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What is cholar dal?
Cholar dal (chhola’r dal) is a Bengali style lentil recipe made with chana dal or split chickpeas (“chhola” in Bengali), coconut, jaggery and raisins. Bengalis also refer to it as narkel diye cholar dal, meaning chickpea dal with coconut, or niramish chholar dal, meaning vegetarian cholar dal. The dal has an assertive sweetness from the fried coconut, raisins and jaggery, along with spiciness from chili peppers, which makes it unique even among a plethora of Indian dal recipes. Recipes for Cholar Dal almost always start off by alerting you that this is a dish for special occasions, served at Bengali weddings or other celebrations. Its simplicity, though, tempts one to break that hallowed tradition and label this a dal perfect for weeknight meals. It is one of my favorite Bengali recipes and I’m so excited to share it with you.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy recipe. The cholar dal takes just a few minutes to make after you’ve cooked the lentils. Get spices out of a jar, toss them into the saucepan, and you’re done. All that deliciousness for so little work! Uniquely delicious. The mix of sweet and spicy makes this a dal to relish. Kids will love it and you will find yourself making it again and again. Nutritious. Lentils are great for you, of course, and even the sweetness in this dal comes from healthy sources–jaggery, an unrefined brown sugar, raisins and coconut. Like all dals, this chhola’r dal is loaded with fiber and protein. Soy-free, nut-free, vegan and gluten-free. This dal will work for most diets.
How to make cholar dal
Serve
Cholar Dal is typically eaten with luchis – small, puffy, deep-fried breads made of refined flour. You can serve the cholar dal with pooris, which are very similar but are made with whole wheat flour. Scoop up the dal with roti or vegan naan. Serve the cholar dal with rice and a vegetable side like Bengali aloo posto and Indian lime pickle.
Store
Refrigerate: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days. Freeze: Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to four months. Reheat: Thaw and reheat the dal in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a little water and check for salt if needed.
More Indian dal recipes
Recipe card
This Bengali cholar dal is part of an occasional series on Indian dals, where I introduce you to a special dal from a special region, community or ethnicity in the Indian subcontinent, like Konkani dalitoy, Rajasthani panchmel dal, Tamil sambar and Sindhi sai bhaji. You can browse all my Indian dal recipes here. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
