cholar dal – a festive dal that is often made for celebrations in bengal and this includes the durga pooja celebrations. just like dal makhani is part of every punjabi wedding or celebration, similarly cholar dal is made for special occasions like wedding, festival or a special guest.
again like luchi, when i made this cholar dal today, i was like why i did not make it earlier. cholar dal is made with chana dal or bengal gram. the dal is slightly sweet and fragrant due to the addition of whole spices or garam masala like bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. unlike many other bengali recipes, this dal does not use paanch phoran. another popular combination of chana dal and fried bread is the sindhi dal pakwan.
coconut bits are also added to the dal which gives a good texture to the dal. since i did not have chopped coconut pieces, i have used grated coconut. you can even skip the coconut if you don't have it. this bengali festive dal does not have onion or garlic added to it.
cholar dal is usually made thick unlike other indian dals like dal tadka, dal fry, andhra tomato dal or surati dal. if you prefer you can make the dal with medium or slightly thin consistency.
traditionally cholar dal is always accompanied with luchi or kachori. i had made both kachori and luchi to go with the dal. i think even just plain steamed basmati rice or jeera rice would be great with this dal.
adapted from the calcutta cookbook (India – Flipkart | US – Amazon)
if you are looking for more dal recipes then do check amritsari dal, chana dal fry, masoor dal, moong dal tadka and khatti dal.
cholar dal – bengali style chana dal | durga puja recipes
Author: dassana
Recipe type: main
Cuisine: bengali
Serves: 2-3
- 1 & ¼ cup chana dal/ split and husked bengal gram
- 3 cups water for pressure cooking or 4-5 cups water for cooking in a pan
- 1 tbsp golden raisins/kishmish
- 1 tbsp cashews/kaju (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder/jeera powder
- 2 tsp sugar/chini or as required
- 1 inch cinnamon/dalchini
- 3-4 cloves/laung
- 2-3 green cardamoms/choti elaichi
- 1 medium bay leaf/tej patta
- 2-3 dry red chilies/sookhi kali mirch
- a pinch of asafoetida/hing
- 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut or chopped coconut/nariyal ke tukde
- 2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter or 2.5 tbsp oil
- pick and rinse the dal well.
- soak the dal for an hour in water.
- if you want to reduce the soaking time, then heat water and soak the dal in hot water for 30 minutes.
- after 1 hour, drain the water.
- add the soaked chana dal, turmeric powder and 3 cups water in the pressure cooker.
- on a medium to high flame pressure cook the dal for 5-6 whistles.
- the grains should be separate and yet cooked thoroughly.
- once the pressure settles down on its own then remove the lid
- add sugar and salt to the dal.
- stir and and keep the cooker on a low flame to simmer the dal, till the water reduces a bit.
- when you add the tempering the dal should reach the right consistency – meaning it should be slightly thick. remember that on cooling the dal will become more thick.
- while the dal is simmering, prepare the tempering.
- heat ghee or oil in a pan.
- first add all the whole spices – bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and dry red chilies.
- fry till they become aromatic. this takes some seconds.
- add the asafoetida and fry for a few seconds.
- now add the coconut and fry till the coconut becomes light brown.
- pour the whole tempering mixture in the simmering dal.
- stir and then add cumin powder, red chili powder, raisins and cashews.
- simmer cholar dal for 1-2 minutes more.
- serve cholar dal with luchi, bengali peas kachori and even steamed rice if you prefer.
avoid asafoetida or hing to make a gluten free version of this dal.
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via Veg Recipes of India http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VegRecipesOfIndia/~3/JLAWdQht-U8/
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