Dalma with rice
Odisha's everyday dal: toor dal pressure-cooked with chunks of raw papaya, pumpkin, raw banana, brinjal and potato, tempered with ghee and panch phoron and finished with roasted cumin-chilli powder and grated coconut. The temple dalma of Puri is made this way, without onion or garlic; it is eaten with rice.
- 40 minTime
- 27 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 20 gprotein per portion
- 710kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 200 gToor dal
- ≈ 900 mlWater, for the cooker
- 3 mlTurmeric
- 1 tspGinger, grated
- to tasteSalt
- 200 gRaw papaya, peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 200 gPumpkin, peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 1Raw banana (plantain), peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 150 gBrinjal, in 3 cm pieces
- 1Potato, peeled, in 3 cm pieces
- 1 tspCumin, seeds, for the roasted masala
- 2Dried red chillies, for the roasted masala
- 2 tbspGhee
- 2Bay leaves
- 2Dried red chillies, for the tadka
- 1 tspPanch phoron
- 3 tbspGrated coconut, fresh or frozen
On the side
- 350 gRice
- ≈ 800 mlWater, for the rice
Method
- Wash the toor dal in two or three changes of water and put it in the pressure cooker with the water, turmeric, ginger and salt. Peel the vegetables, cut them into big pieces so they hold their shape and add them on top of the dal.
- Pressure-cook on medium for 2 whistles, about 10 minutes, and let the pressure drop by itself.
- Meanwhile, wash the rice two or three times, put it in a pan with the water and bring to the boil.
- Cover, turn the heat to low and cook the rice for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Keep it covered.
- Dry-roast the cumin seeds and red chillies for the roasted masala until the cumin darkens and smells toasty, about 2 minutes. Crush them to a powder in a mortar.
- Open the cooker and stir gently: the vegetables should be soft but whole and the dal thick. Add a little hot water if it is too thick and simmer for 2 minutes.
- For the tadka, heat the ghee in a small pan and add the bay leaves, the red chillies for the tadka and the panch phoron. When the seeds splutter, pour the sizzling tadka over the dalma.
- Sprinkle over the roasted cumin-chilli powder and the coconut and serve with the rice.
