Bengali Kalai Daler Bori/Bengali Sun Dried White Lentil Dumplings

Perfectly piped sun kissed Bori/White Lentil Dumplings look so beautiful but seems difficult to make. In fact it's darn easy! It can be infused with different seasonings but I chose to keep it simple for using in vegetarian and fish curries where it gets seasoned during cooking process. 


It's late summer and the sun is shining too bright. Heat waves continue in the Central Valley of California for a while. It's the perfect time to make Kali Daler Bori/Sun Dried White Lentil Dumplings. This simple process takes only 30 minutes and two days to dry out since humidity is very low here.

Traditionally Bengali households make Bori/sun dried lentil dumplings in summer months and save in a dry place to use them through out the year. Boris are made with different types of lentils but white lentil/kalai dal is the most popular one. Back in the olden days it was very labor intensive. My ma used to grind a smooth paste of overnight soaked lentil by rough hand grinding stone called "shil nora", then whipped up with hand adding grated ash gourd for a while to make it fluffy, finally dropped bori using fingers just like Hershey's Kisses on the greased metal plate and left under the scorching heat of sun for a few days. After drying bori was ready to be added in many vegetarian curry and fish curry dishes for its unique texture and taste.  

Now "shilnora" is replace for blender in many households these days that helps bori making process quite easier. High quality bori must be home made. Store bought bori doesn't meet the standard at all. It's fun to make with my little one. She loves whipping the dal paste and giving shapes using piping bag. Use decorating tip for fancy shape. It's vegan, grain free and gluten-free. 

Ingredients~
2 cups white lentils/kalier dal
1 1/2 cups finely grated ash gourd/white pumpkin,well drained

Method~
Wash the dal and soak it overnight. Squeeze grated ash gourd to get rid of excess water. Drain the water from lentil through a mesh strainer and blend lentil into a smooth paste with drained ash gourd. Whip using a metal whisk or hand mixer till batter becomes fluffy. Grease a metal plate. Spoon lentil paste into a piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe onto the greased plate. Sun dry tray of piped bori/dumplings for a few days. Do not try to pick them. They will come off easily once dried completely. Every evening take them inside to prevent them getting soggy from the early morning's dew drops. Bori can be dried in oven in the winter months for several hours on low heat. Store them in an air tight container. 

                                   

        Happy Piping!!