Saturday, August 18, 2007

DALMA RCI - Orissa And an Award!!!

It's time for RCI and our hostess this month is Swapna and the theme is Orissa Cuisine.Having little or no exposure to this branch of cooking, I also admit that it has so far been neglected.. why? Born and brought up in Mumbai, I was exposed to a large variety of cuisines, but I have never seen a restaurant serving Oriya food! The closest I came to anything eastern, was Bengali sweets!
When we moved to CA, I caught up with the local Indian fauna as quickly as a moth gravitates towards light. My very first taste of Oriya cuisine was at this potluck which led me to my very first experiment in Oriya cuisine a wonderful chutney which was also an introduction to panch phoron (a mix of mustard seed, cumin, fenugreek seeds, kalonji/nigella & fennel in equal portion).
Sadly, what I know about Orissa is also negligible.. somehow over time, getting caught up with scores in tests, higher studies and trying to scale the corporate ladder (and you are right at the bottom) leaves one ignorant about anything else!And now that I have the time, what better way to start learning something, than to start off with food!! (spoken like a true foodie!!)
To start off with, I got hold of my friend B who is from Orissa and asked her to give me a 'nice Odissi recipe'. she was prompt in sending me the recipe, which in her words ...main ek pura special odissa ka item bata rahin hoon...DALMA

Ingredients: (the measures are good for 2 people)
1/4 cup Channa daal
1/4 cup Moong daal (lightly roast the daal)
Vegetables (this dish is perfect to make use of all vegetables u have!) I used 2 cups of mixed veges : Cauliflower, potato, French beans, carrots and peas.
1/2 medium Onion finely chopped
2 tbsp. oil
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Cumin/ jeera
1/2 tsp Panch Phoron
5 whole Dry red chilies
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
Salt to taste
Do the prep: Dry roast 1 tsp cumin and 3 red chilies. Cool and grid to a powder, this will be used for garnishing
Soak Channa Daal in water for 30 minutes. Dry roast the yellow moong daal.
Boil the Channa daal and Moong daal . When the daal is nearly cooked, pitch in the chopped vegetables and cook till done.
While the daal and vegetables are cooking merrily, heat oil in a wok/ kadhai. Add Panch Phoron, tejpatta/ bay leaf. After the PP pops. Add the red chilli, ginger and then the finely chopped onion. Saute till the onion turns translucent.
Add the daal and vegetable mixture. Add salt and cook this for a few mins. Add the cumin-red chilli powder. Dalma is ready!!

Serve with rice or roti.
Verdict: Beauty lies in simplicity! The lack of any 'masala' is the USP of this dish! The twist in taste comes from the panch phoron. Talk about nutrition!! this dish packs it all!! A wonderful recipe! A very forgiving one too... add any vegetable at hand eg: eggplant, yams, raw papaya in addition to the above mentioned mix. Grated fresh coconut can be used for garnishing as well.

Doubts: Did I get it right? How well was I supposed to cook the daal and veges? to a mush? Errr... is this supposed to be a gravy vegetable? I followed the recipe, but these doubts kept popping into my mind. Oh well, B and my blogger friends can review it and give me the feedback.After all, there are no mistakes, it is all learning! Isn't food blogging just awesome!!!!

Swapna, Thank You for hosting RCI! All the best for the round up.

NOW for something THRILING!!!

Spaz



"The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who "effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don't limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship."

Oscar Red Carpet 1


The Budding Cook has honoured me with this award!! Big Hug

I was thrilled to recieve this!!! Do I deserve it? That is debatable! Nevertheless, it is so motivating! When I stepped into the world of blogging, I was kinda sure of what I wanted to do, but what I was worried about was how well it would be accepted. One year down the line, I have realised, I am a part of this world which has now become a very important part of me. Fellow bloggers have reached out and welcomed me into this world and taught me so much! This is an award for ALL my blogger friends who have motivated me and brought me this far! I love you all! And so, I deserve this honour only when I share it with you all!

Given a choice, I would want to extend this award to all my blog buddies, as it is I had a tough time in choosing a few!

I would ike to pass on this award toAwards

Asha of Foodie's Hope
Coffee of Spice Cafe
Nupur of One Hot Stove
Trupti of The Spice Who Loved Me

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26 comments:

Kajal said...

Oh....Manasi I also made same type dish for Orissa cuisine....nice post with Award my dear....Yes you are definitely deserve this awards.:)

Nupur said...

Thank you for the sweet award, Manasi :)
That dalma looks so flavorful. My kind of dish- dal and veggies rolled into one!

SeeC said...

Oh Manasi, that looks real yummy.
Great entry.
BTW what does Panch Phoron mean ? I may have to google it.

Congratulations for the award.
It does really motivate.

FH said...

I am honored,thank you so much!:) I just couldn't choose out of somany great foodies,so I left it alone.Each of you deserve it and more.Enjoy and thank you!:))
Now the Dalma looks out of this world.Really yummy and great color.I love a little texture in Dalma,so it's okay the way it looks.When I cook in pressure pan, everything gets mushy.I like your's better.Looks authentic,I will try when I come back.Hugs:))

bee said...

congrats on the well-deserevd awards. the simplest dishes are often the most flavoursome. i have bookmarked this.

