Masoor Dal'er Borar Jhol || Lentil Fritters Curry

Masoor Dal or red lentils is the most popular choice in dal. It is a Bengali traditional dish.  Lentil fritters soaked in tomato based gravy with fried potatoes and spices is very flavourful and yummy. My mother used to cook this curry really well. This delicious and mouthwatering "Daler Borar Jhol / Lentil Fritters curry" is a famous dish of Assam and North East and is very much popular in West Bengal also. This dish is perfectly best option when you want to eat or cook something really special. You can make this dish with chana dal or motor dal also. I have used musoor dal only. 

Ingredients:

1. Masoor Dal 1/2 cup

2. Potato - 1 (cut in cubes)

3. Onion - 1 big 

4. Tomato - 1 big 

5. Ginger - 1 inch

6. Green chilli - 2

7. Bay leaf - 2

8. Dry red chilli - 1

9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

10. Salt to taste

11. Cumin powder - 1 tsp

12. Coriander powder - 1 tsp

13. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

14. Ghee - 1 tsp

15. Refined oil

16. Panch phoron - 1/2 tsp

Process:

1. Wash and soak 1 cup of masoor dal in enough water for 2-3 hours and discard water. Add soaked dal to the grinder with 2 green chilli, turmeric powder, salt as per your taste, and 1 tsp grated ginger, make a smooth paste.

2. In a small frying pan, heat 3 tsp oil and start frying small balls of masoor dal paste, in low flame. Continue this until the entire paste is done, keep the fritters in kitchen tissues. In the same oil, fry the cube potatos and keep them aside.

3. Make a paste of tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic, you can add green chillies also.

4. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadhai, add panch phoron and let them crackle in high heat. Add bay leaves and red dry chilli. Once the aroma comes out, add the onion-tomato paste and saute in low heat. Add all the powder masalas one by one. Add salt as per taste.

5. Add fried potatoes and cook in low hear for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 and half cup of water and cover with a lid, let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

6. Now, add the Fritters / Daler bora and let it boil in the grave for 2-3 minutes, do not use the lid this time. Add ghee and garam masala powder before switching off the gas. You can also add chopped coriander leaves, if available. Serve hot with rice.

Note: You can skip onions if you are a vegetarian, can simply make the curry with ginger and cumin paste, with or without tomatoes.