Cholar Dal Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 337kcal
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.
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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 teaspoon 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 tablespoon 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 teaspoon cumin seeds and ¼ teaspoon 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 teaspoon grated ginger and 1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon raisins, and 1 teaspoon sugar and mix well.
- Serve hot.
Notes
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 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, and ½ teaspoon 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 692mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 67.5mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 5mg