Dhokar Dalna is a Bengali vegetarian recipe made from lentils. Lentil cakes are made from paste of mixed lentils and fried in oil. It’s yum and enjoyed regularly in a Bengali household.
Dhokar Dalna Recipe is quite a regular when it comes to the menu of a Bengali household. It is made fairly regularly in our household too. Dhokar Dalna is made of dal or lentils. The lentil cakes are crispily fried and then added to gravy (dalna). Most things with gravy are named dalna in Bengali cuisine. Tomorrow I am going to share another dalna recipe -Enchorer Dalna (which is another family favourite).
I like the Dhokar Dalna in the crispy fried lentil cake stage – it tastes amazing – crispy on the outside and softer inside. It becomes a little soggy when you add it to the gravy. When I make this Bangalore, I make a thicker gravy with very little water and add the lentil cakes in it 5 mins before serving.
But in a traditional Bengali Dhokar Dalna Recipe, the lentil cakes or dhoka are added while making the gravy.
Why is it called Dhokar Dalna? Who deceived whom?
Now why it is called ‘dhoka’ I have no idea who was deceiving whom! And the recipe is way older than the movie deception! In fact, this recipe was developed by widows in Bengal, who were forbidden from eating non-vegetarian preparations. They started developing recipes using vegetarian ingredients that emulated famous non-veg preparations. The lentil cakes here feel “meaty” and that could be the illusion or ‘dhoka’ as we call it.
Nonetheless, it is a yum vegetarian recipe to be made. But let me tell you in the beginning the dhokar dalna recipe involves various steps and is a little time-consuming. You can make this recipe from scratch at home – that tastes way better. Or these days you get instant dhoka mix in supermarkets (I get it in Bangalore too) so you will find it too outside Bengal.
How to prepare when making from Dhoka Mix?
If you are making from a dhoka mix, empty the contents in a bowl add warm water (proportion mentioned on packaging), and let it rest for 15 minutes. The mix has all the spices so no need to add anything. Then follow the instructions given here from step #5 in instructions.
How to serve Dhokar Dalna?
It is best served with hot white rice or you can serve with pulao. It is rarely eaten with roti or paratha.
How to make Dhokar Dalna or Bengali Lentil Cake Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- For the dhoka / lentil cake:
- chana dal - 1 cup, washed and soaked overnight
- motor dal / split peas - ½ cup, washed and soaked overnight
- hing / asafoetida - 1 tsp
- turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- red chilli powder - ½ tsp
- cumin powder - 1 tsp
- kalo jeera / nigella seeds - 1 tsp
- ginger paste - 1 tsp
- green chillies - 3-4, finely chopped
- sugar - 1 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- White oil - 2 tbsp
- Oil for deep frying the dhoka or lentil cakes
- For the gravy (dalna):
- potato – 1 large, washed, peeled and cut in cubes
- tomatoes - 2
- green peas - ½ cup
- ginger paste - 1 tsp
- green chilies – 2, slit
- turmeric powder - 1 tsp
- red chili powder - 1 tsp
- cumin powder - ½ tsp
- coriander powder - ½ tsp
- garam masala powder - ¼ tsp
- bay leaf - 2
- cinnamon stick - 1
- green cardamoms - 2
- cloves - 3-4
- ghee - 1 tbsp
- Salt - to taste
- sugar - 1 tsp
- oil - 2 tbsp
Instructions
For dhoka / lentil cake
- Wash two kinds of lentils in a bowl and rinse them until water runs clear.
- Soak the washed lentils in a bowl of water overnight.
- In the morning, drain the water, grind lentils in a grinder jar with 3-4 tbsp of water to form a smooth paste.
- Pour the paste into a bowl and mix - salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, ginger paste, green chili, sugar. Stir to mix everything.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick kadai. Temper it with the hing/ asafoetida and nigella seeds.
- Add lentil paste when nigella seeds start spluttering.
- Stir and cook the lentil paste continuously so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Keep cooking till you see the paste starts coming off the kadai and forms a lump.
- Take it off the flame and spread the lentil lump on a greased tray/ back of a plate with the help of a spatula. Do this step quickly so that the lentil doesn't harden up before you have spread it properly.
- Spread it with ½ inch of thickness. Keep aside for around 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, cut that lentil sheet cake in diamonds.
- Heat oil for deep frying, on medium flame.
- Deep fry the lentil cakes until golden brown on both sides.
- Take them out and place them on tissue paper to soak off excess oil.
For the Gravy / Dalna
- Heat ghee in a kadai and add the whole spices - cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves and bay leaves.
- Sauté for 30 seconds
- Add the chopped tomatoes.
- Sprinkle some salt, and cook until the tomatoes become mushy and the oil separates.
- Add ginger paste, slit green chillies and cook for a minute.
- Add the spice powders (turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder ) to a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of water and add in the tomato mix. Saute them well.
- Add cubed potatoes and fry them for two minutes, allowing the spices to release oil. Keep scraping the bottom and the sides of the kadai.
- Add green peas.
- Add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil, add salt. Cover and cook.
- Cook until the potatoes are soft and tender. It will take around 8-10 minutes.
- Add sugar and simmer for until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the fried dhokas / lentil cakes and simmer on medium flame for about 3-4 minutes.
- Finally sprinkle the garam masala powder and drizzle some 1/2 tsp ghee.
Notes
The lentil cakes will soak water, so maintain the water in gravy, else it will become too dry. Serve hot with white rice.
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I am taking part in #AtoZChallenge & #BlogchatterAtoZ where I am sharing 26 Authentic Bengali Recipes from my Mom’s Kitchen throughout April. Follow me and enjoy the Bengali food Festival here.
Here’s what I am Posting this April for #AtoZChallenge
A – Aamer Chutney
B – Basanti Pulao
C- Chingri Malaikari
