Dhokar Dalna / Bengali Style Dhokar Dalna / Bengali Style Lentil Cake Curry

Dhokar Dalna  is  a Traditional Bengali cuisine and  side dish . It is made with  Bengal gram dal , potato , cumin powder , ripe tomato , onion , and garlic .

Even  ,  it is served as a side dish . It is goes well  with steam rice , polao/ pulao , paratha , fried rice , parotta , naan  and  chapati .  Dhokar  dalna is made  from  blend  channa  dal .  

Main  ingredients  is Bengal gram dal , potato  , ghee ( clarified butter )  , gram  masala  powder  and other spices .  You can   serve  as  to Home party .

Which is of  tangy , garam masala powder  and  ghee  ( Clarified butter )  taste . Even flavor is  of garam  masala and ghee . It is an  awesome  taste  curry .  Which  is  also  Extraordinary dish from Bengali cuisine .  Dhokar dalna is  served  during  festivals .

You can make often to Dhokar dalna . Dhokar dalna is popular Dish  in West Bengal . Which  is a long process cooking recipe .  Dhokar Dalna is a  rich gravy  and long process recipe .

It is also tasty , melt in mouth , mouth watering  and yummy curry . Dhokar dalna is three of part recipe or Dhokar dalna is  3  in 1   recipe .

First part is soaked the channa dal / Bengal Gram  into the bowl  and grind it . Then make a  smooth paste from the channa dal / Bengal Gram  .

Second  part is make a mixture from the channa dal / Bengal Gram paste  and then  saute the paste . Then  cool the mixture and cut the mixture .  Finally  Dhoka or lentil cake   is  fry  methods  from   the  Pulses  mixture  of  lentil  cake .  Third  part is  curry methods of lentil  cake . Once  curry is ready , drop the  lentil cake  into  the curry .But  every bite is awesome taste . It  is  not very  easy recipe . It is an onion and garlic recipe . If you  do  not like  to  onion  and  garlic . You  can  make  without  onion  and garlic  to Dhokar  Dalna .  Recipe  is  here  ( How  To Make Dhokar  Dalna / Bengali Style Lentil Cake Curry )

For The Lentil  Cakes 

Ingredients :
1.   2   cup of  Bengal Gram / Chana  Dal / Cholar Dal
2. Turmeric  powder As required
3. Salt to taste
4. Sugar - 1 tea spoon
5. Gram  Masala Powder - 1/2 tea spoon
6. Oil As Required
7. Ghee / Clarified  butter As Required
8. Cumin Powder - 1 tea spoon
9. Coriander  Powder - 1 Tea Spoon
10. Dry Red Chili Powder - 1 Tea Spoon

For  The  Sauce  Or  The  Gravy :

1. Potato - 2 (  Peeled the potato of outer skin  and cut into medium size cube pieces )
2. Onion - 2 ( Peeled The onion from  outer skin  and cut into slice pieces )
3. Onion Pate -  2 table spoon
4. Garlic Paste - 3 table spoon
5. Bay  Leaf   - 2 pieces
6. Whole Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
7. Whole  green  Cardamom - 1 ( Crushed  and  slit )
8.  Ghee As required
9. Cinnamon - 1 stick
10 . Salt  To  Taste
11. Turmeric Powder As Required
12. Sugar - 1 Tea Spoon ( Optional )
13. Oil  As  Required
14. Garm masala Powder - 1 Tea Spoon
 15. Tomato Puree - 1 cup
16. Ripe Tomato - 1 ( Cut into Very small pieces )
17. Ginger Paste - 2 - 3 Table Spoon
18.  Whole  Cumin  Paste - 1 table spoon
19. Whole dry coriander paste - 1 table spoon
20. Dry Red Chili Paste - 2 Table Spoon
21. Kashmiri Dry Red Chili Paste - 2 Table spoon 

To  Make  The  Lentil  Cakes :

Methods :

1. In  a  bowl , add 2 cup of Bengal gram / chana dal  and pour enough  water . Soaked  the chana dal / Bengal gram  for  about  6 - 7 hours  or  over night .

2. Next  morning drain the water completely . Wash and clean the Bengal gram / Chana dal  with water . Drain the water again .

3. Take a mixer grinder . Now  put the bengal gram / chana dal  and  add few drops of water into the grinder  jar . Grind it very well  and  make  a smooth paste from the Bengal gram / chana dal . keep a side .

4. Pour the dal into the bowl . Now also add  1 tea spoon of chili powder , 1 tea spoon of  turmeric powder , 1 tea spoon of sugar , 1 tea spoon of cumin powder , 1 tea spoon of coriander  powder  and sprinkle salt to taste . Mix it well . Keep  a side .

5. Take a wok or pan . Pour the oil into the wok and heat the oil . Now pour the pulses mixture into the wok . Mix it very well . Stir  till  the  mixture  leaves  the side  of  wok .  Stir until the  pulses mixture  is  dry   and  it  come  together  like  a dough .  Moisture  is evaporated  from the pulses . Once pulses mixture is completely  dry   and like a dough  . Then switch off the flame .

6. Now take a flat plate . Add  few  drops  of  oil or ghee  and  grease the plate . Now pour the mixture into the grease plate .  Pat  down   the mixture  and  spread  it  evenly .  Let   it  cool  down  for 10 - 15  minutes .    Allow  to cool .  Once the pulses mixture is completely cool .  Then cut the mixture into the diamond shape or square  pieces . Keep a side .

7. In a wok  add enough  oil  and heat the oil . Once oil is  completely  hot  . Now drop the Diamond Shaped  lentil cake one  after one into the hot oil  on medium  flame . Fry till golden brown  on both sides  on  medium flame . Take it out  from hot oil . Put the lentil cake in to the bowl . Keep a side .

To Make The Sauces Or The Gravy :

Methods :

1. Take a wok .Add oil into the wok . Heat the oil . Once oil is completely hot . Then  put the potato pieces one by one  into the hot oil . Fry till golden brown . Remove the potato pieces from the hot oil . Put the potato pieces into the bowl . Keep a side .

2. Now add 2 pieces of bay leaf , 1/ 2  tea spoon of  whole  cumin seeds , 1 pieces of crushed cardamom , and 1 pieces of cinnamon and stir for few seconds . Once spices  are splatter .

3. Now add   slices onion  and fry till golden brown color .

4. Next add  2 table spoon of onion paste and saute till separates oil from onion paste .

5. Add finely chopped tomato piece  into the oil . Saute till tomatoes are soft .

6. Next add  3 table spoon of garlic paste , salt  to  taste , turmeric powder , 1 tea spoon of sugar ,  1 cup of tomato puree , 3 table spoon of ginger paste , 1 table spoon of cumin paste , 1 table spoon of coriander paste , 2 table spoon of dry red chili paste , 2  table spoon  of  kashmiri dry red chili paste  . Saute and fry the all spices . While  spices  is   separating   from oil .

7. Now pour  the  2 - 3 cup of water  and  add  fried  potato  . Mix  it well . Cover  the wok . Let it cook  for about 10 minutes .

8. 10 minutes later , open the cover . When potatoes are tender and gravy starts to thicken . Now add fried  lentil cake or Dhoka  into the gravy . Mix it very well . Now add 1 tea spoon of ghee  or 1 tea spoon of garam masala powder  into the gravy . Mix it very well .

9. Now switch off the flame . Transfer the Lentil Cake Curry Or Dhokar  dalna in a  serving bowl .

10. Serve hot  with steam rice  or your choice's  food .