Dhokar Dalna/Spicy lentil fritters curry|| no onion no garlic||perfect for festivals and occasions

‘Dhokar Dalna’/ Spicy lentil fritters curry is a very popular Bengali dish. It is one of the comfort foods of any Bengali.There are many occasions and festivals in Bengal where only veg recipes must be cooked,there this dish is common.It is a simple dish with extraordinary taste.Dhoka bhaja(Lentil fritters) made from scratch with soaked split Bengal grams with some basic spices and then dried then fried….A simple gravy made tomato based with that same spices and then added we add the fritters or Dhoka bhaja into it with some chopped ‘dhonepata’ or coriander leaves/cilantro.
So,let’s make Dhokar Dalna/Spicy lentil fritters curry in my style 👇👇👇

Type- Curry

Preparation Time- 2 hours ( just the soaking)😉 + 5-6 minutes for preparing for grinding

Cooking time- 30-35 minutes

Ingredients for dhoka/spicy lentil fritter:

• 200 gm Split Bengal gram/Chholar Daal/Chana Daal
• 2-3 green chillies (adjust heat accordingly)
• 2-3 whole red chillies (adjust heat accordingly)
• 1 tsp kalo jeere/kalaunji/onion seeds
• 1 inch chopped ginger
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs salt
• 1 tbs cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder

Ingredients for the gravy/curry:

• For spice paste- 1 tbs cumin powder+1 tbs coriander powder+1 tsp red chilli powder+1 tsp turmeric powder
• For tempering- 1 tsp kalo jeere/kalaunji/onion seeds,2 bay leaves
• Roughly crushed whole spices- 2-3 cardamom pods,2-3 cloves,1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 large tomato diced
• 2 medium sized potato diced
• 1 cup water for the gravy/curry

Procedure for the Dhoka bhaja/Spicy lentil dumpling:

• Soak your chholar daal/Chana Daal/split bengal gram for 2-3 hours
• Then drain the water
• Put it in a blender and add the whole red chillies,green chillies,ginger,salt, sugar,cumin powder and turmeric powder and grind into a smooth paste
• If you need add 2-3 tbs of water
• Now in a pan add 2 tbs mustard oil or any cooking oil
• Add 1 tsp kalo jeere/kalaunji/ onion seeds
• Temper it and add all the daal/lentil paste mixture
• Cook until all comes together and have a doughy texture but not very dry
• Now grease a flat plate and pour this mixture and flatten it out to 1 cm thick
• Allow it to set for 10-12 minutes
• Now cut with a sharp knife into shapes you need but don’t pull out
• Let it set for another 10-12 minutes
• Now take each piece and deep fry until golden brown
• And your Dhoka bhaja/ Spicy lentil fritter is done

Procedure for the gravy/curry:

• In a pan add 2-3 tbs mustard oil or any cooking oil
• Add the tempering spices from the ingredients for the gravy section 👆👆👆
• Now add the spice mix from the ingredients for the gravy section 👆👆👆
• Cook until oil separates and now add tomato and keep on cooking
• Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes on a medium flame
• When oil separates add the potatoes cook for 2-3 minutes and add 1 cup water for the gravy
• Mix and cover and cook for 12-15 minutes on a medium flame
• After 15 minutes check on the potatoes if not done cook for more 10-15 minutes
• Now there is 2 ways to add the Dhoka bhaja/ Spicy lentil fritters
• Way number 1- add the fritters or Dhoka bhaja directly to the curry/gravy
• And mix and add handful of chopped cilantro/coriander
• Way number 2- In a bowl first add the fritters/Dhoka bhaja then pour the gravy/curry and the potatoes and add handful of chopped cilantro/coriander
• Your Dhokar Dalna/ Spicy lentil fritters curry is ready

We’ve added a step by step video of the recipe 👇👇👇

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