Channa aur Nariyal ki Daal Bengali style ~ Split Bengal Gram Daal with Coconut

Made n Enjoyed
Hello readers,

To this day, I thought that it was only Gujaratis ( People from Gujarat, India ) that added sugar or jeggary to their daal and sabjis !! however I found out that even this Bengali style daal can be made by adding sugar too. I made this daal few days ago, it was fantastically flavoured daal, no chopping or peeling involved, just few spices and my whole family really enjoyed it !!

You will need:-

• 1 cup Channa daal ( Split yellow Bengal lentils )
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Cumin and coriander powder ( dhanajeera powder)
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 tsp each mustard and cumin seeds
• pinch of hing ( asafoetida )
• 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
• few cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaves,  small Cinnamon bark and dry red chillies

Method:-
Wash the daal and soak about 3-4 hours. Put soaked daal in a pan and leave it to cook with 3-4 cups of water on a low heat for at least 40-45 minutes. ( I used pressure cooker, cooks in very less time ) When daal is well cooked nice and soft, add sugar, salt, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder and garam masala. Cover the lid and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Now heat ghee in another small pan, add all the whole spices, bay leaves, seeds, when they crackle add pinch of hing. Now add fresh coconut and roast it till light brown. Add everything in to cooked daal. Mix well and cover the lid again. Cook further 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with steamy rice. Enjoy !!