(VEG) Dhokar Dalna (Bengali dish) - Yellow Split Peas Cake in Tomato gravy

For dhokar dalna you need

- 1 cup of yellow split peas( chana dal)
- About 4 tbsp of ground ginger
- Ground garam masala (cloves, cinnamon and cardamom)
- 2 whole tomatoes diced
- Salt and sugar to taste
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Half tsp asafoetida powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
- Half tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies
- Vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ghee or clarified butter(optional)
-2tbs yogurt
-1 bay leaf(optional)

To prepare Dhoka

Wash the dal (yellow split peas) and soak overnight. Grind it .
In a skillet heat oil put the cumin seeds and pinch of asafoetida. When the seeds splatters, put the ground dal and stir it on low heat until it looks pasty and does not stick to the skillet. It should not dry out. Nonstick pan is advisable.
Once the paste looks cooked, spread it out evenly in a well greased baking pan. It should be half inch in thickness. Once it cools down cut it into squares (not too big or small). Then pan-fry the squares and keep aside.

To prepare the sauce:

Heat oil in a skillet, throw in the diced tomatoes and bayleaf. Once the tomatoes look cooked and do not have the raw smell, throw in rest of the ingredients except for the ghee (clarified butter). The whole mixture should look well cooked. Pour in 1 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer. Once the sauce slightly thickens put the dhoka pieces. Keep them on low heat for few seconds then remove the skillet from the heat. Pour the clarified butter, cover it until it cools down slightly. Pour it in a serving dish and serve. I served it with puris, you can also serve it with rice or chappati.

TIP: If the sauce gets entirely soaked up, add a little water and gently shake the skillet before pouring it in the serving dish.

Note: The "luchis" (fried Indian bread pieces) shown in the picture are described in my post: http://pinkysrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/luchi-poori.html