Food is not just a mean to satisfy our hunger, rather it serves as an art characterised by distinct techniques with a mix of specific culture. Various factors like local ingredients, traditions, and customs get involve in the process to create a unique dish. Therefore here I present before you a very popular recipe of the Bengali households- "Chanar Dalna", prepared to relieve all from the daily toil of excavating some distinct cuisine at the dinner table to please your taste buds. This is a very nostalgic recipe of my grandmother who used to spoil me with these delicacies. Let's try our hands on this special recipe today.
Chanar Dalna/Paneer Kofta Curry...
Ingredients-
To Make the Chana Balls-
Chana or Cottage Cheese - 200 gms
All-Purpose Flour or Maida - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Black Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt and Sugar to taste.
To Make the Curry-
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cloves - 2-3
Cardamoms - 2
Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
Mustard Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Bay Leaves - 2
Potatoes - 2 medium-sized, cut into cubes.
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Black Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt and Sugar to taste.
Whole Green Chillies - 2
Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Clarified Butter or Ghee - 1/2 tsp
Water - 2 cups
Method-
To make Chana-
Heat the milk, when it starts to boil, simmer the flame and add the lime juice. Stir well. Heat until the water clearly separates from the milk. Now switch off the flame and let it cool for 2 minutes.
Take a metal strainer, cover it with a thin cotton or muslin cloth. Put the curdled milk in the strainer. Wash the chana well with cold water. It helps to remove the sourness of lime. Now collect the cloth and hang for 30 minutes to drip out water. After 30 minutes, squeeze the excess water and place the chana on a plate.
To Make the Curry-
For making the chana balls, knead the chana with 1 tbsp of maida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder and salt. Knead the chana and make a soft dough. Now by taking small portions from the dough make 10-12 equal-sized round balls. Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Put the chana balls carefully into hot oil and fry them until golden brown. Drain oil and keep them aside. Now in the same oil, add cumin seeds,whole garam masala spices and bay leaves. Wait for them to crackle. Add cubed potatoes and fry them for about 3-4 minutes. Then add cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper powder and whole green chillies into the pan. Add grated ginger. Stir and saute the potatoes and spices until the oil separates from the sides. When the gravy starts leaving oil from sides, add water, sugar and salt.
Simmer for 10 minutes or till the curry thickens slightly. When the curry is done, add clarified butter or ghee and garam masala powder. Give them a good stir. Lastly add the fried chana balls into the gravy and mix them very gently. Cook for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.
Please do try this recipe at your home and let me know how it was in the comments section below. Also do share and follow me for more such easy,tasty and delightful recipes. Thank you. Enjoy.
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