Every Indian home has a range of dry snacks with long shelf life stored for anytime hunger. Mathri, namkeen, murukku, bhujia - the list is endless. Adding to this never-ending list is another delicious snack that is very popular in Bengali households. So, if you want to expand your snack repertoire, start with Bengali dal bori and bodi. Bengali bori is a dal (lentil) dumpling that is sun-dried to make a crispy snack that can last up to a year or even two if stored well in a dry place. Bengali bori is super-rich is proteins because of the presence of dal and it also makes its cut to the heathy snacks menu, since it is dried not fried.
We have an easy recipe of Bengali dal bori made with masoor dal (red lentil). But you can pick any dal of your choice. Usually, this snack is also made with moong dal, matar dal and urad dal. It all depends on the flavour of the dal you like in this dish. Dal is soaked and ground into a paste form first, and then you have to season it with salt and spice. People use spices as per their taste preference; here we are keeping it very simple by just adding salt and kalonji to the dal paste.
Two important things to keep in mind to make the perfect bori are - soak the dal for a long time (six hours or more, depending upon the dal) and to ground it in such a way that you get a paste of smooth dough consistency.
(Also Read: 7 Bengali Snacks That Should Be On Your Foodie Bucket List)
Bengali dal bori is dried out in the sun.
How To Make Bengali Dal Bori I Bengali Dal Bori Recipe
You'll be surprised to see how easy it is to make this Bengali delicacy. Here's the complete recipe of Bengali Dal Bori that you can try making at home.
First, soak the masoor dal, then ground it to make a paste. Season it and then whisk thoroughly with a hand mixer. Then all that is left to do is shaping the dough into small dumplings and letting them dry out in the sun for at least one day. When it is completely dried, store the bori in an air-tight container.
How to Eat Bengali Dal Bori
You can either eat this snack as is or pair it with a chutney or sauce. But if you want to include this dish in your main meal, it makes for a great accompaniment to all your vegetables and more so to fish curry.
Do try this Bengali snack recipe and let us know how you liked it.