Cholar Dal – Bengali Yellow Split Lentils with Toasted Coconut (Instant Pot)
Dals or lentils have a pedigree in the Bengali kitchen. Complex yellow split lentils or cholar dal is reserved for celebrations and special occasions. The festive way to cook these lentils is with chips of coconut and even raisins. My uncle’s classic cholar dal is described in the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles.
So here it is for all of us to enjoy and savor.
My Cholar Dal Story
I left this amazing recipe out of the Instant Indian cookbook for a reason. I wanted a balanced cornucopia of regional Indian flavors for the Instant Indian book. So, no more than one or two Bengali recipe. And hence, I share this with you here.
Dal or Lentil Love and Vegetarians Rule
My brother is now a card holding member of esteemed vegetarian official ranks, yes, right along with my daughter. With all the soup recipes around, we are officially into soup season. On the Indian table, we usually turn to piping hot dal especially on chilly days. Dal is Indian comfort food that is ubiquitous irrespective of the region of India.
My Brother’s Favorite Dal
Once upon a time this dal cooked the festive way was the only dal he ate. Now he loves all dals with equal gusto. Complex and yet mellow, imbued with the creamy nuttiness of coconut, these lentils epitomize simple indulgence. Most Bengali festive breakfasts include Cholar dal. And it’s cohort is the Bengali luchi or puffed breads. This instant pot cholar dal is created for the instant pot in honor my brother’s last visit.
I have made a couple of changes from the original. I use coconut oil instead of ghee, and desiccated coconut chips instead of fresh coconut. This gives the lentils are more intense and deep and rich coconut flavor and in turn keeps it vegan. Using coconut oil, for a coconut infused dish is pure magic. It adds a much greater depth of flavor. With soup season upon us, give these lovely nutty, mellow and slightly sweet lentils a try.
Other cozy and comforting recipes include chicken with split chickpeas and well-seasoned chickpea and oatmeal soup.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot Facebook group and Legume Love Group. Of course Instant Indian is ready for pre-order, joining its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
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A classic sweet and savory dal from the Bengali table done in your instant pot.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1/3 cup coconut flakes
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3/4 cup yellow split lentils, known as channa dal or Bengal Gram Lentils
- 1/3 cup coconut milk, plus extra to drizzle on top
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 2 inch stick cinnamon, broken into smaller pieces
- 1 whole dried red chili
Instructions
- Turn the instant pot onto saute mode. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and add in the coconut flakes. Gently toast until fragrant and aromatic. Add in the ginger and saute lightly. Turn off the saute mode.
- Add in the turmeric, cayenne, brown sugar, lentils, coconut milk, salt and 2 cups water.
- Set on 15 minutes pressure, release the steam after 5 minutes.
- In a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and the dried red chili. Allow the spices to darken and turn fragrant. Mix into the dal.
- Drizzle with extra coconut millk and serve hot.
Notes
For a stove top verson, follow the same process but allow the lentils to simmer for an hour until soft and creamy.
Sasen
I made a vegan version, and the flavors really reminded me of being a kid. 🙂
S Sen
So worth the wait. The texture was still good without coconut milk. Thanks for the recipe.
Rustic Lentil Parathas with a spiced oil finish.
[…] my recipe is the moisture content. I usually make them with either these red lentils or this cholar dal. Now they both have very different degrees of soupiness so I adjust the flour […]