BADIA DALMA RECIPE / MANDIRA DALMA RECIPE

Dalma is the most widely and frequently prepared recipe in every Odia household. Dalma is ever-present, whether it is a home cooked lunch, at a restaurant famous for Odia cuisine, a wedding or a temple prasad. Dalma was an integral part of offering to Lord Jagannath, which soon became very popular to masses and people started to make this food preparation in their own home too. Slowly popularity of this Dalma preparation began to spread to surrounding states, where people adopted it according to their own taste and availability of local ingredients. Dalma and rice generates nostalgia and emotions among many Odias staying outside the state as well. With the combination of lentils and vegetables, dalma recipe is undoubtedly packed with proteins, vitamins and minerals making it a very healthy dish.

In Odisha, dalma recipe varies from person to person. Everyone has their own way for making dalma. It can be prepared in varieties of ways but the way it is prepared at Chandanpur, Puri is more delicious. It is called BADIA DALMA. In this dalma recipe the percentage of dal is considerably higher as compared to the other recipes and the curry usually prepared little bit thicker. Dal, vegetables and water are added in the ratio of 1: 2: 4 to get the desired consistency. Also asafoetida powder is used in tempering which gives a unique flavor to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Arhar / Toor dal – 1 cup

• Water - 4 cups

• Vegetables - 2 cups, cut into medium pieces

  • Yam - 7 - 8 cubes

  • Pumpkin - 1/4 cup

  • Raw banana- 2

  • Parwal / Pointed guard - 1/4 cup

  • Sweet potato - 2

  • Arum - 1/ 4 cup

  • Radish - 1

  • Brinjal - 1/4 cup

• Bay leaves - 2

• Hingu - A pinch

• Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon

• Ginger green chilly paste- 2 teaspoon

• Grated Coconut- ½ cup

• Dry Red Chillies- 4

• Cumin – 1 tablespoon

• Salt - As per taste

• Coriander leaves - chopped, a handful

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash & soak the dal for at least 45 minutes before cooking. Wash, peel and chop all the vegetables into cubes and keep them aside in salt water.

2. Take 3 teaspoon cumin seeds and 2 red chilies and roast it in a dry pan. Grind it into a fine powder & keep aside.

3. In a large pan take about 2 cups of water and boil it. Add the dal, ginger & green chilly paste, turmeric powder, and salt to taste. Cover the dal and boil until it is half cooked.

4. Then add vegetables to the dal and cover the pan till the vegetables are tender.

5. In another pan, take 2 teaspoon ghee and add bay leaves & rest of the cumin. After the seeds crackle, add the remaining 2 red chillies and add a pinch of hing to it.

6. Finally add the tadka to the boiled dal and vegetable mixture. Cover it for 1 minute to allow the flavors to mix in the dal. Now sprinkle the cumin & red chilli powder and grated coconut over it.

7. Garnish with grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice / roti /puri / paratha or chuda ghasa.

TIPS:

• In this dalma recipe, as the percentage of dal is considerably higher it will be little bit thicker.

• Replace the red chilli powder with black pepper powder to get the authentic taste of Puri Jagannath Temple Dalma.