DALAMMA (A VERY COMMON ORIYA DISH)

Basically, I belong to Bhubaneswar and it is considered as city of temple. In Bhubaneswar 99% people don’t eat non veg and onion garlic on Monday and Thursday. Since Lingaraj temple is in Bhubaneswar and Monday is day of Lord Shiva. That is why in each and every home you will find this dish.

Orissa’s entire big temple also serves this as Prasad. This is also a very health recipe with lots of protein and vitamins since it is cooked with a dal and lots of variety vegetables.

So here is the recipe:

Dalamma

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Serving: 4-6 persons

Ingredients

Red Gram Dal (Toor Dal)-2 cup (Washed and soaked for ½ an hour)

Salt-to taste

Tej Patta-1

Grated ginger-1 tsp

Turmeric Powder-1 tsp

Vegetables

Brinjal-1 (Cut in big pieces nearly 3”-4” inch)

Red pumpkin-1/2 cup (Cut in big pieces 2”-3”inch)

Potato-2 (Cut in Big pieces 2”-3”inch)

Other vegetables-2 cup (Cut in big pieces like flat beans,Tindala,cluster beans, french beans, carrot etc- 1”-2”inch)

Green Banana-1(Cut in big pieces) this is optional

Dalamma masala

Dry Red Chilies-5-6

Cumin seed-4tsp

Black pepper-1tsp

For Seasoning

Ghee-1tsp

Mustard seed-1 tsp

Fenugreek seed-1/2 tsp

Cumin Seed-1/2 tsp

Red Dry Chilies-2

For Garnish

Coriander leaves

Grated Coconut-1/4 cup Optional

Method:

• Take a wide mouth pan and put the soaked red gram dal in this.

• Put in medium flame and allow it to boil.

• Cook the dal till it is half cooked.

• Then add all vegetables into dal, except egg plant, along with turmeric powder, tej patta and salt.

• When the dal and vegetables get cooked then add egg plant and grated ginger

• Cook for 2-3 minutes or till egg plant get tender.

• Remove it from flame.

• Now it is turn for masala preparation, heat another frying pan and put dry red chilies cumin seed and black pepper in this.

• Dry roast all this till cumin seeds change its color.

• Remove it from flame and allow it to get cool down.

• Grind this powder granular in mixer.

• Add this powder to dal.

• For seasoning. In a pan heat ghee and add all seasoning items into it.

• Allow mustard seed to crack.

• Then put this seasoning on the top of dal.

• Garnish it with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

• Serve hot with rice or roti.

TIPS

• Cooking toor dal in open pan will take little longer time. So if you want to make this dish faster you can use pressure cooker. In that case you have to cook dal first in cooker till it is half cooked.Then add all the vegetables and cook till vegetables are cooked.

• If you want to make this dal little less spicy then you can reduce pepper and chilies quantity in masala.

• If you are giving this dal to your toddler one then I would recommend you not to add egg plant in this since egg plant is not recommended to kids less than 2 years.

• Putting green banana is optional in this recipe because if you are putting green banana in this the color of dish will be little black. That is why if you want the dal to maintain as yellow color you can avoid putting green banana in this.