Dhokar Dalna

About this Recipe...

It's a speciality of Bengali Cuisine. The dish made from Bengal gram lentil kofta's or cakes with potato in a spicy gravy. It goes extremely well with Rice, Pulao & Roti...

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Bengal gram lentil
• 2 Tbsp Ginger paste
• Salt as per taste
• 1/2 tsp Nigella seeds or kalaunji
• Oil for frying
• 1/2 tsp Carom seeds
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2.8 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper powder
• 2 Pieces Cloves
• 1 Inch Cinnamon
• 2 Pieces Cardamom
• 2 Pieces Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
• 2 tsp Green chilli paste
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala powder
• 1 Tomato (Chopped)
• 1 Medium size potato cut into cubes
• 1 tsp Clarified butter
• 2-3 Slitted green chili

Directions

1. Soak 1 cup of Bengal gram lentil in water for at least 6 hours.
2. Grind the soaked dal with little water to a coarse paste.
3. Now in a pan add 2 tbs of oil, when the oil is hot add carom seeds and nigella seeds for tempering.
4. Now add 1 tbs of ginger paste, grind daal, salt, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, red chilli powder and mixed everything well.
5. Now pour the mixture in a oil greased plate and keep it for cooling down.
6. When the mixture will cool down completely then cut it in diamond shaped cubes.
7. Now fry the cubes in hot oil and keep aside, in that same oil fry the potato cubes.
8. Now in a pan add 2 tbs of oil, when the oil is hot enough add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and asafoetida and fry for few seconds.
9. Now add ginger paste, green chili paste,turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and fry it.
10. Add tomatoes and salt as per your taste.
11. When the tomatoes are soft then add enough water for gravy.
12. When the gravy will boil add fried potato cubes, Slitted green chillies and check the salt and cover the lid for 15 minutes in medium flame.
13. After 15 minutes add the daal cubes or dhoka cubes, garam masala powder and 1 tsp. of clarified butter.
14. Switch off the flame and serve dhokar dalna hot with steamed rice.