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Bengali · Indian

Cholar dal

Vegetarian

ছোলার ডাল

A gently sweet Bengali chana dal studded with fried coconut slivers and raisins and perfumed with ghee, cumin and whole garam masala. A festive partner for luchi.

Cholar dal is a Bengali curry from India, ready in about 50 minutes and made with chana dal (split bengal gram), ghee and coconut. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Cholar dal: yellow Bengal gram dal with coconut, whole spices and a green chilli
Photo: Pkd2512 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
40 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
319

Plus 1 hour soaking.

Ingredients

4 servings

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the soaked dal with the water and turmeric (opens in a new tab) until soft but each grain holds its shape (about 2 whistles in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab) or 30 minutes in a pot).

  2. Step 2

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab) and fry the coconut (opens in a new tab) slivers until golden, then the raisins (opens in a new tab) until puffed. Lift out.

  3. Step 3

    In the same ghee (opens in a new tab) add the cumin (opens in a new tab), bay leaves (opens in a new tab), dried chillies, cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab) and cloves (opens in a new tab), then the ginger.

    • 1 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the dal, salt and sugar (opens in a new tab) and simmer until thick, then stir in the coconut (opens in a new tab) and raisins (opens in a new tab) and sprinkle over the roasted cumin (opens in a new tab).

    • 8 min
    • medium-low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
West Bengal, India · Well documentedAlso popular in BangladeshMore food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
sweet & savoury, nutty, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chana dal (split bengal gram) · Ghee · Coconut · Turmeric · Sugar · Raisins
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

319 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 281 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 48%
  • Fat 39%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy319 kcal113 kcal
Protein11.1 g4 g
Carbohydrate39.6 g14.1 g
Net carbohydrate31.4 g11.2 g
Sugars9.8 g3.5 g
Added sugars2.1 g0.7 g
Fibre8.3 g2.9 g
Fat14.2 g5.1 g
Saturated fat8.2 g2.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol17 mg6 mg
Sodium750 mg267 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
484 mg
Calcium
71 mg
Iron
3.5 mg
Magnesium
55 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
69 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
283 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Chana dal (split bengal gram): Whole raw chickpeas / bengal gram (FDC 173756) used as a stand-in for split, skinned desi chickpeas; the composition is very close.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Each grain of chana dal should hold its shape — check it before it turns to mush.

Common mistakes

  • Overcooking the dal to a purée in the pressure cooker.

Serve with

  • Serve with luchi or kochuri for a festive breakfast, or with rice.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Thin with water and reheat.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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