Guggillu (Vegetarian and Low Glycemic Index snack made of chana dal)

Ingredients:

Chana Dal  - 100 gms
Red Chili/Green Chili - 2 whole (cut into small pieces)
Black small mustard seeds (Avalu or Rai in Hindi) - 1 teaspoon
Onions - 2 (chopped into very small pieces)
Curry leaves (optional) - 3-4
Asofetida - a pinch
Red chili powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Servings (2-3)

Method:

Wash the dal and put it in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. Let the whistle blow once on a high flame and then turn the heat down and cook for a further 15 minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker, boil the dal using some of the methods given here http://www.mendosa.com/chanadal.html.

No matter which method you use, the important thing is to ensure that after cooking, the dal is soft enough to chew and yet, retains its shape.

In the time it takes the dal to cook, you can prepare the seasoning. To do this, heat up the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds, the chilis (red or green) and the curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the onions and stir fry them until they become soft. Add the asofetida and the red chili powder and stir fry for a minute.

Add the cooked dal to this mixture and add salt to taste. You can also add some finely chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves to the dal if you like the flavor of cilantro.

This is a wonderfully filling snack and it is ultra low glycemic index.

As per Rick Mendosa's GI Lists page, the gi and glycemic load values for chana dal are ridiculously low :). For 150 gms of boiled chana dal, the Glycemic load is just 3. So I am guessing one serving of this snack should be really low glycemic load wise.

If you try it out, tell me how it turns out.