Niramish Cholar Dal is a hearty Bengali preparation made with split chickpeas. It is packed with a variety of flavours, and has a sweet tinge to it. Mostly made during Pujo or special occasions, this dal is served with luchis (deep fried Indian flatbreads) and even goes really well with a pulao or plain rice.
Wash 1 cup chana dal. Soak in water for atleast two hours.
Pressure cook the chana dal with 3 1/2 cups water and 1 tsp salt for 3 whistles. Do not overcook as we do not want the dal to melt. The pulses should be cooked and whole.
Heat mustard oil in a kadhai. Add the coconut pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes till they turn brown and crunchy. Set aside.
In the same kadhai, temper with cumin seeds, hing, bay leaves, slit green chilli and dried red chillies. Tun the flame to low at this point to prevent burning.
Add the fresh ginger paste along with sugar, turmeric powder and cumin powder. Mix on low flame till the masalas get cooked properly, oil starts to escape from the sides and the masala turns into a dark brown colour (see video).
Add some of the dal stock and mix well to prevent the masala from sticking to the kadhai or burning.
Once the masala is cooked, add the remaining part of the boiled dal. Increase the flame at this point and let the dal come to an aggressive boil.
Keep boiling for 5-7 minutes till you achieve a thick consistency.
Add the fried coconut and soaked raisins and mix.
Garnish with garam masala just before you turn off the flame. Give one last good mix and serve with luchi or mishti pulao.
Recipe Notes
The number of whistles may vary in your pressure cooker.
If you want the recipe to be more spicy, add more fresh green chillies.
Salt needs to be adjusted as everyone prefers it differently.