Cholar Dal
This Calcutta's homely dish is an aromatic sweet-savoury blend of soft Bengal gram (chana dal) with a tempering (tadka) of whole garam masala spices and coconut.
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 126kcal
Ingredients
Pressure cook
- ¾ cup chana dal soaked for at 1 to 2 hours
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 2 cups water
- salt to taste
Prepare tadka
- 1 ½ tablespoons ghee
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 to 4 cloves
- 2 to 3 green cardamom
- 2 to 3 dried red chillies
- 5 whole cashews broken roughly
- 2 teaspoon golden raisins
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons grated coconut or slices
Instructions
- Pressure cook the soaked and drained chana dal with all the ground spices, salt and water for 3 to 5 whistles. Switch off and let it cool on its own. If using Instant Pot, use little less water, pressure cook on high for 11 minutes, and naturally release the pressure or release after 10 minutes. We want the lentils to be perfectly cooked with their shape intact and not turned to mush.¾ cup chana dal, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, 2 cups water, salt to taste
- Open the cooker and keep it on a low flame or saute mode while you prepare the tadka.
- In a medium saucepot, heat ghee on low to medium heat. Add all the whole spices, cashews, sliced or grated coconut and grated ginger. Saute and fry them until crispy, golden and aromatic. Lastly, add and saute the raisins and sugar.1 ½ tablespoons ghee, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 3 to 4 cloves, 2 to 3 green cardamom, 2 to 3 dried red chillies , 5 whole cashews, 2 teaspoon golden raisins, 1 teaspoon ginger, 2 tablespoons grated coconut, ½ teaspoon sugar
- Switch off the simmering dal, pour it over the tadka and stir immediately. Let the dal bubble and simmer until it reaches a semi-thick consistency. Switch off and keep covered for 2 minutes.
- Open, stir in a teaspoon of ghee and serve Cholar Dal hot with Indian bread like Luchi, puri or just some plain white boiled rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.4g | Protein: 1.5g | Fat: 10.5g
