Dhokar Dalna, is a cuisine that’s popular across every Bengali’s kitchen. This famous delicacy, commonly savored on days where the family eats veg, allows everyone to believe the same to being meat with a flavorful touch present in every Bengali cuisine.
Dhokha often prepared with soaked Bengal gram is mixed well with spices, dry roasted into a paste, cut in fine diamond shapes, and fried to perfection.Other than being savored with gravy, this versatile ingredient also serves to be the perfect chai partner. Prepared with the best edible oils in India, this authentic dish can be easily prepared at home. Hungry enough? Let’s give this recipe a try!
Ingredients:
For the Dhokha-
- 200 g Chhola’r Dal
- 6 g salt
- 12 g sugar
- 10 g green chilies
- 120 g water- used for grinding the dal
- 20 g vegetable oil
- 20 g grated coconut
- 20 g ginger paste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp hing
- 20 g roasted peanuts- finely chopped
- 1 tbsp maida
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the Curry-
- 80 g Doctors’ Choice Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil
- 5 pcs dried red chilies
- 5 pcs bay leaves
- 5 pcs cardamom
- 1 pc cinnamon
- 5 pcs cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 300 gms potatoes
- 60 g grated coconut
- 50 g ginger paste
- 8 g cumin powder
- 5 g coriander powder
- 5 g turmeric
- 3 g kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ tsp hing
- 50 g tomatoes (diced)
- 6 pcs slit green chilies
- 12 g salt
- 30 g sugar
- 400 g hot water
- 15 g ghee
- ½ tsp Bengali Garam Masala
Method:
- Soak the cholar dal in water overnight. Strain and grind the dal in intervals with salt, sugar, green chilies, and water
- Heat 20g of vegetable oil in a pan. Add the grated coconut and fry the same for 30 mins on a low flame. Later add the ginger paste and fry the same for around 20 seconds. Add the cumin powder, turmeric and hing. Fry the mixture once again till the smell goes away from the spices
- Add the ground chholar dal and chopped peanuts. Continue cooking the dal mixture and note to keep stirring the same too avoid it from sticking to the pan
- Once you notice the mixture changing colors, it will form a dough in the shape of a ball. Transfer the mixture into a flat grasped surface
- Cut and shape the mixture into diamonds while the dal is still hot
- Fry with Doctors’ Choice Refined Sunflower oil on a medium flame until golden brown
- Remove the dhokar from the heat and keep it aside to cook
For the Curry-
- Heat Doctors’ Choice Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil in a pan. Temper the same with dried red chilies, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin seeds
- Add the potato cubes and fry them for about 4 minutes until golden brown
- Add the grated coconut and fry all for 30 seconds until it appears slightly colored
- Add the ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder, and hing. Fry them until their raw smell disappears. Ensure to keep adding a splash of water every time the pan dries out. Add the salt, sugar to the mix and further add tomatoes and slit green chilies after a minute
- Add 400 gms warm water to help form the gravy. Once it comes to a boil, drop the dhokha into it one by one. Allow the same to be on a medium flame for over 3-4 minutes to allow the gravy to thicken.
- Finish off the delicious Bengali Dhokar Dalna prepared with low cholesterol cooking oil with ghee, garam masala, and two-three green chilies for flavor.
- Savor this lip-smacking dish with mishti pulao or plain mosur dal
