Dhokar Dalna – Bengali Fried Lentil Cakes In Tomato Gravy

Dhokar Dalna is a popular Bengali vegetarian (Niramish) dish where mildly-spiced fried lentil cakes (dhoka) are simmered in deliciously seasoned and aromatic tomato gravy.

The diamond-shaped, fried cakes made of chana dal are called dhokas and the rich tomato gravy in which they are simmered is called dalna. A simple but flavourful dish, this no-onion-no garlic Bengali vegetarian recipe pairs well with Ghee Bhat or luchis.

Dhokar Dalna Bengali Recipe:

Bengali Dhokar dalna is a dish made with crispy, diamond-shaped Chana Dal cakes nuzzled in a simple tomato gravy that’s so good! If you’ve never tucked into Dhokar Dalna earlier, you’re certainty missing a quintessential Bengali dish.

To make dhokar tarkari, firstly wash and soak Chana Dal for minimum 6-8 hours. Drain the water and wash the dal well under running water.

Then grind the dal with green chillies, ginger, salt and sugar to a smooth paste, adding as little water as required. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Now onions seeds/kala jeera and a pinch of asafoetida.
Tip in the ground lentil paste and stir continuously on low-medium heat to prevent it from sticking to the pan.

Once the excess moisture evaporates, and the mixture is neither too hard nor too soft, transfer onto a greased plate.
Lightly level the paste with a spatula or with greased hands; pat down the edges.

Allow the mixture to cool completely and then cut into squares or diamonds with a knife.

Deep-fry the lentil cakes in batches to a golden brown. Don’t over-fry them, else the dhokas will not soak properly in the gravy. If the lentil cakes are too soft, they will crumble easily in the curry.

Remove the lentil cakes with a slotted spoon, drain on paper napkins and keep aside.

For the gravy:

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the potatoes and fry till a golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

Next add bay leaf, cumin seeds and asafoetida.
Then add grated ginger and chopped tomato. Cook till the tomato pieces become soft and the raw smell disappears.

Now sprinkle turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, mix well with tomatoes and cook for a minute.

Once the oil separates, add the fried potatoes.

Then add salt, sugar and garam masala. Mix well.

After this, pour water, cover with a lid and cook till potatoes are almost done.

Then gently tip in the dhokas and simmer for 1-2 minutes till the gravy thickens and lentil cakes blend well with the masalas. Top with ½ tsp of ghee and remove.

Serve Dhokar Dalna hot with Mishti Pulao or Rotis.

If you are searching for more niramish recipes, then do try out Bengali Chol’r Dal.

Bengali Dhoka’r Dalna Recipe Details below:

Bengali Dhokar Dalna - Curried Lentil Cakes

Dhokar Dalna is a traditional Bengali vegetarian recipe where fried lentil cakes are simmered in a seasoned tomato gravy

Course Lunch, Main Course Vegetarian

Cuisine Bengali

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings 6

Calories 323kcal

Author Shil

Ingredients

For the Dhoka:

Chana dal/Bengal Gram – 1 cup
Green Chillies – 2
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Sugar – ½ tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Onion seeds/kala jeera – ½ tsp
Asafoetida/ Hing – a pinch
Oil –3 tsp + for deep frying

For the gravy:

Bay leaf – 1
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Asafoetida/Hing – a pinch
Grated ginger – ½ tsp
Tomatoes – 1 large cubed
Potato – 1 medium cut into 8 pieces
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Chilli powder – ¼ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Garam masala powder – ¼ tsp
Salt – ¾ tsp
Sugar – ½ tsp
Ghee – ½ tsp
Water – 2-3 cups
Oil – 2 tbsp

Instructions

Wash and soak the chana dal for 6-8 hours. Grind to a smooth paste along with green chillies, ginger paste, salt and sugar, using very little water.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add kala jeera and a pinch of asafoetida. Tip in the ground dal mixture and stir quickly on low flame till the dal paste starts to leave the sides of the pan. It should be slightly dry and not runny.
Remove onto a greased plate. Evenly pat down the mixture to about 1 inch depth with greased hands.
Allow the mixture to cool and set well. Cut into diamonds or squares. Heat oil for deep frying. Fry the chana dal cakes on medium flame till they turn a golden brown on both sides. Remove the lentil cakes onto a paper napkin.
Peel and cut the potato into 8 pieces, chop the tomatoes and grate the ginger.
Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a kadai and fry the potatoes till they get a slight colour on them. Remove and keep aside. Add bay leaf, cumin seeds and hing to the pan. Sauté. Add grated ginger and chopped tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes turn soft.
Add ¼ tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp coriander powder and ½ tsp cumin powder. Mix well and cook till oil separates.
Add the potatoes, ½ tsp sugar and salt and ¼ tsp of garam masala. Combine well.
Add 1 ½-2 cups of water and boil till potatoes become soft. Then add the fried lentil cakes and simmer for a minute.
When the gravy thickens and the fried chana dal pieces start to soak in it, add ½ tsp of ghee and remove.
Serve Dhokar Dalna hot with soft, fluffy luchis or white rice.

Notes

For best results, use ½ cup Chana Dal and ½ cup Matar Dal. The lentil cakes tend to bind better.
You can add 1/4^th cup well-beaten curd to the gravy. Also, a little grated coconut can be added to the chana dal paste.
If some of the dhoka pieces crumble, don’t add to the gravy. Just place them in the serving dish and pour the spiced gravy over them.
The ground dal paste can also be poured into a greased plate and steamed till cooked. Remove, cool and cut into cubes or diamonds and fry.