Radhaballavi and Cholar Dal – Traditional Bengali Dussehra Recipe
Bijoya Dashami is a time to hug loved ones and share festive food.
After the immersion of Durga idols, Bengalis celebrate by visiting friends and family,
offering sweets and traditional dishes like Radhaballavi and Cholar Dal.
Ingredients
- For the Dough
- Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
- Maida – 1 cup
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Ghee – 1 tbsp
- Oil for frying – 2 cups
- Warm water – 1 cup
- For the Stuffing
- Minced ginger – 1 tbsp
- Minced green chilli – 1–3
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Aniseed powder – 2 tsp
- Asafoetida water – 1/4 tsp
- Soaked Bengal gram dal – 1 cup
- Mashed green peas – 1 cup
- Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Lemon juice – 2 tsp
- Jaggery – 2 tsp
Preparation time: | Serves: 4
Instructions
- Mix the two flours, salt and ghee. Add warm water and knead into a soft dough. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
- Grind the soaked Bengal gram dal into a fine paste.
- Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger, green chilli and asafoetida water. Add dal paste, mashed peas, aniseed powder, red chilli powder, salt and jaggery. Cook until thick and sticky.
- Add lemon juice and allow the stuffing to cool. Divide into equal portions.
- Divide dough into balls. Stuff each with dal mixture and flatten slightly.
- Deep fry in hot oil or shallow fry on a tawa until golden brown.
- Serve hot with Bengali Cholar Dal.
