind chutney
- lemon wedges for serving
- fine sev optional
Instructions
Cook the dal
- Rinse chana dal until the water runs mostly clear. Soak in warm water for 1 hour, or 15 minutes if you are short on time.
- Drain and transfer to a pressure cooker. Add turmeric, salt, slit green chili, and 3 cups water.
- Pressure cook on medium heat for 3 whistles. Let pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and check texture. Dal should be soft but grains still distinct. Stir gently. If too thick, add 2 to 4 tablespoons hot water.
Make the tempering
- Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
- Add green chilies, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Sauté 20 seconds until fragrant.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in red chili powder, amchur, and garam masala.
- Pour the tempering over the cooked dal. Add chopped cilantro and mix gently. Taste and adjust salt.
Assemble the tostadas
- Arrange tostada shells on a serving platter.
- Spoon a generous layer of warm dal onto each tostada.
- Drizzle green chutney and tamarind chutney over the dal.
- Top with onion, tomato, minced green chili, and cilantro.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side. Add sev if using.
Notes
Make ahead, cook dal up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate and reheat gently with a splash of water. Fresh tadka on reheating wakes up the flavor.
Vegan, use oil instead of ghee in both cooking steps.
Gluten-free, confirm your tostada brand is GF. Most corn tostadas are.
Traditional pakwan, roll a firm dough of maida, ajwain, salt, and oil into thin discs. Prick with a fork and deep fry until crisp. Serve the same dal alongside.
Crispness, assemble just before eating. For a party, keep components separate and let guests build their own.
Storage, leftover dal keeps 3 days refrigerated. Assembled tostadas do not hold well. Eat within an hour.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!