Bengali Cholar Dal Recipe

Bengali Style Cholar Dal is a delicious lentil dish cooked with Bengal gram or chana dal. This dish of dal is flavored with coconut, ghee and an assortment of whole spices. Bengali Style Cholar Dal tastes mildly spicy and packed with nutrition. Once the Bengal Gram is cooked in the pressure cooker it only takes a few minutes to prepare the whole dish.  Course : Lunch Ingridients : 1 cup Chana dal (Bengal Gram Dal) , soaked for an hour 1/2 cup Dry coconut (kopra) , cut into 1 inch pieces 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) Salt , to taste Ingredients for the seasoning 2 teaspoons Mustard oil 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera) 2 Green Chillies , slit into halves lengthwise 1 inch Ginger , peeled and grated 3 Dry Red Chillies 2 Cloves (Laung) 1 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) 1 Bay leaf (tej patta) Instructions To begin making the Bengali Cholar dal, first prep all the ingredients and keep them ready.  Soak the chana dal for about an hour in water. Add the soaked dal with 2-1/2 Cups of water , turmeric powder, salt to taste in a pressure cooker for 3 to 4 whistles.After 3 to 4 whistles, turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally.  In a teaspoon mustard oil over medium heat in a saucepan; add the dry coconut pieces and fry until they turn golden brown. Once done transfer the fried coconut pieces to a bow and keep aside.In the same pan heat a teaspoon of mustard oil; add cumin seeds,  dry red chilies, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green chilies and ginger.Saute for a few seconds until the seeds crackle and the green chilli gets a lightly roasted texture. Once done, stir in the cooked Bengali Cholar dal and the roasted coconut slices.Stir well to combine and check the salt and adjust to suit your taste. Give the Bengali Cholar dal a brisk boil for a couple of minutes and turn off the heat.Transfer the Bengali Cholar dal to a serving bowl and serve hot.Serve the Bengali Cholar Dal with Begun Bhaja and steamed rice for a wholesome lunch or dinner.