Dhokar Dalna
- 85 min
- mild
- Serves 4
Dhokar Dalna is a Bengali dish made with fried chana dal cakes and potatoes in a spiced gravy. Mild, serves 4, about 1 hour 25 minutes plus soaking.
Ingredients
Chana Dal, For Soaking250 grams
Water, For Soaking750 ml
Ginger, Roughly Chopped6 grams
Green Chilli, Chopped5 grams
Cumin2 tsp
Asafoetida0.5 grams
Salt2 tsp
Oil4 tbsp
Turmeric Powder2 grams
Potato300 grams
Bay Leaves1 grams
Cinnamon2 grams
Tomato1
Red Chilli Powder1.5 grams
Sugar½ tsp
Garam Masala Powder1 grams
Ghee1 tsp
Coriander Leaves, Chopped4 grams
Contains: milk, wheat.
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 | 795kcal | 3180kcal |
| Protein | 15g | 62g |
| Carbohydrate | 55g | 218g |
| Fat | 58g | 234g |
| Fibre | 11g | 44g |
| Sugar | 2g | 8g |
Cookd masalas for chana dal
Method
Wash the chana dal well. Soak it in 750 ml water for 6 hours until the grains swell slightly.
Drain the dal well. Roughly chop the ginger and green chilli, peel and cut the potatoes, make the ginger paste and tomato puree, and chop the coriander leaves. Grind the dal with the chopped ginger, green chilli, cumin, asafoetida and salt, adding the grinding water little by little, until it forms a coarse, thick paste.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai on medium flame for 2 minutes until hot. Add the turmeric and dal paste. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture becomes thick and leaves the sides of the kadai.
Grease a plate with 1 tsp oil taken from the frying oil. Spread the cooked dal mixture to about 1 cm thickness. Cool for 15 minutes until firm, then cut it into about 16 diamond-shaped pieces.
Heat the remaining frying oil in a kadai on medium flame for 4 minutes until hot. Fry about 8 dal pieces at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden. Drain them on a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a clean kadai on medium flame for 1 minute until hot. Add the potato cubes and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, turning often, until lightly golden. Remove them from the kadai.
Add cumin, bay leaves and cinnamon to the same kadai and fry on medium flame for 1 minute until the cumin crackles. Add the ginger paste, tomato puree, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the raw smell goes and the oil starts to separate.
Add the fried potatoes, 500 ml water and sugar. Cover and simmer on low flame for 12 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and the gravy thickens slightly.
Add the fried dal pieces and simmer on low flame for 2 minutes until they soften slightly but hold their shape. Stir in the garam masala, ghee and coriander leaves, then switch off the flame.
Before you start
- How long does Dhokar Dalna take?
- 1 hour 25 minutes from start to finish. That is 25 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking.
- How many people does Dhokar Dalna serve?
- 4. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Dhokar Dalna vegetarian?
- Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
- Is Dhokar Dalna 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 Dhokar Dalna?
- 250 grams Chana Dal, 300 grams Potato, 6 grams Ginger, 5 grams Green Chilli, 0.5 grams Asafoetida, 1 grams Turmeric Powder, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Dhokar Dalna?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Dhokar Dalna?
- About 795 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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