• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pintrest

Happy food, makes happy people!

Kitchen Mai
  • About
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Features
  • Events
Dinner, Indian, Lunch, Meal type, One pot meals, Quick and easy  /  March 13, 2019

Chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry)

by Kitchen Mai
Facebook0Pin0Tweet0Email0

Jump to Recipe

A light, flavourful chana (paneer) recipe made with potatoes and peas that pairs well with luchis, pulao and steamed rice. This no onion, no garlic recipe is a gem in Bengali cuisine


My chanar dalna or Bengali paneer curry is a delicious no onion, no garlic paneer recipe that is cooked along with cubed potatoes and peas. In Bengali, paneer is called chana, and a light curry is called dalna. So, chanar dalna is essentially cottage cheese curry with potatoes. Likewise, you will find a lot of other vegetarian dalna in Bengali cuisine. For example, aloo potol r dalna, dhokar dalna etc. I have learnt the recipe of this niraamish chanar dalna from my thakurma (paternal grandmother). She is a wonderful cook and her soft, frail hands always spin magic with food. Though she doesn’t cook anymore, her instructions to me over the phone, were very crystal clear!

Since she’s blessed with a wonderful memory, she remembers all her tips and tricks vividly. Like most Bengali vegetarian recipes this one too is made without onion and garlic, hence niraamish. Also, my thakurma’s chanar dalna recipe is not very masala heavy. It is a light and a very flavourful curry that tastes good both with rice and breads. While luchis or Bengali style pooris with this dalna is a popular choice, I have paired mine with Bengali basanti pulao. We, at home, love the combination of the sweet pulao with a spicy curry. And this proved to be a heavenly pair!

You may also like,

Paneer butter masala

Pan roasted paneer tikka

Matar paneer (no onion garlic)

Methi paneer (fenugreek flavoured paneer curry)

"Chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry) - www.kitchenmai.com"

Homemade chana

To make the chanar dalna, I have made the chana/paneer at home. And then instead of cutting that in cubes, I have made dumplings of them and then used in the curry. This is how this Bengali paneer recipe is traditionally made – with the chana dumplings. While the step of curdling milk to make chana is an extra step here, it is absolutely worth the effort! Nothing beats the magical taste of melt-in-the-mouth, fresh chana in this recipe. I have elaborated the steps of making paneer at home in the recipe box below and you can also see how I’ve made it in this video. Nonetheless, if you are pressed for time or do not want to make your own chana, by all means use store bought paneer. The recipe won’t change and neither will the taste of your delicious paneer dalna. 🙂

Quick and easy recipe

The pre-prep for the chanar dalna is very little. With some paneer, potatoes, peas and basic Indian spices you can get cooking for this. What gives this light, aromatic curry a slight richness is the addition of yoghurt. While the tartness comes from tomatoes, the yoghurt gives it a body. A lot of recipes also add milk instead of yoghurt. Therefore, you could choose to use either of these. Traditionally, the chana or paneer cubes are lightly fried first and then added to the curry. And I have done that as well, however, could choose to not fry them at all and directly cook them in the curry itself.

Frying the paneer makes the curry richer and is well suited for serving on special occasions. This delicious paneer curry is an under 30 minute recipe. Moreover, it is a very popular dish that gets made on festive occasions in Bengali households, especially on days when non-vegetarian recipes aren’t made. So, if you love paneer and also are a fan of one pot recipes, then this one is for you. Do give it a try sometime and and let me know how you enjoyed it. I’d love hearing from you. You could reach out to me on  Instagram and even leave your feedback in the comments section below.

Eat hearty!

"Chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry) - www.kitchenmai.com"

Chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry)

Kitchen Mai
A light, flavourful chana (paneer) recipe made along with potatoes and peas that pairs well with luchis and even Indian rice dishes. This no onion, no garlic recipe is a gem in the Bengali cuisine
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Bengali, Indian
Servings 5 people
Calories 354 kcal

Equipment

  • Shallow cooking pot with lid

Ingredients
  

To make chana (paneer)*

  • 1 l whole/full fat milk
  • 3-4 tbsp lemon/lime juice

To make the dalna (curry)

  • 2 medium potatoes cut in 2 cm cubes
  • 1 medium tomato pureed
  • ¼ cup peas frozen
  • 1 tbsp ginger freshly grated
  • 2 tbsp yoghurt whisked
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 green cardomom
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 dry red chillis
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp hing asafetida
  • 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin seed powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1½ tsp garam masala
  • 3 fresh green chillis slit (optional)
  • 2 tbsp ghee clarified butter
  • 3-4 tbsp mustard oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