Coffee said...

Thank you for the award my dear..... and you deserve it very much as well! :)

The dal is really the Ma of dal! ;) A great combo of dals and veggies. :)

TNL said...

thanks so much...you're a dear!
how have you been? Its been ages since I dropped by!
that dalima does look delicious....a perfect winter time food, i think!

hugs, trupti

Cynthia said...

But I like it this chunky version :)

Congrats on your awards.

Manasi said...

Hi Kajal, Same pinch!! Will check out ur version soon! Thank U !!

Hi Nupur, U deserve it and more!! u r such an inspiration!
The dalma wwas tasty and healthy!!

Hi Seec,Thank U!! Panch phoron is a mix of 5 spices, mustard seeds, cumin, kalonji, saunf and methi dana!!

Hi Asha, U are one of a kind! it always amazes me that u find time to cook so many new dishes, handle home an kids & visit every blog and put in a comment!

Hi Bee, Thank U!! Wold love to see ur version of dalma!

Hi Coffee, Honey, u deserve it!! hehehe, like the Ma of Dal!!

Hi Trupti, U busy be u!!! Thank U sweety!!!

Hi Cynthia, Thank U!! thank U!!

Viji said...

Manasi interesting post and you deserve these awards. Dalma is very nice. Viji

Meena Shankar said...

Hi Manasi,
catching up after a long time!! Well!! we suddenly moved from Bristol,UK to B'lore some 15 days back and so couldn't catch up.
Its really difficult to hold a comp here in b'lore...suddenly it becomes so hectic...
Well!! came to see what you have to offer and wow!! I am thrilled. You people try out all types of food...I never got a chance to cook Oriyan food. Now I have to try this out...and you tell me about the nutrition too...Thanks girl:)

Latha Narasimhan said...

Congats for the award! I love all your smilies and those pretty dolls dancing!

Anonymous said...

Hi Manasi,
Cogratulations!!!
Your presntations are too good.You have a creative mind. I love the smilies.Waiting anxiously for new entries to the blog.
Keep it up.
Kulkarni

Roopa said...

wow a great looking dalma. the color looks perfect and congrats on the Award!

Padma said...

Thats looks amazing without any use of masala powders....I am yet in search of Odissa dish..I might miss this event, I am afraid! And congratulations on that award...you deserve it!
cheers from another bombay girl._.

Srivalli said...

Mansi...congrats on your awards...

Srivalli
www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com

Suma Gandlur said...

Congrats. A great entry for the RCI event.

Sharmi said...

hey where do you find such cute smilies:) they look so good and bring life to the post. congrats on the award. great dalma too.

Priya Vijai said...

Hi,
I am Priya Vijai. I've been frequently visiting ur wonderful blog nowadays.....all the items r very cool and different.
I wanted to get introduced to u guys.....ur whole bunch of bloggers r great, ur recipes, ur events....its awesome. Keep up ur great work.
I've opened a blog a month ago out of my passion on cooking, when ever u find time have a look at it and leave ur honest comments about it.

http://indianbistro.blogspot.com/
Thanks U. Have a great day!!

Priya Vijai.

Raaga said...

I have yet to make anything :-( Will I Manasi? Will I?

This looks lovely... I'd eat it with rice... happily :-)

Congrats on the awards... all well deserved.

Rachna said...

haaa manasi...i was roflol at yur comment over at sig's..."shakal achi nahi hai...baatein tho achi kiya karo" haaa... loved it... that must really give it back to such ppl...mai yeh yaad rakhungi

TBC said...

What a nice dish, Manasi! Perfect way to get rid of those bits & pieces of veggies in the refrigerator. Nice entry for the event.

Anonymous said...

Here is a website where you will find more interesting Oriya recipes..
http://members.tripod.com/oriyakitchen/

My favourite recipes at this site are the "Chana Dali of Puri Jagannath Temple", "Alu & Jahni Posta", "Tomato-Khajuri Khatta" and the " CHHENA PODA"

Just wanted to add that the dalma\dalis in Orissa require yellow squash, eggplant and arbi (saaru as they call it in Orissa). These 3 are absolute essentials for the dalmas. And on special occasions, these dalmas are eaten with their "Mittha Bhat"

Another importnat dish is the "Santhula". Would love to have a recipe for this. I prepare it in my own style.

Although married to an Oriya, I had very little opportunity to eat Oriya food, but over the years, have developed a taste for some the recipes. Very simple but very tasty.

Enjoy !!!

Chetna

Tee said...

Some more awards for you...check out my blog.

Mandira said...

the dalma looks delicious and full of flavor. Enjoy the award!

Anonymous said...

hi,

Nice attempt. If you want me to be truthful it looks nowhere near to the dalma. its lokking like a kind og gravy dish. if you are really interested to make dalma once again you can visit my blog.
http://blogdemons.com/?q=blog/464

bye,
Sas

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