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Cholar Dal Recipe (Bengali Channa Dal)

PUBLISHED: Thursday July 30, 2020

LAST UPDATED ON: October 12th, 2023 at 11:44 am

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Cholar Dal Recipe (Bengali Channa Dal) Traditional Bengali-style meal isn’t quite complete without a serving of this delicious lentil dish cooked with Bengal split gram or channa dal. Sometimes all you’d like is just a simple and soulful meal for lunch or dinner.

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For almost every Bengali it’s an absolute drool over the dish. This dal has a slightly sweetish taste in conjunction with a spicy aftertaste. One of the foremost basic dishes but this has my heart. This dal could also be a standard Bengali dish prepared from channa dal, ghee, coconut, and other spices and is best paired with luchi or steamed rice.

Those of you who have been reading our blog for some time already know that we make videos for each recipe on our YouTube channel.

You may also like some other snack recipes on my blog – Dal Palak Instant Pot | Spinach And Lentil Recipe, Instant Pot Dum Aloo, Instant Pot Lemon Rice, Mexican fiesta rice – Instant Pot Recipe.

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Cholar Dal Recipe
Cholar Dal is a traditional Bengali Dal made with Bengal split gram, ghee, coconut fry, cashews, and raisins and is best paired with steamed rice or luchi.

History of Cholar Dal Recipe (Bengali Channa Dal)

Bengali Cholar Dal is often made for special occasions like weddings during festivals like Durga puja after giving Anjali (Prayers to goddess Durga) we’ve it. It is a really common dish during Saraswati puja. Cholar dal is usually not prepared runny, it’s made thick If you’re having with poori.

The slow cooking technique started in medieval India. The technique was called dum phukt (slow cooking in steam) which raised the status of this dal especially channa dal within the royal kitchen. Royal cooks served not just the opposite dal, but channa dal to the emperor.

In this Bengali Lentil Curry What’s beautiful is that each grain of dal is cooked and separated to make sure the dal is nothing but in need of perfection.

Cholar Dal Recipe

About Cholar Dal

Cholar Dal Recipe is made with Bengal gram or split and hulled black chickpeas, which is flavored with dollops of ghee, fried coconuts, cashews, raisins, and a medley of whole spices like bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, and actually some hing (asafoetida). Must add fried coconut bits which provide an honest texture to this rich dal.

This Coconut Cholar Dal is slightly sweet and fragrant because of the addition of whole spices or garam masala and flavored with fried coconut, cashews, and raisins. It tastes mildly spicy and filled with nutrition. A vegan-friendly, healthy delicious option.

Usually, onion garlic isn’t added but gingers sing well with the dish. The dish is a little sweet, fragrant, and mildly spicy it’s delicious and nutritious.

Cholar Dal Recipe

Health Benefits Of Cholar Dal

They are an excellent source of vegetarian protein. Keeps your heart healthy and it’s an excellent food for diabetics. They’re high in fiber so now you’ll understand having this delicious dal may be a boon for our body and soul.

There are many health benefits they’re a great source of zinc, folate, calcium, and protein, low in fat content, are often easily digested, a rich antioxidants,s and a really good source of vitamins, and provide energy.

Important Suggestions To Keep In Mind

  • Soaking the channa dal 1 hour before makes the cooking process in no time.
  • No cholar or channa dal is complete without fried coconut bits.
  • If channa dal becomes thick after boiling you’ll add water later at the time of cooking.
  • Add fried cashews for garnishing it adds an upscale look to the present dish.
  • Do not forget to include 1 tbsp sugar in the present dish depending on the number of channa dal you’re using.

Make Cholar Dal In Instant Pot 

  • Place all the ingredients required in the instant pot. 
  • Set the valve to sealing and close the lid carefully.
  • Adjust the time to 10 minutes and cook on high pressure by pressing it manually.
  • After that let the pressure release naturally. 
  • At least wait for 15 minutes till the pressure valve goes down.
  • Then press the cancel button. Then you can take a pan and fry the diced coconut and then add to the instant pot and stir. 

Channel dal is ready to be served 

Check Out the Cholar Dal Recipe video :

Basic Serving Tips

Cholar Dar is typically paired or accompanied with Karaishutir kachori, luchi, roti, paratha, and steamed rice in conjunction with gandhoraj lebu (Special scented Bengali lemon).

This dish is often enjoyed for breakfast lunch or dinner. If you prefer you will have a slightly thin consistency if having with steamed rice. If you’re having with luchi make it a little thick.

