Cholar Dal

This tasty Dal from Bengal is from my recipe collection. “Cholar” is a Bengali word for Channa (in Hindi) and its English equivalent is Bengal Gram or yellow lentil. 

Apart from being tasty, it is also very easy to prepare.  

 

Ingredients:

Channa Dal	1 cup
Oil	1 tbsps
Cumin/jeera seeds	2 tsps
Bay leaf/Tejpatta	2
Chopped green chilies	1 or 2
Grated ginger	1-2 tsps
Grated coconut	¼ cup
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Asafoetida /Hing	A pinch
Salt	As per taste
Sugar	2 tsps

Method:

1. Wash the chana dal and boil it in 3 cups of water for about 25 mins or till done. Or you can pressure cook it for about 12-15 mins.  It should not be mushy. Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and to this add jeera, tejpatta, chopped green chilies, grated ginger, grated coconut, turmeric powder, and asafetida and fry for a few minutes till you get a nice aroma. Lower the flame.
3. Pour the boiled channa dal in the pan. Add a little water if necessary. Do not make it very watery.
4. Add the required salt and sugar.
5. Simmer it for a few minutes and serve hot.

Ingredients for "Cholar Dal"

Serves: 3

Note:

• This tastes good with rice and chapattis too.
• I garnished it with chopped coriander leaves. This is optional.