Chana Dal Samosas | Vegetarian Samosas

Chana dal samosas are a popular Pakistani & Indian vegetarian / vegan snack. Perfect for tea time with green chutney or raita on the side. 

Growing up in Pakistan with parents who were doctors meant that I rarely got to eat snacks from outside. No thailay wali kulfi’s, no bun kebabs, not even Mr. Burger and definitely no gola ganda’s! 

What I was allowed to have were samosas from the Nimco outlet (the original outlet in Bohri Bazaar, Saddar), but not the qeema ones. Only the chane dal samosas as ‘baahir kay qeema ka kuch pata nahi’. So every single time we went to Saddar for shopping, I would eagerly wait for Ammi to get done with her shopping so we could go to the Nimco outlet and get the samosas. Skipping the chutney of course!  The samosas were crispy and crunchy on the outside and stuffed to the brim with a spicy chana dal and potato filling. 

Having moved halfway across the globe means no more trips to Nimco, but it led me to attempt making chane ki daal samosas at home. To be clear - these don’t taste exactly like the ones from Nimco but these make for some delicious chana dal samosas - perfect for chai or a hi-tea party.  Will be loved by both meat lovers and vegetarians. 

How to make Chana Dal samosas: 

There are two steps to making a chana dal / chana daal samosa.

• The first step is making the filling. Soak and boil the chana dal till soft. This can be done on the normal stove top or in the pressure cooker. Once the chana daal is ready, cook it with onion, spices and lots of coriander. Once it's cool, the samosas are ready to be filled.
• The second step is filling the samosas. For this, I have used the store-bought samosa patti, but you can use a dough based pastry if that's what you prefer. In case the regular samosa patti isn't available, spring roll sheets cut into half or thirds can be used.

Would love it if you could try out and rate the recipe, and let me know how it was in the comments below! 

Some other snack recipes that you can try are:

1. Aloo Pakoras or Potato Fritters

2. Potato and Chicken Croquettes

3. Daal and Aloo Bun Kebab

4. Keema Samosa

5. Chicken Spread Sandwiches 

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chana Dal Samosas 

Chana dal samosas are a popular Pakistani & Indian vegetarian / vegan snack. Perfect for tea time with green chutney or raita on the side.  

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Soaking Time6 hours hrs

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Pakistani

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Kiran

Ingredients

• ½ cup chana dal or split bengal gram
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion chopped
• Salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 4 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped
• 2 green chilies chopped
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• 2 - 3 tablespoons flour
• Water as required
• Samosa wrappers / patti
• Oil for deep frying

Instructions

• Stovetop Instructions:

  Soak the chana daal in water for about 6-7 hours. Drain the soaking liquid, and place in a pot with 1 - 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil and let dal cook for about 15 - 20 minutes till soft. Drain out all the water, and cool completely.
• Pressure Cook Instructions: Soak the chana dal for about 30 minutes. Pressure cook with ½ - 1 cup water for 15 - 18 minutes with a quick release. Drain out all the water, and cool it completely.
• Heat oil in a pan and once it’s hot, add the cumin seeds and let them cook for about 30 seconds till they splutter. Add onion and cook till it changes color.
• Add the cooked chana daal and cook for a few minutes till the water dries out.
• Add spices (salt, red chili powder, turmeric), followed by coriander leaves and green chilies.
• Sprinkle with garam masala in the end.
• Take flour in a small bowl and add water to make a paste. This paste will be used to seal the samosas.
• Take a samosa wrapper (samosa pattand put about 2 teaspoons of the chana daal filling. Fold into a samosa shape.
• Heat oil, and fry till the samosas are golden brown and crispy.

Notes

Note: The un-fried samosas can be frozen and kept in the freezer for about 2 months, and fried as needed.