How to make Cholar Dal step by step with photo:

  1. In a pressure cooker add the soaked channa dal along with water and salt and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Your time may vary. The channa dal should be soft but not mushy. It should still retain its shape. The dal will be thick at this point. Take out keep aside.

Cholar Dal Recipe

Cholar Dal Recipe

2. Take a mini mixing bowl and make a spice by mixing together the ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and red chilly powder with 6 tbsp water. Also, slice the coconut chop into small pieces, and crush the green chilies.

3. Meanwhile in a pan heat on medium add mustard oil and when it smokes fry the coconut pieces until golden brown. Take it out and keep it aside.

4. In the same pan add cashews and fry till golden brown. Take out and keep aside.

5. Now temper it with bay leaves, dried red chili, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, cumin seeds, and hing. Allow it to fry for 10 seconds.

6. Add the spice paste we made earlier to the pan. Fry on medium heat until the raw smell goes away from the spices. Saute for 5 minutes.

7. Add crushed green chili and saute. Then add raisins, and continue frying until you see oil separates from the sides.

8. Add boiled dal and then add salt to taste. Combine well. Add hot water as I added here (if needed) and mix well. Cook for 7 min till dal thickens.

9. Add sugar, garam masala, and ghee to it. At this point, If serving with rice then make it thin If with luchi / paratha make it thick. Your choice 😊

10. Add fried coconuts and cashews or after taking them out garnish with fried cashews.

11. Heat off the cover and rest and then serve it hot with steamed rice or luchi of your choice. Enjoy 😊

Cholar Dal Recipe

 

Note: A rough estimate of nutrition is provided.
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Cholar Dal Recipe

Cholar Dal Recipe (Bengali Channa Dal)


  • Author: Sanchita Dey
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 People 1x

Description

Cholar Dal Recipe (Bengali Channa Dal) is a traditional Bengali Dal made with bengal split gram, ghee, coconut fry, cashews and raisins and is best paired with steamed rice or luchi.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 200 grams Chana dal (Bengal split gram dal washed and soaked 7-8 hours or over night)
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tbsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp Cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Red chilly powder
  • Water

For Tempering

  • 4 tbsp mustard oil
  • 1/4 cup Coconut pieces
  • 67 Cashew (optional)
  • 23 Dried red chilli
  • 1 Bay leaves
  • 1 inch Cinnamom
  • 23 Green Cardamom
  • 23 Cloves
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1/3 tsp Hing
  • 23 crushed green chillies
  • 2 tbsp Raisins
  • 2 tbsp Ghee

Equipments Used:

[equipments]

Instructions

  1. In a pressure cooker add the soaked chana dal along with water and salt and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Your time may vary. The chana dal should be soft but not mushy. It should still retain the shape. The dal will be thick at this point. Take out keep aside
  2. Take a mini mixing bowl make a spice paste by mixing together the ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilly powder with 6 tbsp water. Also, slice the coconut and chop in small pieces and crush the green chillies.
  3. Meanwhile in a pan heat on medium add mustard oil and when it smokes fry the coconut pieces until golden brown. Take it out and keep aside.
  4. In the same pan add cashews fry till golden brown. Take out and keep aside.
  5. Now temper it with bay leaves, dried red chilli, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, cumin seeds and hing. Allow it to fry for 10 seconds.
  6. Add the spice slurry we made earlier to the pan. Fry on medium heat until the raw smell goes away of from the spices. Saute for 5 minutes. Add crushed green and saute. Then add raisins, and continue frying until you see oil separates from the sides.
  7. Add boiled dal and then add salt to taste. Combine well. Add hot water if need and mix well. Cook for 7 min till dal thickens.
  8. Add sugar, garam masala and ghee to it. At this point If serving with rice then make it thin
  9. If with luchi / paratha make it thick. Your choice 😊
  10. Add fried coconuts and cashews or after taking out garnish with fried cashews.
  11. Heat off cover and rest and then serve it hot with steamed rice or luchi of your choice. Enjoy 😊
[equipments]

Notes

  • Soaking the channa dal 1 hour before makes the cooking process very fast.
  • No cholar dal is complete without fried coconuts bits.
  • If channa dal becomes thick after boiling you can add water later at the time of cooking.
  • Add fried cashews for garnishing it adds a rich look to this dish.
  • Do not forget to add 1 tbsp sugar to this dish depends on the quantity of channa dal you are using.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Nutrition

  • Calories: 377

Note: A rough estimate of nutrition is provided.

💓

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Have you tried this “Recipe”? Please feed us with your ★★★★★ star ratings and comments below.

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