Dalma
A comforting Odia dal of toor lentils simmered with mixed vegetables and finished with a fragrant panch phutana tempering.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 220 kcal
Equipment
- •Pressure cooker
- •Tempering pan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- fat
- 6 g
- carbs
- 32 g
- fibre
- 8 g
- protein
- 10 g
- calories
- 220 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pressure cook the toor dal (split pigeon peas) with turmeric and enough water until soft.
- 2
Add the pumpkin, raw banana, papaya and brinjal (aubergine) to the cooked dal.
- 3
Simmer everything gently together. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the dal thickens.
- 4
Mash lightly with a ladle. This blends the vegetables softly into the dal.
- 5
Heat mustard oil in a small pan until it smokes lightly.
- 6
Add panch phutana (five-spice mix), dried red chilli and bay leaf. Let them crackle.
- 7
Stir in the grated ginger. Fry it for a few seconds.
- 8
Pour this spiced oil over the simmering dalma (lentil vegetable stew). Mix well.
- 9
Season with salt. Simmer for two more minutes before serving.
Chef's tips
Dry roast and roughly grind some panch phutana to sprinkle on top for extra aroma. Adjust vegetables by season, adding raw jackfruit in summer or pumpkin in winter.
Ingredient substitutions
- raw banana → chayote
- toor dal → masoor dal
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water to loosen the consistency.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overcooking the vegetables into mush instead of keeping them as soft cubes.
- •Skipping the spiced oil sizzle, which carries most of the aroma.
Serving suggestions
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