🌻cooking chana dal:
Firstly soak the chana dal in enough water for 1 hour. Drain.
In a pan, heat the 1&1/2 cups water. Add salt.
When the water comes to a boil, add the chana dal and turmeric powder.

Stir & cook in an open pan on low or medium flame till the chana dal gets cooked but not mushy. It should be just cooked but not soft.
pressing the chana dal between the thumb & the index finger and if it smashes easily, the dal is cooked.
You can also taste the dal and check if its cooked. Strain and keep the cooked dal aside.

🌻 making Chana daal biryani gravy:
Soak the basmati rice in 4 cups water for 30 minutes.
In a pan add the basmati rice with salt plus water and cook covered till the rice is about 3/4 cooked. It should be just cooked and not mushy.

Heat oil and add cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamom, bayleaf stir few seconds then add the sliced onions. Brown the onions.
When you see the onions are getting golden browned, quickly remove 1/2 of the browned onions with a slotted spoon and keep aside. This half of the onions will be used for layering the biryani.
Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 minute.

Add the yogurt slowly and stir.
Add the turmeric, red chili, and salt.
Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes
Add the cooked chana dal and again stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Keep the chana dal gravy aside.

🌻layering Chana daal biryani:
In a large pan or an oven proof pyrex bowl, first make a layer of the chana dal gravy.
Add some of the chopped mint, coriander, green chilies and fried onions.
Make another layer of half of the cooked rice.
Top the rice layer with some mint, coriander, green chilies, fried onions & saffron along water or milk.

Prepare a third layer of the dal gravy again.
Top the dal gravy again with the mint, coriander, green chilies and fried onions.
The last and fourth layer is of the rice again.
Top the rice layer with the remaining mint, coriander, green chilies, fried onions & saffron along water or milk.

If using a pan, cover with kitchen towel a tight lid. The steam should not escape from the sides.
Keep on low flame and cook the biryani on dum for 25-30 minutes.
In order to avoid the bottom of the biryani from burning, you can also keep the pan on a hot tava or frying pan on a lower flame and cook the biryani.