Cholar Dal

by Shaheen Ali

Cholar Dal is Bengal gram lentils cooked in coconut and spices. Slightly sweet in flavor and very aromatic because of usage of pure ghee, this dal is cooked in a very typical way by monitoring carefully as it shoud not get mashed completely. The very famous lentil dish from West Bengal, that is served with hot and fluffy luchi specially on the occasion of Jamai Shosti, where the Son-in-Law is served this along with many other delicacies in the platter.


Chana Dal usually takes more time to cook as compared to other lentils, hence you can opt for the pressure cooker recipe as well to save time. I have seen my mom cooking Cholar Dal in the traditional way and she told me that even today in various parts of West Bengal, the dal is cooked in earthen vessels only. It’s true that it is a long and pain staking process but the flavors are rustic undoubtedly. I personally don’t have earthen vessels so i prefer pressure cooking the dal first along with spices and then temper and cook for another some time. Trust me the Cholar dal comes out perfect. Check out the recipe below and DIY.

Print Recipe
CHOLAR DAL | BENGAL GRAM LENTILS COOKED IN COCONUT & SPICES
Course side dish
Cuisine bengali
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
helping
Ingredients
Spices :
Course side dish
Cuisine bengali
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
helping
Ingredients
Spices :
Instructions
  1. Wash dal under running water nicely till clear water appear.
  2. In a cooker add dal with salt, turmeric, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and water till the dal is immersed. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles as we don't want the dal to get mashed completely.
  3. Once the dal is cooked, keep aside and prepare the tempering.
  4. Heat ghee in a wok and add cumin seeds and asafoetida, wait till cumin crackles.
  5. Now add green chilies, ginger paste, raisins and saute for a while.
  6. Add in the cooked dal and grated coconut and stir well.
  7. Check salt again and adjust if required, cover the lid and cook for 10-12 mins in low flame.
  8. Once the dal is done, add a generous pinch of sugar along with some coconut slices before turning off the gas.
  9. Serve hot with fluffy Luchi.
Recipe Notes

If you liked this recipe, then don't forget to try at home. Share your feedback with me in comments below and i shall be happy to read them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Love : Shaheen

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