Cholar Dal Recipe | Bengali Style Chana Dal

Cholar dal is a rich and flavorful Bengali dish made with chana dal (split Bengal gram), coconut, ghee & spices, and has no onion or garlic.

Step By Step Instructions for Cholar Dal Recipe | Bengali Style Chana Dal

Rinse the chana dal thoroughly in water. Optionally, soak for 30 mins to 1 hour.
1 Cup Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas)
Add it to a pressure cooker or instant pot along with 3 cups water, bay leaf, turmeric powder and salt.
If cooking in a saucepan, add 4 cups water.
3 Cups Water, 1 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta), 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi), 1 Teaspoon Salt
Pressure cooker method - Cook on medium heat for 4 whistles. Then let the steam come out naturally before opening the pressure cooker.
Instant pot method - Turn on 'pressure cooker' or 'manual mode' and set the vent to 'sealing' position. Cook for 10 minutes in instant pot on high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then release it manually.
Stove top method - Soak the dal for 2 hours. Then add to a saucepan and cook on high heat till the mixture comes to a boil. Then cover with a lid and cook on low-medium heat for 30-40 minutes.

The masala is made from just 3 spices - cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom. If you don't want to make this, you can add regular garam masala instead.
1 Inch Dalchini (Cinnamon Stick), 2 Laung (Cloves), 2 Green Cardamom (Hari Elaichi)
Grind all the spices to a fine powder and keep aside.

Thinly slice some fresh or dried coconuts.
1/4 Cup Coconut
Heat mustard oil in a pan and add the sliced coconuts to it.
2 Tablespoons Mustard Oil (Sarson Ka Tel)
Fry on low heat till they become light golden brown. Then take them out and set them aside.
Then add the cashews and raisins to the same pan.
2 Tablespoons Cashew Nuts (Kaju), 2 Tablespoons Raisins
Lightly roast them on low heat till the cashews are golden brown and the raisins are puffy. Then take them out and set them aside.
In the same oil, add dried red chillies, bay leaves, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and heeng. Saute for 1 minute on low heat.
2 Whole Dried Red Chillies, 2 Bay Leaves (Tej Patta), 3 Laung (Cloves), 4 Green Cardamom (Hari Elaichi), 1 Inch Dalchini (Cinnamon Stick), 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera), 1/4 Teaspoon Heeng (Asafoetida)
Then add grated ginger and slit green chillies and fry on low flame till light brown.
1 Tablespoon Ginger, 3 Green Chillies
Add 2 tablespoons of water along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.
2 Tablespoons Water, 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi), 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder), 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder)
Mix and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The mixture will start leaving oil on the sides.

Add the cooked chana dal to the prepared tempering. Simmer for 6-7 minutes and adjust the consistency as needed. The dal should be of a thick consistency.
Add the prepared Bengali garam masala to the dal.
2 Teaspoons Jaggery
Also add some jaggery or sugar as per taste. Mix and cook for 2 minutes. The amount of sweetness for this dal is a personal preference, I like it with 1.5-2 teaspoons of jaggery. However, some people like it more sweet and can add even 2 tablespoons of jaggery or sugar. You can taste and adjust as per your preference.
Finally, dd in some ghee along with the fried coconut and raisins. Cover and let the dal rest for a couple of minutes.
1 Tablespoon Ghee
Bengali Cholar dal is ready. Serve it hot along with luchi, parota, roti or rice.