Sindhi Dal Pakwan Sunday brunch is a regular in many households. Much like Jalebi fafda in Gujarati homes. It is a regular dish at weddings and during 'Havan' or 'Pooja'.Moms' love the simplicity of this dish. Children love the crisp texture and tangy flavor of the pakwan. It is a dish everyone loves.This is a special Diwali breakfast recipe too in many households. It is a wonderful brunch for the weekend.We love to enjoy this delicacy with a tall glass of rose sharbat and lassi /buttermilk. Cut ripe sweet mangoes go well with it, in summer. You can also complete the treat with a big glass of falooda ice cream. Yum and absolutely delicious!
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I love making it whenever possible.Easy yet looks sinful.Most people can get them in Sindhi colony at any roadside stall.Just like how Gujarati stalls sell fafda on streets.However,when abroad,you gotta make your own pakwaan. Make it and store it in a can for an easy breakfast later.
Sindhi Diaspora and identity
Sindhi diaspora is spread wide across the world.It was inevitable due to incorrigible partition. You can find a Sindhi colony in most cities because no one bothered to give them a state. Neither did they beg for reservation.They have tried their best to preserve their culture,cuisine and language in spite of adversities. Here is our small contribution in preserving these age old recipes.
Why is Dal pakwan Day celebrated?
To promote Sindhi food, on 11th April every year.
Ingredients
For Pakwan: -
- Plain flour/maida
- Cumin seeds/jeera
- Oil
- Carom seeds /ajwain
- Salt
- Water to knead
- Oil to fry
For the lentils
- Yellow split peas lentils/chana dahl
- Water
- Turmeric powder
- Asafoetida/heeng
- Salt as per taste
For tempering
- Oil
- Cumin seeds
Garnish
- Red chili powder
- Mango powder
- Tamarind chutney optional
- Chopped onions
How to make dal pakwan?
- Knead the dough.Take a small portion and roll into a thin flatbread. Prick it with fork/knife.
2. Fry in oil at low heat. Keep it aside. 
How to make daal?
3. Soak the lentils in water for 2-3 hours. 
4. Cook them in a pot or pressure cooker with salt and turmeric powder. 
5. Put a portion of lentil in the serving bowl, garnish with red chilli powder 
6. Add the hot oil tempering to lentils. Garnish with finely chopped coriander, onions, sweet chutney and optionally garam masala powder. 
Read the Sindhi Daal Pakwan recipe below:
Sindhi Dal Pakwan recipe
Equipment
- kadai/wok/frying pan
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
For Pakwan:
- 2 cups plain flour/Maida
- ½ teaspoon cumin/jeera
- 3 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds /Ajwain
- Salt
- Water to knead
- Oil to fry
For the daal
- 1 cup yellow split peas lentils/channa dahl
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon turmeric/haldi
- pinch of asafoetida/heeng
- Salt as per taste
For tempering
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Garnish
- 1 teaspoon red chilly powder
- 2 tablespoon Mango powder/amchur
- 2 teaspoon Tamarind chutney optional
- Chopped onions
Instructions
For the pakwan:
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients and knead firm dough,It should not be sticky,but a smooth and bit stiff or tight.
- Cover bowl and let dough rest for 15-20 minutes,divide the dough in 10-12 small portions
- Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin and prick it with a fork at regular intervals to prevent puffing.
- Heat oil in a deep pan and deep-fry it on a medium flame until crisp and golden brown on both sides.
- Drain on an absorbent paper.
For the dhal
- Soak the lentils in water for 2-3 hours
- Pressure cook chana dal with water, turmeric, asafoetida and salt for 3 whistles.
Tempering
- Heat oil in a deep pan.
- Add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add this to the cooked dal.
- Garnish with chilly powder and amchur/dried mango powder.
- Serve the dal and pakwan with chopped onions, green chutney and tamarind or date chutney.
Variations
You can make Jain dal pakwaan by avoiding chopped onions in garnish. You may also add curry leaves in tempering optionally.
How to eat dal pakvan?
Take a piece of pakwan like taco and pour some dal over it. Add chopped onions, and chutney over it. Have a crunchy bite and 🙂
Storage
You can fry the pakwan and store it in an air tight container. Although fresh is best, if you are hard pressed for time, you can also pressure cook the dal in more quantity and refrigerate it for 2-3 days. Give a fresh tempering before eating.
Which are some famous Sindhi breakfast recipes?
Sindhi food has a great variety of vegetarian recipes apart from the Daal pakwaan above.
- Seyun patata - Sweet vermicelli without milk seyun, served with patata or fried potatoes. Another gem of a Sunday breakfast.
- Kutti/Bhorat - Unique way of serving whole wheat flour roti smeared with ghee and sugar and chopped to small servings so that kids can eat alone with a spoon.
- Mitho lolo- Sweet flatbread made with whole wheat flour, jaggery. Great for breakfast or tea time.
- Koki - Onion flatbread which goes great with papad and tea for breakfast or with some sunny side eggs.
- Besani - Chickpea flatbread best served with some mint chutney, date chutney or lemon pickle. Perfect for travel.
Famous Sindhi main course dishes
Some of the common Sindhi meals include the following
- Sindhi Kadhi - Besan kadhi with lots of vegetables
- Sindhi Tairi - Sweet jaggery rice
- Taryal vagan - Pan fried eggplant
- Sindhi Tomato Kadhi - Similar to Sindhi besan kadhi , but tomatoes are used instead of tamarind.
- Sindhi green garlic rice - Rice made with fresh garlic
- Sindhi Sai bhaji - Spinach cooked with lentils
- Sindhi toor dal kadhi - similar to Sindhi kadhi, however toor dal is used in the base instead of besan.
What are some interesting mung dal recipes?
Here are some great Moong recipes from our kitchen
- Dal poori- Serve the lentils with puri instead of fried pakvan.
- Moongdal halwa - Rajasthani halwa recipe which is perfect for those cold winters.
- Moongdal dosa/Pesarattu- South Indian dosa recipe which is perfect with or without upma.
- Daal ka paratha -Use the leftover lentils to make a stuffing for paratha.
- Moongdal pakoda -Fritters anyone?
- Sprouted moong salad -After all those high calories, lets balance the meal now.
Also, click here to see more such Sindhi recipes.
Click here to see additional recipe videos from our youtube channel "secondrecipe".
Rajendra Lad says
I just liked it !!!
bhavana bhatia says
Thank you so much! We appreciate your feedback 🙂
Warm Regards