Dal

There are a huge number of pulses - beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, etc. Dal, or dhal, is a term used loosely, in India and elsewhere, to include just about any kind of pulse cooked with spices into a thick soup/thin porridge consistency. To deal with dal comprehensively is obviously outside the scope of this website.

There is one pulse in particular that is gaining widespread favour internationally, and that is chana dal, a wild forebear of the chickpea. In appearance it's hard to tell the difference from a yellow split pea. It's principal claim to attention is that it has a low glycaemic index (GI) — in fact, compared with most carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, or potatoes, it has an an incredibly low GI.

What this means is that it releases its calories slowly and evenly over a much longer period than pasta, rice or potatoes. It takes longer before you feel hungry again. Also, in combination with rice or wheat, pulses provide a complete protein, something to be considered in a part of the world which is often short of it, and a valuable resource for vegetarians.

Chana dal has one other valuable attribute. Chickpeas need to be soaked for about 6-8 hours before cooking. Chana can be cooked from dry in 4 times its volume of water in 40 minutes.