“You are going to eat the Kolai Dal with Aloo Posto? But You like Kolai Dal with Aloo Bhate Debjani! Ain’t it?” Mehebub asked almost horrifiedly a few days back upon witnessing me clicking the pictures.
“Yes, I like my portion of Biulir Dal with Aloo Bhate but 90% people like it with Aloo Posto so I am clicking that way!” I replied, needless to say, while juggling with the camera and tripod.
“That indeed is true, Kolai Dal and Aloo Posto are like Uttam-Suchitra of Bengali cuisine! Ain’t it? By the way, why do you call it Biulir Dal instead of Kolai Dal? is this Kolkata thing?”
I replied irritatedly, “See there is nothing fancy with the name Biulir Dal; it is just we call it! You can call it Urad dal too! So stop irritate me and listen if the combo of Kolai Dal and Aloo Posto is Uttam-Suchitra then Kolai Dal- Aloo Bhate combo is none other than Uttam Kumar and Supriya Devi!”
Bengali Kolai dal aka biuli dal
If at this point a Bengali is reading the post, I know there is no need to give any reference but in case you are not familiar with the names mentioned; Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen, and Supriya Devi are legendary Bengali Film Stars. On this note let me now share the Recipe of Uttam Kumar, I mean Kalai Dal; given Suchitra Sen (Aloo Posto) is already there on my blog and I will post soon about Supriya Devi (Aloo Bhate) :).
Kalai dal, recipe variation at ghoti and bangal households
They say, the people having their root in West Bengal are having the tendency of adding sugar in every dish they prepare. I must say. Kalai Dal is an exception. No Sugar, prepared with the punch of Fennel Seed, and Asafoetida and Chillis and served with a dash of lemon juice, Kalai Dal indeed a gem from the Bengali cuisine. Okay, I am really not sure whether anybody adds sugar or not at least they don’t add at my parental house, or in-laws or grand mom’s place.
Before going further with the recipe, here’s the little bit I learned from my dida about Biulir Dal. “don’t over-cook your Biulir Dal, it should have the body, but not mussy!” Hence, this kind of is the thumb rule for me that not to over-cook the dal, the moderately thick consistency and the special aroma of Asafotida, ginger and Mouri bata (Fennel Seed Paste. A dash of lemon is must and for that matter, it has to be the Gandhoraj Lebu.
Here’s how I cook Kolai dal aka korai dal aka biulir dal at debjanir rannaghar
Bengali Kolai Dal | Biulir Dal | Bengali Urad Dal Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 People 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Traditional Bengali delicacy, Kolai Dal a.k.a Biuli Dal is a no onion no garlic lentil preparation
Ingredients
- 1 cup Vigna mungo / Urad Dal / Kolai Dal/ Biuli Dal (without skin)
- 1 Tbsp. Ginger Paste
- 3–4 Green Chillies
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 Dry Red chili
- 1 Tsp. Fennel Seed
- 1/2 Tsp. Asafoetida
- 1/4 Tsp. Turmeric Powder (optional)
- 1 Tsp. Salt or to Taste
- 2 Tbsp. Mustard Oil
Instructions
- Soak Fennel Seed in water for 15 minutes and roughly crush the Seeds either using a mortar pestle or Shil Batta.
- Wash the Lentil under running water 2-3 times.
- Take the dal along with 1/2 Tsp. of salt, turmeric Powder and 3 Cups of Water in a pressure cooker.
- Cook on high flame with the lid and weight on until 1 whistle comes out from the cooker.
- Reduce the flame and cook till 2 more whistles come out.
- The Dal must not be soggy. The texture is really important when it comes to Kalai Dal.
- Switch the flame off and wait till the pressure drops completely.
- Open the lead of the cooker.
- Heat the oil in a pan and temper it with the Red Chili and Asafoetida.
- Add Ginger Paste and crushed fennel Seed and cook for a minute on low flame.
- Now add the tempering to the cooked Kali Dal.
- Add slitted green Chili and if required little salt.
- Mix thoroughly and cook for around 5 minutes on low flame.
- Adjust the water accordingly. The Dal will be moderately thick, not mussy but well-cooked.
- Once done add the lemon juice and mix.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Bengali
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25g
- Calories: 68
- Sugar: 0.8g
- Sodium: 978mg
- Fat: 0.9g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 10.6g
- Fiber: 2.4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
To serve Kolai Dal:
You need to know till now 😛 ! okay, my friend, serve the Dal with steamed rice and either Aloo Posto or Aloo Bhate and a slice of Gandhoraj Lebu (lime) and enjoy the epitome of the comfort meal. A power nap is must upon completion of the meal!
Have you tried the Kolai Dal/ Bengali Urad Dal Recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Do let me know how it came out. Also, I would love to see a picture of the same which you can share here on dolonchttrj@gmail.com or in Instagram you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar or can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
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