PreeOccupied: cholar dal

Okay people, the party is over and so is the weekend. Ma Durga has gone back to her husband’s home, leaving behind a pall of gloom over all Bengalis.

Monday too is staring right in the face and I am pretty grumpy. Well, not exactly that, but definitely cranky, but that is my usual personality. After a torrid weekend I now want to get back to normal life, which means I also have to update PreeOccupied.

Today its going to be another Bengali classic – Radhabollobi and Chholar Dal, usually Radhabollobi is served with Alu Dom, the recipe for which is here.

Radhabollobi is luchi or puri stuffed with a kalair dal or urad dal filling. These deep-fried delights are usually made during special occasions like weddings and festivals. I did it for the Ashtami lunch.

Chholar Dal is Bengali for Chana Dal (or Bengal Gram), cooked in little pieces of fresh coconut. Most Bengali homes cook Chholar Dal this way and its good with either the Bengali Pulao or Luchi or even some plain white rice on an ordinary day.

Ingredients for Chholar Dal are:

1 cup Bengal gram/ Chholar Dal
Quarter cup finely chopped fresh coconut + Half tablespoon grated coconut
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1-2 slit green chilies
One small piece of cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 black cardamom
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoon melted ghee
Sugar
Salt

Wash the Dal, keep a cup of water in it. I usually keep it soaked in water for 10-15 before cooking.

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds and add the Chana dal with enough water to cover the dal.

Add the ginger paste, turmeric powder, pieces of coconut, sugar and salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until 3-4 whistles of the pressure cooker go off, making the dal and the coconut tender but not mushy.

The consistency of the Chholar Dal should be thick and not runny, and also a little on the sweeter side.

Garnish the Chholar Dal with some grated coconut. Now for the Radhabollobi!

Ingredients for Radhabollobi are:

For the filling:
Half cup Urad dal, soaked overnight, wet ground coarsely
2 teaspoons ginger paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
Quarter teaspoon hing or asafetida powder
2 tablespoons Canola or Mustard oil
Salt

Heat mustard oil in a pan, add the asafetida powder and the ground dal, ginger paste, turmeric and chili powder. Keep frying the mixture till the dal loses the raw flavor and is cooked. It will get lumpy and tend to stick to the pan, its important the cooking is done on low heat.

Once all the extra moisture dries up, season with salt. Let it cool.

For the luchi/puri

2 cups all purpose flour/maida
1-2 tablespoon canola oil
Oil for deep frying
Pinch of salt

Knead a tight-looking dough with the maida, a couple of spoons of oil and little water. Keep it covered with a moist kitchen towel for 10 minutes. Knead again to make the dough smooth to work with.

Heat oil for deep frying in a wok.

Roll out little discs with small portions of the dough. Take a spoonful of the dal mixture and place it at the center of the dough disc.

Purse the disc to make a ball with the mixture inside it. Roll it out again till the sides are even. Roll a few out before you deep fry them.

Glide each disc into the hot oil and pat with a jhanjhra or a slotted spoon to fluff them up. Turn and fry the other side till both sides are done and look golden on each side.