These lentil patties or Chapra as they are called, are not eaten by itself. They are added as a garnish to other dishes to make it more interesting. I learnt about these from my mother- in- law. She used it in many preparations like Chalkumro jhal, Chapor ghanto, or Thor bhaja and even in Shukto. These are very easy to make and I have found that they freeze very well, so usually when I make them, I make extra and store some in the freezer.
Motor dal which is used to make these are actually dried peas. They are called yellow split peas and are available in most supermarkets in the US. In Delhi this dal is not available every where but is available in areas where the Bengalis frequently shop, like in the Chittaranjan park markets, Gole Market, and even INA Market.
The procedure is very simple, just soak some of the motor dal for about 4 to 6 hours, then grind it into a paste and make these patties.
Ingredients
Motor Dal ( yellow slit peas) 1 cup
Water 1&1/2 cups
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Oil ( Mustard or any edible oil)
Method
Rinse the dal and soak with 1 and 1/2 cup of water for 4 to 6 six hour.
Then drain out the water, and grind it in a grinder. You will need to add a little water maybe to make the grinding easier, but try NOT to add TOO much water, just as much as is needed to make a thick paste.
Add the salt and mix it well.
Heat a frying pan, preferably a non stick one, or a iron tava. Put 1 tablespoon of oil, tilt the pan so that the oil spreads all over .
Take a tablespoon of the ground dal and spread it into a fairly thin patty. Let it cook on low heat for a few minutes, till the dal paste is set, then flip it over and cook the other side. You may need to put a tablespoon of oil around the patties so that they don’t stick to the pan. It has to be cooked on low heat so that the patties are not raw in the center. You can make more than 1 patty at a time as long as the frying pan is big enough. When both the sides of the patty is slightly brown take it out of the frying pan and leave it on a plate to cool.
Motor Dal or Yellow split peas look like this picture.
It can easily be confused with Arhar Dal ( Pigeon pea) and with Channa Dal ( split chick peas).
I have noticed that the Motor dal is something in between the Arhar dal and the Chana dal in thickness.
Soak 1 cup of dal for 4 to 6 hours. Then drain out the water and grind it to a paste like this on the left. Mix in the salt.
Heat a frying pan and add a couple of tablespoons of oil and spread it around by tilting the pan.
Pick up 1 teaspoon of the dal and put it on the pan, spreading it evenly to make a flat patty.
Add another spoonful beside the previous patty and spread it to make another one. Put a little oil around it .
You can make as many as can fit in the pan. I make 4 at a time . Keep the heat low or the patties will not cook in the center.
After a couple of minutes the ground dal paste will set and start to get brown. Flip it over and cook the other side. Add a teaspoon of oil.
Both sides should be brown like this. Take them off the pan and keep it on a plate to cool.
These are now ready to be used in the dishes or stored.
To store them you need to cool it and then keep them in an airtight box or Ziploc bags in the freezer.
You need to defrost the patties for a couple of hours before using them in the dishes.