Chana Paloker Dalna/Bengali Style Cheese and Spinach Curry

Chanar Dalna in its new avatar, very wholesome, delicious and easy to put together. I got a lot of fresh spinach and some home made chana/panner stored in the refrigerator for a while. So I made this one simple Chana Paloker Dalna with lots of green goodness to savor with aromatic brown basmati rice, similar to its North Indian counterpart Palak-Paneer Kofta. This may not be a traditional Bengali dish but I made it in an authentic Bengali manner.

Homemade chana is mixed with chopped spinach leaves and minced cashews-raisins, mild spices and oat flour for binding, then round flat shaped, deep fried to a nice golden brown and slightly simmered in simple tomato-ginger-minced spinach gravy. No onion and garlic are used, yet the gravy turns out rich and delicious. Air fry chana balls for healthier version. Diced potato and some green peas can be used as well. Great with roti or plain rice.  

Ingredients~

For the Chana~
1/2 gallon milk
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 chili powder

6 oz. fresh chopped spinach leaves
1/4 cup oat flour or all purpose flour
2 tbsp chopped cashew nuts
2 tbsp chopped raisins

For the Curry~

6 oz. fresh spinach leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 fresh red hot chili
1 bay leaf
2 small cinnamon sticks
3 green cardamom pods
1 clove
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/3 tsp sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp ghee/clarified butter

2 tbsp thickened milk(optional)
3/4 cup oil 
1 - 1  1/2 cups hot water

Method~

Boil the milk in a heavy bottom pan and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so the milk doesn't stick to the bottom. Pour the lemon juice over the boiling milk. Stir very gently with a spoon. Place cheese cloth on the strainer, drain and hang it for at least 2 hours.

Squeeze water as much as possible from the Chana. Mash the chana with oat flour, spinach, cashew, raisins, salt and red chili powder together till it becomes a smooth dough. Make 15-16 round flat shapes. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan on medium-high heat and fry Chana balls till nice golden brown in three batches. Do not crowd the pan. Keep aside. 

Grind together(Gorom moshla) cardamom, cinnamon stick and clove together. Saute spinach until slightly wilted. Let it cool little bit, then blend to a coarse texture and set aside. Blend tomatoes with fresh chili to a smooth puree. Heat 2 tbsp oil and temper the cumin seeds, bay leaf and one cinnamon stick. Immediately add the ginger paste and little gorom moshla. Saute for a few seconds. Add the pureed tomato and the rest of the spices except Gorom Moshla. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Pour 1 cup hot water and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the fried Chana pieces. Add 1/2 cup water if gravy looks too thick. Have a taste test and adjust sugar and salt balance. Sprinkle gorom moshla and ghee over the gravy and gently stir. Cook for 1 more minute.Turn off the heat. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle thickened milk on top. Serve with rice or roti. 

Happy Cooking!