Chana daal also has a lower glycemic index than yellow split peas. If you are a diabetic or otherwise concerned about glycerin, Chana daal is the way to go.

Split Peas and Chana Daal are not the same my dear.......Split Peas are Matar Daal.....

http://oishikatta.blogspot.com/2012/03/difference-between-chana-dal-yellow.html

not at all, they're very different although they look uncannily similar. Split peas cook up much faster than the split chana dal. The visible difference to look for is that split chana dal will be bit 'wrinkled' on the surface and will have a pointed tip onone side. (vaguely heart shaped). Yellow split peas are smooth and hemispherical.

Also, the taste and texture is different. Chana dal ends up creamier and slightly sweeter which is great for a sour/tart complement like raw mangoes chopped and cooked with the dal or tomatoes stirred in the last 15 minutes. However, split peas are so much easier to find.

I think some recipe writers confuse the issue -- they try to simplify for English speakers, calling various dals 'yellow split peas' instead of their common Indian names. Common yellow peas, as splits, in my experience have an excruciatingly long cooking time. Save them for Canadian soups! The Indian (etc.) dals cook nicely in a short time (more or less, depending on the type).

@panfusine is your source here for all things dal! Send her an email via her member page, and she'll give you all the information you need and then some:
http://food52.com/users/15156-panfusine

They do look similar, but are not the same. As a matter of fact yellow split peas are not commonly used in India or Sri Lanka. In my experience, Toor dal and Mung dal are probably the most similar... And as savorthis pointed out, they all cook differently.

As I understand it chana dal are split chick peas. I have made recipes using them as well as split mung bean or yellow split peas but they cook differently so I'd be sure to know how long each one takes to cook.