Around the World in Foodventures (Bangladesh: DHOKAR DALNA)

Upon a cursory review, there were several Bangladeshi dishes that caught my eye (and at least one other that I definitely want to make, but I think it will come up for other counties as well). This one, though -- fried lentil cakes in a warm, spicy, tomato based sauce -- literally made me say “ooh, that looks good.” So, here we are.

Dhokar Dalna is a lentil curry, but made in an unusual way. The root word “dhoka” means “cheat/betrayal/deception,” and is apparently used in the name of this dish either because you can’t readily discern what ingredients are in it; or because families eat this on days when they are following a vegetarian plan, sort of fooling themselves into believing it’s meat. Not only is Dhokar Dalna vegetarian, but it rarely (in an effort to maintain a Sattvic diet) contains onions or garlic. Because I don’t want to be too wordy here, I’ll let you delve more into these research rabbit holes if you so choose.

Onward to my recipe, which I wrote as an amalgamation after consulting various sources….

INGREDIENTS:

Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

3/4 cup of split Bengal Gram Dal/Chana Dal 1/4 cup of Matar Dal (yellow split peas)

Spices For the Lentil Cakes (measure out into a Mortar & Pestle) -     * 1 inch of Ginger, peeled and finely chopped    * 2 Green Chilies, stems removed    * 1 teaspoon Salt    * 1.5 teaspoons Sugar    * 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric    * 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper    * 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder    * 1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida    * 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon    * 1/8 teaspoon Cardamom    * 1 teaspoon Nigella Seeds

Spices for the Sauce -     * 1 inch of Ginger, peeled and grated    * 3 Green Chilies    * 3 large Bay leaves    * 3 Cardamom pods, cracked    * 1/2 Cinnamon Stick    * 5 Cloves    * 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder    * 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder    * 1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds    * 1 teaspoon Salt    * 2 teaspoons Sugar    * 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder    * 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

1.5 - 2 cups of Water 2 medium Potatoes, cut into 1" cubes

1/2 teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder 1 teaspoon of Ghee

1 Tablespoon of All Purpose flour 4 Tablespoons of Mustard Oil, divided 1/4 cup of shredded Coconut 2 Tablespoons of Roasted Peanuts, crushed Vegetable Oil (enough to pour about 1" deep in your frying pan) 2 medium Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Lentil Cakes

1. Wash all the Dal in water a few times, until the water runs clear.  Then soak it for at least 6 hours, or better yet overnight.  Drain off the water.
2. In a mortar & pestle, create a paste from the Ginger, Green Chilies, and all the Lentil Cake Spices.  Divide this paste in half.
3. Using a minimal amount of water (no more than 1/2 cup), grind the drained Dal into a smooth paste along with with one-half of the Ginger/Green Chili/Spice paste.  Also mix in the All Purpose Flour.  I did this step in a food processor -- much easier!
4. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the Mustard Oil in a frying pan, and add the other half of the Ginger/Green Chili/Spice paste, as well as the shredded Coconut.  Saute all of this for a minute or two -- to toast the spices and the coconut, wake it all up, and remove any rawness.
5. Now, add the Dal paste and the Crushed Peanuts to the frying pan, cooking and stirring until it dries out and forms a dough ball.
6. Remove from the heat, and spread the dough out onto a greased surface (cookie sheet, roasting pan, whatever).  Aim to make it about 1” thick all around.  Put it in the fridge to cool.
7. Wash your frying pan because you're going to need it again.
8. Once the dough cools completely, cut it into 16 diamond shape pieces (or, really, any shape you want).
9. Heat about 1" of Vegetable Oil in the frying pan to 300-350°F -- and fry each lentil cake (turning over as needed) until crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside.  (You can test it like a cake; meaning a toothpick or knife should come out clean and without any dough sticking to it).  Alternatively, you can bake them in the oven until they are golden brown and cooked through (I didn't do it this way, but I'd guess 2-30 minutes at 350°F).
10. Set the cooked lentil cakes aside and make the sauce....

For the Sauce

1. Heat the other 2 Tablespoons of Mustard Oil in the frying pan.
2. Add the Ginger, Green Chilies, Bay Leaves, and all the Sauce Spices -- and lightly saute for just a minute or two until any raw smells dissipate.
3. Add in the Tomatoes and cook (stirring) until they get mushy (starting to look like spaghetti sauce).
4. Pour in the Water and the Potatoes.  Cover, and simmer (10-15 minutes) until the Potatoes are cooked through.
5. Stir in the Garam Masala and Ghee.
6. Finally, place the lentil cakes into the sauce, spooning some over the top so that each cake gets a little moistened -- and let it all simmer together for a couple of minutes until the lentil cakes are heated back up and have absorbed some sauce.
7. Serve immediately, because the cakes are somewhat delicate and can start to fall apart the longer they sit in the sauce.

This was quite delicious (the cakes were even pretty good all by themselves, plain, before going into the sauce).  Also, it really did mimic meat sauce as pieces fell off the lentil cakes and made the sauce a little lumpy.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain