Dalma : Orissa Special

                                                                                
Today I'm going to share a humble dish from the state of Orissa, which I learnt from my cook who is an Oriya. The taste and aroma was so good that I had to learn this recipe from her. An ultimate blend of lentils and variety of vegetables. A highly nutritious dal which goes well with rice or with pooris/ luchi.  The aroma of panch phoron enhances the flavor and also enhances the taste. Many times I have felt like preparing one dish each from the states of India and taking forward this thought process is today's preparation. Our Country has got varied culture, religions, languages and yet all of them blend together like different flowers in a garden. As always the comments from my readers and blogger friends will be always welcomed.


Ingredients:
1 cup Toor dal /Split Pigeon Pea /Arhar Dal
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Refind oil
Salt to taste


Vegetables to be chopped into big chunks:
1 Potato
1 small portion of Pumpkin
100 gms Brinjal
250 gms Bottle gourd
2 Drumsticks, cut into 2 inch length
2 Onions
1 Tomato
1 small Radish


Tempering Ingredients:
1 tsp Panch Phutana (panch phoron: fenugreek, nigella seeds, aniseed, mustard, cumin)
2-3 dry Red chillies
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp chopped Ginger
1/2 tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
  1 1/2 tbsp Ghee


Garnishing: 
1 tsp dry roasted and ground Cumin
1 tsp ghee
1 tbsp Coriander leaves


Method:
Wash and soak the dal in enough water for 20 minutes. Wash and peel the outer skin of bottle gourd and radish. Add all the vegetables, coconut and dal in a pressure cooker. Add salt, oil, turmeric powder, add 3 cups of water and pressure cook until 2 whistles. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp ghee in a pan, add bay leaf, dry red chillies, panch phutana (panch phoron) and stir until the panch phutana  starts spluttering. Immediately add red chilly powder and asafoetida. Add chopped ginger and fry for a minute. Add the tempering to the cooked boiled dal. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder, coriander leaves and  a tsp of ghee on top. Remove from heat, transfer the dal into a serving bowl and serve hot with rice or luchi.