Cholar dal is a traditional Bengali dish prepared from chana dal (Bengal gram lentil), ghee, coconut, and other spices. It is sweet and savory and is best paired with luchi or steamed rice.
If you loved this Bengali recipe, then you must try a few more from my blog – Bengali Chicken Curry, Bengali Aloo Dum, Bengali Style Veg Pulao, Jhal Muri, and Kosha Mangsho.
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About This Recipe
Cholar dal (chholar dal) is a Bengali delicacy made using split Bengal gram (chana dal). Each household has its own way of making it. Some make it Niramish, that is without onion and garlic, and some add these ingredients to it.
Cholar dal is served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with luchi, kochuri, porotta, or polao.
Healthy, easy to make, and super delicious, this one is bursting with perfectly balanced sweet and savory flavors and is quite unique from other dal recipes.
This spicy goodness is packed with nutrition as chana is high in fiber and protein. It takes hardly any time to prepare and makes for a simple yet satisfying lunch.
It is light on the stomach, yet keeps you full and energetic all day long. If you are preparing this for special occasions try serving it with Bengali luchi for that extra dash of festive mood. This dal is slightly thicker in consistency and not mushy like other Indian lentils. So make sure to not add a lot of water to it while cooking.
This Cholar Dal is,
- Delicious
- Easy + Quick
- Unique
- Perfect for weekdays
Ingredients
Dal – Cholar dal is prepared with chana dal or Split Bengal gram. You can soak chana dal for about 30 minutes before cooking so that it cooks easily and becomes digestible too. Turmeric powder and salt are added to the dal while cooking.
Coconut – You will need some fresh coconut slices that are fried and added to the dal, to add a unique flavor.
Tempering – This dal is tempered with ghee, cumin seeds, asafetida (hing), whole spices, ginger, green chili pepper, raisins, and sugar.
You can adjust the quantity of green chili peppers, as per your spice level.
Raisins and sugar adds a nice hint of sweetness to the dal.
The whole spices such as dry red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaf add a nice flavor when added to the hot ghee.
Use ghee to add that authentic taste, but you can use oil too. In fact, if you can get your hand on Bengali ghee, there is nothing like it. You should be able to get it online or in any Indian grocery store near you.
Use oil in place of ghee to make this dal vegan.
How to make Cholar Dal?
Wash 1 cup chana dal with water a few times and drain the water. Add the rinsed dal to a pressure cooker along with 3 cups of water, ½ tsp turmeric powder, and salt to taste. Pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid of the cooker. The dal should not be mushy after cooking. It should still hold its shape but cooked well.
Note – You can also cook the dal in an Instant pot or a pan. To cook the dal in an instant pot, add the rinsed dal, salt, turmeric powder, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 12 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and then open the lid.
Heat 3 tbsp ghee for tempering in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup fresh coconut slices and fry until golden brown. Keep flipping them while frying. Remove the browned slices to a plate.
In the same ghee, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and ¼ tsp asafetida and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add 4-5 whole dry red chilies, 3-4 cloves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, 2-3 whole green cardamoms, and 2 bay leaves and fry for 5-6 seconds. Add 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 tsp chopped green chili peppers and fry for another 5-6 seconds. You can add spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala at this stage and fry for 2-3 seconds.
Pour the tempering over the cooked dal along with fried coconut slices, 2 tbsp raisins, and 1 tsp sugar and mix well.
Serve hot.
Pro Tips By Neha
Being a North Indian, the addition of sugar in savory recipes is a big no-no for me but trust me, a hint of sugar in this recipe elevates the taste to the next level. So do not miss adding that tad bit of sugar however reluctant you be.
No cholar dal is complete without some fried coconut slices garnishing it and a few raisins added to it.
Soaking the dal for 30 minutes before cooking makes the cooking process faster and saves fuel.
This dal is supposed to be thick, a consistency like a latpati sabzi.
I sometimes like to add dry spices to this dal but make it without the spices too. Try both the versions and see which one you like better. To make dal with spices, add 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, and ½ tsp garam masala powder in the tempering and roast them for 2-3 seconds along with the other below mentioned ingredients. Then add the tempering to the dal.
To make it vegan, replace ghee with oil.
Serving Suggestions
This Bengali style cholar dal is best served with luchi, koraishutir kochori, or radhavallabhi. It also tastes great with steamed rice or jeera rice. For a healthy alternative, serve it with bhakri or jowar ki roti.
Storage Suggestions
This delicious dal will last in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days when stored in an airtight container. You can reheat it in a pan or in the microwave until nice and warm before serving.
If you feel it has become a little dry after refrigerating, add in a little water while reheating and heat it well.
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Recipe Card
Cholar Dal Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
For Tempering
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh coconut
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 4-5 whole dry red chilies
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 2-3 whole green cardamoms
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped green chili peppers
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Wash 1 cup chana dal with water a few times and drain the water. Add the rinsed dal to a pressure cooker along with 3 cups of water, ½ tsp turmeric powder, and salt to taste. Pressure cook for one whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid of the cooker. The dal should not be mushy after cooking. It should still hold its shape but cooked well.
- Note – You can also cook the dal in an Instant pot or a pan. To cook the dal in an instant pot, add the rinsed dal, salt, turmeric powder, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 12 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and then open the lid.
- Heat 3 tbsp ghee for tempering in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup fresh coconut slices and fry until golden brown. Keep flipping them while frying. Remove the browned slices to a plate.
- In the same ghee, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and ¼ tsp asafetida and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add 4-5 whole dry red chilies, 3-4 cloves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, 2-3 whole green cardamoms, and 2 bay leaves and fry for 5-6 seconds. Add 1 tsp grated ginger and 1 tsp chopped green chili peppers and fry for another 5-6 seconds. You can add spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala at this stage and fry for 2-3 seconds.
- Pour the tempering over the cooked dal along with fried coconut slices, 2 tbsp raisins, and 1 tsp sugar and mix well.
- Serve hot.
