Cholar Dal
- 49 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Cholar dal, Bengali chana dal with fried coconut pieces, whole spices, ginger and a little sugar. Mild and vegetarian, serves 4, 50 minutes plus soaking.
You’ll need: Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Chana Dal, For Soaking200 grams
Water, For Soaking500 ml
Turmeric Powder1 grams
Salt¾ tsp
Oil1 tbsp
Coconut, Chopped20 grams
Cumin1 grams
Dry Red Chilli1 grams
Cinnamon2 grams
Cloves1 grams
Green Cardamom, Crushed1 grams
Bay Leaves1 grams
Ginger, Finely Chopped8 grams
Green Chilli, Slit5 grams
Cumin Powder1 grams
Sugar1 tsp
Coriander Leaves, Chopped4 grams
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 4 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 246kcal | 984kcal |
| Protein | 11g | 44g |
| Carbohydrate | 34g | 135g |
| Fat | 8.5g | 34g |
| Fibre | 7.7g | 31g |
| Sugar | 1.6g | 6.4g |
Cookd masalas for chana dal
Method
Rinse the chana dal two or three times and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, break the dry red chilli, crush the cardamom, finely chop the ginger, cut the coconut into small thin pieces, slit the green chilli, and chop the coriander leaves. Drain the dal completely.
Add the soaked dal, cooking water, turmeric and salt to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 3 whistles, about 10 to 12 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, until there is no pressure left. Open the cooker and check that the dal is soft but still holds its shape.
Heat oil in a kadai on low flame for 1 minute until hot. Add the coconut pieces and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until light golden, then take them out and keep aside. Add cumin, dry red chilli, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf to the same oil. Fry for 1 minute until the spices sizzle.
Add ginger and green chilli. Fry on medium flame for 1 minute until the raw smell of ginger goes.
Add the cooked dal, cumin powder, sugar, remaining salt and water. Mix and simmer on low flame for 8 minutes until the dal is lightly thick and the raw smell is gone.
Add the fried coconut and coriander leaves and mix. Cook on low flame for 1 minute, then switch off the flame and serve hot with luchi or rice.
Before you start
- How long does Cholar Dal take?
- 49 minutes from start to finish. That is 10 minutes of preparation and 39 minutes of cooking.
- How many people does Cholar Dal serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Cholar Dal vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Cholar Dal spicy?
- It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Cholar Dal?
- 200 grams Chana Dal, 1 grams Dry Red Chilli, 1 grams Turmeric Powder, 20 grams Coconut, 1 grams Cumin, 2 grams Cinnamon, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Cholar Dal?
- Yes, this one is cooked under pressure.
- How many calories are in Cholar Dal?
- About 246 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
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