Kartika Niramish Dalma
A pared-back, onion-and-garlic-free version of dalma cooked during the sacred Kartika month, when many Odia households observe niramish (satvik) eating.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 200 kcal
Equipment
- •Pot
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- fat
- 5 g
- carbs
- 30 g
- fibre
- 7 g
- protein
- 9 g
- calories
- 200 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Boil the toor dal (split pigeon peas) with turmeric until soft.
- 2
Add pumpkin and raw banana to the cooked dal. Simmer until tender.
- 3
Stir in the chopped pumpkin leaves or spinach. Cook for a few more minutes.
- 4
Mash lightly to mix the vegetables into the dal.
- 5
Heat ghee (clarified butter) in a small pan. Add cumin seeds and dried red chilli.
- 6
Add grated ginger and let it sizzle briefly. Do not use any onion or garlic.
- 7
Pour the sizzling spiced ghee over the simmering dal and mix well.
- 8
Season with salt. Simmer for two more minutes before serving.
Chef's tips
Ginger and cumin give the main flavour instead of onion and garlic, so fry them well in ghee. Keep the dish simple, as niramish (pure vegetarian) cooking favours clean flavours over heavy spicing.
Ingredient substitutions
- ghee → cow ghee specifically, avoided vanaspati during observance
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using regular garam masala blends that contain garlic powder by mistake.
- •Adding too many spices, which goes against the simple satvik (pure and clean) style.
Serving suggestions
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