Dhokar Dalna (lentil cake in gravy)

I followed MIL's recipe here. Even took a quick dictation over the phone and made some notes. This recipe requires time owing to several steps. You can consume the lenntil cakes like daaler bora.

For the lentil cakes

1. Wash well and soak Chana dal (Bengalis use Motor dal/  Yellow Split peas)
2. Grind green chilies, ginger, salt, sugar, a clove or two of garlic (for the smell of dal), pinch of hing (asafoetida) and the soaked dal.
3. In a non-stick pan, add a little oil and cumin seeds then stir in the dal paste in low flame. When the dal paste rolls up in the heat, spread it on an oiled plate. Pat into a convenient thickness.
4. Cut into desired shapes. Fry them and drain on paper towels.

For the gravy

1. Dice onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes. Fry them in oil. Add yogurt.
2. Dice potatoes into small sized bits, add to the mix. 
3. When the potatoes are about done, add water.
4. Add the lentil cakes. The cakes soak in water pretty quickly. Be careful not to overcook them
5. Add ghee and garam masala.

A variation can be made with posto-shorshe (poppy and mustard seeds ). Bengali vegetarian version skips the onion and garlic, and uses cumin- bay leaves for the gravy. Ruma Joshi suggested a variation with besan (chickpea flour). Shreya said you can buy the dal mix at Indian groceries. Modify the recipe to suit your convenience.

Update: September 12, 2023

This is an old recipe I keep coming back to over and over again. 

As a variation, I steamed the lentil paste in a water-filled vessel, cut them into pieces, and then shallow fried them. Turned out to be delicious and satisfying.