Koraisutir dhokar dalna

“গান যেমন একাকী গায়কের নয়, রান্নাও তেমনই নয় শুধু সূপকারের । রান্না তখনই সার্থক যখন তা অন্যের রসনায় তোলে পরি্তৃপ্তির কল্লোল ।”

Aptly put by Purnima thakur and this recipe from the book “Thakurbarir Ranna” rounds up her idea. Dhokar dalna is a classic Bengali vegetarian dish. The dhokas when prepared with koraishuti/ sugar snap peas and cooked in a gingery gravy, takes the dish to new heights.

Preparing dhokar dalna is lot of effort. Meticulous preparation of dhoka, frying them diligently and then cooking them in the gravy, this post of mine brings you all the tricks and details to prepare this dhokar dalna. You can also make this dish vegan by just skipping the ghee. This is a no onion no garlic recipe, therefore serves best when you are eating vegetarian at home. Serve koraishutir dhokar dalna with ghee bhaat, basanti polao or steamed rice.

Course: Main course

Cuisine: Bengali(Indian)

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Servings: 5

Ingredients

For dhoka

• 1 ½ cup koraishuti/ sugar snap peas
• 1 cup cholar daal/chana daal
• Salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon of hing/asafoetida
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
• 2-3 green chilies chopped
• Oil for frying+ 4 tablespoons of oil

For the gravy

• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2-3 whole red chilies
• ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds
• ½ tablespoon of grated ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of hing/asafoetida
• 2 potatoes peeled and cubed for the dalna
• ½ tomato chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon of coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon of red chili powder
• 3 tablespoons of mustard oil
• 2 tablespoons of grated coconut
• ½ tablespoon of Bengali garam masala powder
• 1 tablespoon of ghee

Directions

1. Soak the chana daal for 6 hours to overnight.
2. Blend the chana daal coarsely. Also blend the motorshuti/peas along with the green chilies.(See Notes)
3. Mix the chana daal paste with motorshuti paste. To the mixture add salt and asafoetida.
4. Take a kadai, add 4 tablespoons of oil and heat it. Once the oil is hot, add the grated ginger and saute for 1 minute.
5. Then add the dhoka mixture to the kadai.
6. Continuously stir the mixture till you see the mixture coming together in the form of a dough.
7. Grease a plate with oil. This surface will be used to shape the dhokas.
8. Turn off the flame and transfer the dhoka mixture to the plate. Spread the mixture while it is still hot to about 1 inch of thickness.
9. With a knife cut the dhokas in the shape of diamonds. But do not separate them while it is hot. (See Notes)
10. Let the mixture cool completely. Now, you can separate the dhokas.
11. In a kadai heat oil for frying. Once the oil is hot, gently drop the dhokas in oil for frying.
12. Fry the dhokas in batches on medium low heat and keep them aside. Donot worry if bits of the dhoka comes out in the oil.
13. After each batch you can remove the bits from oil and continue frying the dhokas. After frying keep them aside.

Making the gravy

1. In a kadai, heat mustard oil. Add the potatoes, fry the potatoes and keep them aside.
2. Meanwhile, mix turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Add ¼ cup of water to the mixture.
3. Temper the oil with whole red chilies, bay leaves and cumin seeds. As the oil turns aromatic add the grated ginger, followed by asafoetida and the spice mixture.
4. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, coconut and salt and continue cooking on medium flame.
5. Cook till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.
6. Add water to the kadai and let it simmer.
7. Gently add the dhokas to the kadai and continue cooking till you achieve the desired consistency. (See Notes)
8. Add the sugar, Bengali garam masala powder, ghee and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
9. Turn off the flame and serve the dhokar dalna with steamed rice, Bengali fried rice or basanti polao.

Notes

1. Blend the peas/koraishuti and chana daal separately else the mixing them might not give you an even mixture. The peas will form a paste while the chana daal will still remain whole.
2. Do not try to separate the dhokas while it is still hot, else they will crumble into pieces. The dough needs to be spread while still hot else the mixture will turn crumbly and it will be difficult to shape the dhokas.
3. Do not cook the dhokas in the gravy for too long. Cooking the dhokas in the gravy for a long time will disintegrate the dhokas.
4. Keep the gravy little runny as the dhokas will absorb water from the gravy even after you stop cooking.

Step by step instructions to make motorshutir dhokar dalna

Soak the chana daal for 6 hours to overnight. Blend the chana daal coarsely. Also blend the motorshuti/peas along with the green chilies. Mix the chana daal mixture with motorshuti paste. To the mixture add salt and asafoetida.

Take a kadai, add 4 tablespoons of oil and heat it. Once the oil is hot, add the grated ginger and saute for 1 minute.

Then add the dhoka mixture to the kadai.

Continuously stir the mixture till you see the mixture coming together in the form of a dough.

Grease a plate with oil to shape the dhokas.

Turn off the flame and transfer the dhoka mixture to the plate. Spread the mixture while it is still hot to about 1 inch of thickness. With a knife cut the dhokas in the shape of diamonds.

But do not separate them while it is hot. Let the mixture cool completely.

In a kadai heat oil for frying. Once the oil is hot, gently drop the dhokas in oil for frying.

Fry the dhokas in batches on medium low heat and keep them aside. Do not worry if     bits of the dhoka comes out in the oil. After each batch you can remove the bits from oil and continue frying all the dhokas and keep aside.

In a kadai, heat the mustard oil. Add the potatoes, fry the potatoes and keep them aside.

Meanwhile, mix turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Add ¼ cup of water to the mixture.

Temper the oil with whole red chilies, bay leaves and cumin seeds.

As the oil turns aromatic add the grated ginger, followed by asafoetida and the spice mixture.

Add the tomatoes, potatoes, coconut and salt and continue cooking on medium flame.

Cook till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.

Add water to the kadai and let it simmer.

Gently add the dhokas to the kadai and continue cooking till you achieve the desired consistency.

Add the sugar, Bengali garam masala powder, ghee and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

Turn off the flame and serve the dhokar dalna with steamed rice, Bengali fried rice or basanti polao.

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