Odisha Dalma Panchami Simple Lentil Vegetable

The everyday Odia version of dalma — toor dal cooked with a specific combination of vegetables including raw papaya, raw banana and yam, with a simple tempering of cumin and dried red chilli in ghee. The Panchami style dalma is made without coconut and without onion.

Ingredients

1 cup toor dal
3 cups water, 1/2 tsp turmeric
Vegetables (choose 2 or 3): 1 cup raw papaya — cubed, 1 cup raw banana — cubed, 1 cup yam — cubed, 1 cup potato — cubed
1 tsp grated coconut for finishing (optional)
For tempering:
2 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 dried red chilli, 1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp ginger paste, a pinch turmeric, salt

Method

Wash the dal and vegetables together: Wash toor dal. Place in a pressure cooker with 3 cups water, turmeric, and all the chosen vegetable pieces.
Pressure cook together: Cook on high until first whistle, then medium for 3 to 4 whistles. The dal and vegetables cook simultaneously — the vegetables absorb the dal flavour and the dal takes on the character of the vegetables.
Open and mash partially: Open the cooker. Stir and mash lightly — the dal should be fully soft but the vegetables should retain some texture. Do not mash completely smooth.
Add salt: Add salt. Stir.
Make the tempering: Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds — crackle. Add dried red chilli. Add asafoetida. Add ginger paste — stir 30 seconds. Add a pinch of turmeric.
Pour tempering: Pour the hot ghee tempering into the dal-vegetable preparation.
Add coconut: Add grated fresh coconut if using. Stir.
Simmer 3 minutes: Cook together on low heat 3 minutes.
Check consistency: The Panchami dalma should be medium-thick — thicker than a flowing dal but not as thick as a curry.
Serve: Serve with steamed rice. The dalma is spooned over rice and mixed before eating.
Note: Dalma is one of the most important preparations in Odia cuisine — combining dal and vegetables in a single preparation rather than separately. The Panchami dalma (named for the fifth day of the fortnight in the Odia calendar when it is traditionally made) is the simplest version without coconut or complex spicing. Different Odia communities make dalma with different vegetable combinations and the specific vegetables used signal regional and seasonal variations.