Name: Cholar Dal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Bengali
Ingredients: 200 g split Bengal gram (chana dal), rinsed; 700 ml water; 0.5 tsp turmeric powder; 3 tbsp mustard oil or ghee; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 2 whole dried red chilies; 1 stick cinnamon; 3 whole green cardamom pods; 2 whole bay leaves; 2 tbsp raw coconut, thinly sliced (for frying); 2 tsp sugar; salt (to taste); 1 tsp ginger, grated

Method

Boil the dal

Combine the chana dal, water and turmeric in a pot and boil until the lentils are soft but still hold their shape.

Chana dal should stay slightly grainy, not mushy, so watch it in the last few minutes.

25 min

Fry the coconut

In a separate small pan, heat a tablespoon of the oil and fry the coconut slivers until golden and crisp, then set aside.

2 min

Temper the whole spices

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the cumin seeds, dried red chilies, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves, letting them sizzle until fragrant.

1 min

Combine and simmer

Pour the tempering into the cooked dal along with the grated ginger, sugar and salt, and simmer together until the flavors meld.

5 min

Garnish and serve

Top the dal with the fried coconut slivers and serve warm with luchi or rice.

Cholar Dal

Ingredients

Method

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