Daal'er Borar Dalna || Lentil Fritters curry

Daal'er Borar Dalna is a Bengali traditional dish.  Lentil fritters soaked in tomato based gravy with fried potatoes and spices are very flavorful and yummy. My mother used to cook this curry really well. This delicious and mouthwatering dish is very famous in Assam as well as in West Bengal. This dish is perfectly best option when you want to eat or cook something really special on a pure veg day. You can make this dish with chana dal or motor dal also. I have used masoor 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 and make a smooth paste. Add chopped green chilies, salt and turmeric and mix well.

2. Heat oil and start frying small balls of the prepared 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 potatoes and keep aside.

3. In the same kadhai, add bay leaves, and cumin seeds, once the aroma comes out, add the chilli and ginger paste along with tomatoes and saute in low heat for few minutes. Add all the powder masalas one by one. Add salt as per taste. You can add a little water and cover the kadhai with a lid and allow to cook for 2 minutes. 

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

6. Now, add the Fritters / Daler bora and let it boil in the gravy for 2 minutes, do not use the lid this time. Add ghee and fresh chopped coriander leaves (optional) before switching off the gas. Serve hot with rice or pulao. We have enjoyed with peas pulao.

P.S. The recipe video is there on my Instagram and Youtube pages. Do check it out @romisrecipe

Tetor Dal (Bitter Gourd cooked with Moong Dal)

Tetor Dal or Bitter gourd cooked with moong dal is a light lentil stew and it is a quintessential Bengali dish. Very popular during summer seasons. Bitter gourd is known to cleanse your palate and this stew is super ideal to detox your tummy. A very light lentil stew to enjoy your summer meals.

Ingredients:

1. Moong Dal (yellow lentil) - half cup
2. Bitter gourds - 1 big size or 2 medium 
3. Green chillies - 2 or as per taste
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp 
5. Salt as per taste
6. Dry red chillies - 2
7. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
8. Nigella seeds (kalonji) - 1/2 tsp
9. Ginger paste or grated - 1/2 tsp
10. Coriander leaves 
11. Mustard oil

Process:

1. Wash and cut the bitter gourds into thin circles. Sprinkle with salt and turmeric powder, mix well and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. It will help to soften the bitter gourd.

2. Wash dal few a times and cook with salt. 

3. In a heavy bottom pan add mustard oil and heat enough until you see smoke coming out. Add the bitter gourds, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes and remove them. Now in the same pan, add little more oil, dry red chillies, cumin seeds and nigella seeds and give a stir as it will start to sizzle soon. 

4. Add the boiled dal and turmeric powder. Adjust salt and water as per consistency. Add  green chillies, grated ginger and stir it around. Simmer for 5 minutes, add half tsp of ghee (optional) and chopped coriander leaves to garnish with. Serve hot with steamed rice.

P.S. The recipe video is there on my Instagram and Youtube pages. Do check it out @romisrecipe

Dal Makhani

Dal Makhani is one of the most popular and almost everyone's favorite recipes. A relatively modern variation of traditional lentil dishes, it is made with Urad dal and other pulses and includes butter and cream. I have used Rajma, Urad and whole black Masoor dal here. A very easy recipe but needs to be cooked with patience. The longer you cook the dal, the more flavorful it will be.

Ingredients:

1. Butter - 2 tsp
2. Ginger Garlic and green chilli paste or grated - 2 tsp 
3. Tomato puree - 3-4 tomatoes
4. Onion - 2-3 grated or paste
5. Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp
6. Salt as per taste
7. Kasuri Methi - half tsp
8. Coriander leaves 
9. Fresh cream 
10. Dal and Rajma - soaked and boiled in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles 
11. Water - 1-2 cups
12. For the second tempering - chopped garlic and ginger - half tsp each and butter

Process:

1. In a kadhai, add butter, and sauté ginger garlic green chilli paste for 2 minutes or till the aroma comes. Add tomato puree and Kashmiri red chilli powder. 
2. Add onion and cook for some more time, keep stirring occasionally. 
3. Now add the boiled dal and some more butter, salt as per taste and kasuri methi. 
4. Add water to balance the consistency and cover and cook on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the second tempering - in a pan add butter and chopped ginger and garlic. Once the aroma comes, add this to the cooked dal.
6. Add fresh cream and coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti paratha or rice. 

P.S. The recipe reel is up on my Instagram page. Check it out @romisrecipe

Macher Matha diye Moong Dal || Bengali special Moong Dal recipe with Fish Head

Macher matha diye moong dal or moong dal cooked with fish head. This is an exciting proposition altogether and a very popular recipe amongst we bongs. We are always tend to have more non veg dishes, and hence we keep on experimenting with non veg items with veggies, dal etc. Whenever we buy fish, we always make sure to get the big size fish so that the "Fish head" can be engineered for effective use, be it Murighonto or Macher matha diye Moong Dal. This is a simple recipe where we use onions, garlics, ginger garam masala to make this is rich one. the flavor from the fish head and the thick consistency of the dal makes it a complete dish. You don't need anything else in the menu if you have this awesome dal with steamed rice. 

Ingredients

1. Fish head - I have used Basa fish head / you can use Rohu or anything that is available
2. Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
3. Onion - finely chopped - 1
4. Bay leaf - 1
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Cloves - 2
7. Green cardamom - 2-3
8. Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
9. Tomatoes - 1 big chopped
10. Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
11. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
12. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
13. Mustard oil - 2 tsp
14. Green chillies - 2-3 (as per your taste buds)
15. Salt to taste

Process

1. Wash and clean the fish head properly and let it dry. Rub turmeric powder and little bit of salt on the fish head and keep aside.

2. Add oil in a frying pan  and one the oil is hot, fry the fish heads at medium heat so that they doesn't burn but cooks well inside. Keep aside once done.

3. In a separate pan, dry roast moong dal till it gives fragrance, just lightly dry roast and then wash and drain the water.

4. Cook the dal with 2 cups of water and little bit of turmeric powder and salt. 

5. Now, in the frying pan (the same pan can be used in which fish heads were fried) first add little oil, bay leaf, cumin seeds, cardamom and cloves. When they starts to splutter add onion and saute them for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and chopped tomatoes. Mix everything nicely and then add powder spices (cumin coriander and red chilli). Fry till the raw smell goes off and oil starts to release from the side.

6. Now add the pressure cooked dal and add some more water to get the desired consistency, if required. 

7. Break the fish head into pieces and add to the boiling dal. Let it cook for another 5-7 minutes till the fish head becomes soft. In the meanwhile, check the salt and seasoning and add salt if required. 

8. Once the dal is ready, drizzle some ghee and turn off the flame. Serve hot with steamed rice.