Chana dal vs Moong dal: nutrition per 100 g

Chana dal is split, husked Bengal gram, the same pulse that becomes besan. Per 100 g dry it has 21.6 g of protein against 23.9 g in moong dal, so moong is a little ahead; both cover more than 40 per cent of a man's daily need. Chana dal has more fat, 5.3 g against 1.4 g, ranking 2nd of 14 pulses for fat, mostly as unsaturated fat. Even so, energy ends up level, 329 kcal against 326 kcal, because chana dal has less carbohydrate, 46.7 g against 52.6 g.

Fibre is chana dal's standout. It has 15.2 g per 100 g, about 1.6 times the 9.4 g in moong, ranking 23rd of 256 foods. That is why a bowl of chana dal feels heavier and stays with you longer, and why some people find it harder to digest without soaking.

Chana dal has 6.08 mg of iron per 100 g, about 1.5 times moong's 3.93 mg, covering 32 per cent of a man's daily iron need against 21 per cent. Zinc follows the same pattern, 3.65 mg against 2.49 mg, and chana dal ranks 2nd of 14 pulses for zinc. Moong dal wins the other minerals: magnesium, 155 mg against 118 mg; phosphorus, 416 mg against 325 mg; and potassium, 1268 mg against 957 mg. Calcium and selenium are close in both.

Chana dal is one of the best folate sources in IFCT 2017. Its 182 micrograms per 100 g ranks 8th of 197 foods and covers 83 per cent of a woman's daily requirement, against 92 micrograms and 42 per cent for moong dal. Folate is needed to make new cells, which is why it matters before and during pregnancy. Chana dal also has more beta-carotene, 165 micrograms against 122, ranking 1st among the pulses. Thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6 are the same in both.

Chana dal is cooked with coconut and raisins as Bengal's cholar dal, with bottle gourd as lauki chana dal across the north, stuffed into puran poli in Maharashtra, and ground for dal vada and Karnataka's kadalebele dishes. Moong dal is the soft yellow dal of khichdi, cheela and convalescent meals. Chana dal needs soaking and longer cooking; moong does not. All values are for raw dal, so a cooked bowl carries far less per 100 g.