To make the chana (paneer)

  • Set a saucepan with the milk to boil, over medium flame. When it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat off and add the lime/lemon juice. Keep stirring with a spatula, to that the juice is evenly mixed and the chana/paneer separates from the whey
  • Drain this over a muslin cloth over a sieve. Wash the chana throughly with cold water to rid the acidity of the lime/lemon juice. Give the cloth a good squeeze, tie and set it aside for 30-40 minutes so that the remaining water can drain out. Check this video on how to make chana at home
  • When done, remove the chana on a plate and gently knead it using your palm until smooth and lump free. Divide it into equal sized balls and keep it covered until needed

To make the dalna (curry)

  • Heat the oil, over medium flame until it smokes, then reduce the flame slightly and add in the chana balls. Fry until they get a light brown color on them, drain and set aside
  • Similarly, fry the potatoes with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp turmeric until they get a light brown color on them. Drain from oil and set aside
  • Temper the remaining oil with cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and dried red chilies. Once they turn aromatic, add the hing and ginger paste and mix in well
  • Add in the turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and chilli powder along with 3-4 tbsp hot water. Mix well and cook over medium flame for 3-4 minutes
  • Add the partially cooked potatoes, with ¼ cup hot water and mix in well. Cover and cook until the potatoes are almost cooked
  • Now add the tomato puree and cook until the oil separates. When done, lower the flame to minimum and add in the yoghurt (one spoon at a time) - quickly mix it in and add ¼ cup hot water
  • Increase the flame to a medium and let the curry come to a simmer. Stir in the salt, sugar, peas and chana/paneer dumplings 
  • Gently mix them in (and do a taste check), cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Turn the flame off and add the chilies, garam masala and ghee. Swirl the pan around to gently mix. Keep covered for 5 minutes and then serve
  • You can serve your delicious chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry) with pooris, pulao and even steamed rice. Enjoy!
    "Chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry) - www.kitchenmai.com"

Notes

  • *You can also make the recipe with store bought paneer. Cut them in cubes and follow the recipe from "To make the dalna (curry)." Just replace the chana balls with the paneer cubes
  • You can replace yoghurt with the same amount of milk, if you like
  • l - litre
  • g - grams
  • tsp - teaspoon
  • cm - centimeter
  • tbsp - tablespoon
Keyword Bengali paneer recipe, chanar dalna, Chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry), chanar kofta, chanar recipe, easy paneer recipe, paneer dalna

"Chanar dalna (Bengali paneer curry) - www.kitchenmai.com"

Facebook0Pin0Tweet0Email0

Tags

  • bengali recipe
  • paneer recipe
  • Quick and easy
  • vegetarian curry

Post navigation

Spicy stir fried vegetable noodles
Rose and saffron flavoured rasgullas

Related posts

Chicken momos with chilli chutney Launch video modal Launch video modal
Appetizer, Brunch, Chinese, Condiment, Healthy recipes, Indian, Indo-Chinese, Meal type, Non-Indian, One pot meals, Quick and easy, Snacks, Tea time  /  March 19, 2019
by Kitchen Mai  /  10 Comments

Chicken momos with chilli chutney

Chicken momos with chilli chutney

https://kitchenmai.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/joined_video_21936cd301d542659e06866f8ec23477.mp4
Read more
Herby stir fried garlic mushrooms
Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Cuisine, Dinner, Healthy recipes, Lunch, Meal type, Mediterranean, Non-Indian, One pot meals, Quick and easy, Snacks  /  May 16, 2019
by Kitchen Mai  /  6 Comments

Herby stir fried garlic mushrooms

Nadru ke kebab (lotus stem kebabs)
Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Cuisine, Healthy recipes, Indian, Meal type, One pot meals, Quick and easy, Snacks, Tea time  /  July 26, 2019
by Kitchen Mai  /  5 Comments

Nadru ke kebab (lotus stem kebabs)

Share your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




"www.kitchenmai.com"

Hi there! I am Madhurima and welcome to my blog. Here you will find recipes, both Indian and international, that you can easily replicate in your kitchen. So, lets get cooking!

Follow me on

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pintrest

Search the blog

New recipe notifications

To be the first to know of new recipes updated on the blog, fill in your details!

Recipes

Archives

  • Elara Pro by LyraThemes.com
Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!