A TASTE OF TRADITION: AUTHENTIC BENGALI CHOLAR DAL RECIPE
A fragrant, slightly sweet lentil dish made from chana dal (Bengal gram), Bengali Cholar Dal is a beloved classic traditionally served during festivals and special occasions. Unlike everyday dals, this one is enriched with aromatic spices like bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, then tempered in ghee for a rich depth of flavor.
Infused with the sweetness of fried coconut pieces, raisins and cashew nuts, this dal perfectly balances sweet and savory notes—a hallmark of Bengali vegetarian cuisine. Best enjoyed with luchi (fried puffed bread) or ghee rice or pulao, Cholar Dal is a soulful dish that brings warmth, nostalgia, and celebration to every meal.
🕒 Prep Time: 10 mins
🍲 Cook Time: 40–45 mins
✨ Key Ingredients: Chana dal, coconut, ghee, raisins, cashew nuts, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, green chili
🍽️ Best Served With: Luchi or Rice
BENGALI CHOLAR DAL – STEP BY STEP RECIPE WITH PHOTOS
- First of all, wash the Cholar Dal (chana dal) or Bengal Gram thoroughly with water for 2 to 3 times. Soak 1 cup of the chana dal in water for six to eight hours or overnight for best results.
Take the dal along with the water in which it was soaked in a pressure cooker. Add salt, turmeric powder and a teaspoon of mustard oil. Cook the dal on medium flame for four whistles. Allow the steam to settle down on its own and then open the lid of the pressure cooker. The dal will be rightly cooked and the texture is shown in the image.
2. Next, heat one tablespoon of cow ghee (gawa ghee) or clarified butter in a cooking pan. When the ghee is just hot (not smoking hot), fry cashew nuts, raisins and chopped coconut pieces one by one.
3. To the remaining ghee add one tablespoon of mustard oil. Once the ghee and mustard oil are hot, add the below mentioned tempering ingredients one by one :
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Dry Red Chillies
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 3 Cloves
- 1 teaspoon of Cumin Seeds
- 1/4th teaspoon of Asafoetida (Hing)
Fry these spices for few seconds till cumin seeds starts to splutter.
4. Next, fry one tablespoon of Ginger paste till the raw smell of ginger is gone. Ginger fibers might stick to the pan and get burnt so add little water followed by the dry spice powders as mentioned below :
- 1/4th teaspoon of Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Red Chilly Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Sugar
Fry these dry spices together till oil starts oozing out.
5. Add the boiled chana dal (cholar dal) along with the water and add one additional cup of water. Check the salt and add if necessary as per your taste. Gently stir in the masala with the dal and cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes.
6. Open the lid after fifteen minutes, add two whole green chillies which will impart a nice flavor to the dal and add the fried coconut pieces. Cover with a lid and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes. Coconut pieces will get cooked and the flavors of the spices, dal, chillies and coconut will combine together and will create the magic.
7. Next, add the fried raisins and cashew nuts and cook for 5 to 8 minutes more.
8. Finally, garnish the niramish cholar dal (niramish means no onion no garlic) with ghee, Bengali garam masala powder and dry roasted cumin powder. Nicely mix these ingredients with the dal and your delicious Bengali Cholar Dal is ready!!
Enjoy with Luchi 🙂 or Pulao or steamed Rice.
