Chanar Dalna | Niramish Chanar Dalna

If you know a Bengali, you would think that their diet is majorly composed of fish and meat. But this is quite a misconception. There are a lot of dishes in Bengali cuisine, like this Chanar Dalna recipe, which are deliciously vegetarian or ‘niramish’ and still very desirable. This Chanar Dalna, made with fresh cottage cheese (paneer/chana) and potatoes is a complex flavored curry without any onion or garlic, and is quite a delicacy.

About Chanar Dalna

Before I jump onto the other details, here’s giving you the literal meaning of the name of the dish:

Chanar – Chana is paneer or cottage cheese (the suffix -r/-er means ‘of’)

Dalna – Dalna is a Bengali style spiced gravy or curry

So, this is simply a rustic, flavorful slightly sweet and truly a Niramish Chanar Dalna with paneer, potatoes, green peas (optional), green chilies and the choicest of spices. As it is, cottage cheese and potato is a pair, in which each compliments the other extremely well, and makes for a delectable sabzi or curry.

In this Chanar Dalna recipe, the paneer and aloo are fried first and then added to the gravy. A very specific way of Bengali cooking. To make the dalna more flavorsome, I also add fresh green peas. Though, this is optional and you can make the dish without it as well. This preparation is also similar to the Aloo Phulkopir Dalna with potatoes and cauliflower.

Since the potatoes and cottage cheese have to be fried before, making this dalna does take a little bit of more time. If you do not want to fry them, then you can also add the aloo in the gravy and cook it first. Once the gravy is done, then add the paneer, mix and switch off the heat. You’ll be good to go!

The taste of this Bengali Paneer Curry is quite different than the usual North Indian Aloo Paneer or Aloo Matar Paneer. The Bengali garam masala is one reason for its uniqueness. If you ask me, do give it a try because ‘variety does add spice to life!’ You can relish the Chanar Dalna with bhaat (steamed rice), Luchi, poori or roti.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Chanar Dalna

Making Bengali garam masala

1. In a dry grinder or coffee grinder, take 2 green cardamoms, 2 inch cinnamon and 4 cloves. If using cassia cinnamon, then use 1 inch of it.

2. Grind to a fine powder. You can also crush these spices in a mortar-pestle. Remove the masala and keep aside.

Making masala paste

3. In the same grinder, add 2 teaspoons roughly chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies.

4. Also, add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 1 tablespoon coriander powder.

5. Add 3 to 4 teaspoons water and grind to a smooth paste. Do not add too much water as then the paste will splutter while frying.

Frying paneer and potatoes

6. On low to medium flame, heat 3 tablespoons mustard oil in a kadai or pan and let it come to its smoking point. Though I prefer mustard oil, but you can use any other oil. Reduce the heat and add 1 large potato, chopped in small cubes.

7. Stir and begin to pan fry the potatoes.

8. Stir often when frying potatoes so that they get cooked evenly.

9. Fry till you see golden spots on the edges and the potatoes are almost cooked.

10. Remove with a slotted spoon. Place on kitchen paper towels.

11. In the same pan, add 200 grams paneer, chopped in cubes.

12. Pan fry paneer cubes on medium heat.

13. When one side is light golden, turn over each paneer cube and fry the second side. Fry till the paneer cubes are light golden. Do not fry paneer for too long as then they become hard.

14. Remove the fried paneer cubes and keep in lukewarm water. This helps the paneer to remain soft.

Making Chanar Dalna

15. Now in the same pan, add 1 small to medium bay leaf (tej patta) and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds in the left mustard oil. Sauté till the cumin seeds crackle. If you want, you can add 1 tablespoon more mustard oil.

16. Now, add the prepared masala paste. Be careful as the mixture can splutter.

17. Mix very well and sauté this mixture on low to medium heat. Sauté till you see oil releasing from the sides and the color of the masala has changed.

18. Now, add ¾ cup finely chopped tomatoes.

19. Mix well.

20. Begin to sauté tomatoes on medium-low to medium heat.

21. In case the tomato mixture looks dry, sprinkle some water and continue to sauté.

22. Sauté till the tomatoes soften, become pulpy and you see a bit of oil releasing from the sides.

23. Add ⅓ cup green peas and salt as per taste. Adding green peas is optional.

24. Mix and sauté for a minute.

25. Next, add ¾ to 1 cup water or add as required. The gravy is thick, so for more gravy, you can add more water.

26. Mix very well.

27. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 to 16 minutes or till the peas are cooked and tender.

28. Check in between and if the curry looks dry, then you can add some water.

29. Simmer till the peas are cooked well.

30. Now, add the fried potatoes.

31. Mix very well.

32. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar or add as per taste.

33. Cover the pan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

34. The potatoes will be cooked by now.

35. Add the prepared Bengali garam masala. Mix well and switch off the heat.

36. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons ghee and mix again.

37. Now, add the fried paneer cubes.

38. Mix again.

39. Serve Chanar Dalna hot or warm with luchi, poori or roti.

To niramish or not, that’s the question

The Bengali word ‘niramish’ simply translates to ‘vegetarian.’ Also, meaning food which is devoid of any ‘amish’ (non-vegetarian) ingredients. However, the concept of non-vegetarianism in the Bengali food repertoire doesn’t end here.

Basically, food stuffs that are considered as heat producing, fall under the non-vegetarian category. This may also include some plant-based ingredients, like onion and garlic and even masoor dal (red lentils). So, going by this theory, for a recipe to be completely niramish, it has to be cooked without these ingredients as well.

Since this Chanar Dalna recipe has no signs of onion or garlic, it is a true niramish dish. But there may also be innumerable Bengali preparations which may have meat/fish/egg, and still be niramish and not amish, because of the absence of onion and garlic in their recipes.

So don’t wonder if you come across a Bengali niramish mutton curry! Yes, it is an oxymoron, but that’s how the food culture of this community categorizes its preparations. It is a little confusing as well, though exciting, isn’t it?

Expert Tips

1. While making the masala paste for this Chanar Dalna recipe, add just little water and not too much. With too much water the paste tends to splutter while frying.
2. Since this is originally a Bengali recipe, I prefer using mustard oil to cook this dish. Any pther oil can also be used in place of mustard oil.
3. Ensure that you are not frying the paneer cubes for too long. As then, they will turn hard and chewy.
4. Soaking the fried paneer in lukewarm water also keeps them soft.
5. You can add or skip the green peas, your wish.

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