Odisha Dalma Dal Vegetable One Pot

Method

1. 1

   Wash the dal: Wash 1 cup toor dal in several changes of water until mostly clear.

2. 2

   Prepare the vegetables: Peel and cut the vegetables into 2 cm cubes. Raw banana, potato and raw papaya are the most traditional choices for dalma. Keep them in water to prevent browning.

3. 3

   Make the coconut-spice paste: In a small mixer grind fresh grated coconut, dried red chilli and cumin seeds with 2 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

4. 4

   Cook dal and vegetables together: Place the washed dal, drained vegetables, turmeric and a pinch of salt in a pressure cooker with 3 cups water. Cook on high heat until first whistle then medium for 3 whistles. The dal and vegetables cook together — this is what makes dalma a one-pot preparation. Open after pressure releases.

5. 5

   Mash lightly: Open the cooker and stir — the dal should be soft and the vegetables cooked. Do not mash fully — leave some vegetable texture. The dal can be partially mashed while the vegetable pieces remain.

6. 6

   Add coconut paste: Add the ground coconut-spice paste to the pot. Stir well. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.

7. 7

   Heat mustard oil: In a small pan heat 2 tbsp mustard oil until smoking. Reduce to medium.

8. 8

   Make the panch phoron tempering: Add panch phoron to the hot oil — all five seeds will crackle together. Add dried red chilli. Stir 15 seconds.

9. 9

   Add ginger paste and green chilli: Add ginger paste and slit green chilli to the tadka. Stir 30 seconds. Add asafoetida. Stir briefly. Pour the entire tempering into the cooked dal.

10. 10

    Finish and serve: Add 1 tsp ghee. Stir well. Taste and adjust salt. The dalma should be thick — not soupy — with visible vegetable pieces in a dal base fragrant with panch phoron and coconut. Serve with steamed rice.

11. 11

    Note: Dalma is the most essential preparation of Odia cooking — it is the prasad served at the Jagannath Temple in Puri and is what the Lord Jagannath deity is said to prefer. The temple kitchen at Puri prepares dalma in massive iron pots over wood fire and distributes it to thousands of devotees daily. No Odia meal is complete without dalma. Every family has a slightly different vegetable combination — the concept remains constant.