Buter Dal (Bangladeshi Hotel-Style Chana Dal)

• 2 cups chana dal (split Bengal gram), soaked 2 hours or overnight
• 50 ml vegetable oil
• 4–5 dried red chillies
• 2 small pieces cinnamon
• 3 cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 10–12 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp panch phoron (Bengali five-spice seeds)
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• ½ tbsp ginger paste
• ½ tbsp garlic paste
• ½ tbsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tbsp ground turmeric
• ½ tbsp salt
• ½ cup water, then 6 cups (1½ litres) hot water
• 4–5 green chillies
• a handful of chopped coriander leaves

Method

The cook speaks Bengali; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. The video’s English subtitles come on by themselves.

1. Soak the chana dal in water for at least 2 hours (overnight is best), then drain. 0:30
2. Heat the oil in a pot and lightly fry the dried chillies, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, panch phoron and bay leaf. 0:55
3. Add the sliced onion and fry 3–4 minutes until soft. Add the ajwain, hing and the ginger and garlic pastes and fry until the raw smell goes. 1:28
4. Add the chilli powder, cumin, coriander and turmeric with ½ cup water and the salt. Cover and cook on medium for 4–5 minutes until the oil separates. 2:15
5. Add the drained dal and stir-fry it in the masala for 5–6 minutes. 3:01
6. Pour in 6 cups of hot water (3 cups for each cup of dal), cover and simmer on medium-low for about 40 minutes, until the dal is soft but still holds its shape. 3:39
7. Add the green chillies and coriander leaves, cover and leave on the lowest heat for 5 minutes. It thickens as it cools. 4:27

Tip. Serves 8 as a side (our estimate: about 1.9 kg of dal, a 230 g bowl each). In Bangladesh it is a hotel breakfast with paratha or ruti; with eggs or a salad instead of bread it is steadier on blood sugar.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.