Narkel Diye Cholar Dal
Chana dal or Bengal gram cooked with coconut and raisins with no onions and garlic.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Bengal gram cholar dal/ chana dal
- 1/3 cup raisins optional
- 1/2 coconut optional
- 2 nos dried bayleaf
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 nos green cardamom
- 3 nos cloves
- 1 pinch asafoetida heeng
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 2 nos dried red chilies
- 1/2 inch grated ginger
- 2-3 nos green chilies
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Wash chana dal under running water and then keep it soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
- Then in a pressure cooker, take the dal with 1 and 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and a little bit of salt and pressure cook for 10 minutes or 1 whistle. If you don't want to use a pressure cooker, then boil in a saucepan till the dal has softened while holding shape.
- While the dal is boiling, take half a coconut and cut out the white flesh. Cut the flesh into long strips and then cut them into small thin strips.
- In a bowl, take freshly grated ginger, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, red chili powder and cumin powder. Add a little bit of water to make a paste and keep it ready.
- In a kadai, take a tbsp of ghee and vegetable oil together. Once it's hot, add the chopped coconuts and stir fry without browning.
- Once they have got a mild colour, take them out with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
- In the same oil, fry the raisins and keep aside.
- In the same kadai, add dried bay leaf, dry red chillies, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom one by one. If you feel the need, add more ghee but it doesn't require much ghee at all.
- Let them colour a bit and release aroma. Then add cumin seeds and a pinch of heeng and stir fry without burning. So keep the heat at medium while doing this step. Cumin seed brown really quick.
- To this, add the masala paste from the bowl and quickly stir to cook the spices. As soon as the raw turmeric smell goes off, add the boiled chana dal.
- Add another half a cup of water (if required) and put it on a boil. Let the dal boil with the spices. Add the raisins and coconuts.
- Keep cooking till you have reached a nice mushy consistency. Using the back of a ladle, mash some dal at the bottom of the kadai, which helps in the consistency.
- Add sugar and salt to taste. Finally add ghee and split green chillies for flavour.
- Serve with luchi or rice.