Dalma Kala hai

Dalma Kala hai is another classic old dish which goes into our heritage section of cringe recipes. I was searching for a Dal recipe here and I realised actually I never posted one. Posted quite a few in the Youtube channel but this ubiquitous and most forgiving dish in India was missing. I was asked by a few friends in Singapore earlier to post a few dal recipes. I thought they were pulling my leg.

Some lentils do create a bit of GI interference. Our healthy kidney beans are very well known for restoring nitrogen supplies to the soil or Mother Earth.

Brings me to the new question in my mind whether I should try to plant sweet potatoes in the little pot that held chilies earlier. Apparently, peanuts are also a good idea. But I might just be allergic to them. So, this is a serious topic of research now.

In the meantime, we begin our quest for a suitable recipe to share for Dal lovers.

Dalma Kala Hai Strong Suits

I was told to stick to my strengths which I realised was cutting fruits or rather eating them. Given that it is so hot right now, I am tempted to put a bit of raw mango to make Tok dal here. But we already did that earlier. Another option is a classic Kancha Moonger Dal with bitter gourds. This one is also recommended during the summer season for cooling, soothing and detoxing the body.

Now, the third one which comes to my mind is the Bhaja Moonger Dal with lots of veggies. My mother made an excellent version which many of our friends and family members who came over loved. I think she learnt it from my grandmother but I’m not sure. It goes best with plain white rice or ghee rice. And it’s a little bit heavier and on the festive side. She made it mostly for special occasions.

There is a happy memory of bhaja moonger dal with fish head too. But that’s also not necessary.

The everyday dal which we usually had was a simple masoor dal with very little spices and a squeeze of gandharaj lebu. Or a simple kancha moonger dal with some summer gourds thrown in. We would usually have a few fritters to go along with it like aloo bhaja.

The thickness of the dal is a serious topic of discussion. If it is too thick- some may complain that we are trying to show off. If it is too thin, we may be accused of being jailors.

Moderately Ambitious Dalma Kala Hai

Thick or thin dal brings me to the topic of Chholar dal and Sambar dal. Two very different animals. Pardon my Greek. Chholar Dal was usually preferred with luchis, pooris, kochuris or radhaballabi. Parathas or chapatis is not ideal but we can also work with that.

Now Sambar dal on the other hand is made for having with rice, dosa, idli, upama… (do search more). Some people also have it with bread or so I heard. I have lived too long a life to have seen this as well. Also, if we talk about Sambar and with it the accompanying other details like rasam, I may get slaughtered for cultural appropriation here. Someone stole a diary that had a few notes gifted by friends.

I am trying to understand the causes for so many thefts now.

We have another option to look at- such as Pappu. Pappu pass ho gaya is an old tagline. And I’m not brave enough to take on that battlefield either.

Now starts the rice vs wheat story all over again. I did make sourdough breads with a feed of both and other kinds of grains. But let’s say some kinds of insects have eaten those memory cells. Single cell divisions are very painfully slow sometimes.

Super Ambitious Dal Recipes

Let’s see if dal bati churma is an option here. I think not given the extremely high temperature conditions. We missed the narrow window for haleem which saleem had made for Anarkali.

We got some leftovers of motor dal with chunks of mutton pieces thrown in randomly. I must say, loyalty forbade us from chucking it out. It wasn’t bad. It was actually edible.

And yet, here we are trying to share another dal recipe which hasn’t been shared yet.

Kaali dal or dal makhani is not my favourite unless we are talking about a cooler weather or someone’s wedding. Going to the mountains right now is very enticing for many people.

I do have some chaltar achar (elephant apple pickle) leftover from my trip to Shanti Niketan and we will probably make a one-pot meal/stew with that to go alongside.

Dalma it is then.

Dalma Kala Hai Unilateral Decisions

My mother is frowning in my head right now. I am so delighted she’s actually not here.

This was what I ate growing up with many other helpers, friends and neighbors making it. It’s a very old memory which I am plucking out of my cells right now. We will watch the action replay below.

And we will try to recollect the old encouraging words- there is no right or wrong way to make Dalma. Such leniency makes us wonder- Dalma kuchh kala hai? Why not panta bhaat, bhaate bhaat or caard rice?

Deaf adder was recalled many times when we thought about this dish. Subtraction, division and multiplication was a bigger challenge. Somehow, we managed to cross that hurdle.

There’s no way any of the other suggestions or complaints are reaching the kitchen right now.

Why?

For example, there are multiple sweet dishes which are possible with dal too. I am actually thinking why we are talking so much about dal which is such a global topic.

This kind of a brief is very confusing.

Dalma Kala Hai Bilateral Talks

There seems to be a concerted effort to polarize opinions through manipulative tactics. I am just following my own gut right now. Each of you is free to ignore this and search more on Dal.

There are so many of them and so many different versions that you can easily get lost. That’s a rabbit hole that is unending.

So, let me begin with a few reasons to convince my own self and nobody else.

1. It has lentils and veggies- I like to sneak in veggies
2. It uses a few good spices and ghee- always a great plus
3. It has coconut too! And I love coconut
4. It is a one pot meal on its own or with rice, chapati or puris
5. It uses many of the little bits and pieces left in your fridge- I love that
6. It may help you to feel full, warm and comforted after a long tiring day
7. It’s great to help you sleep in case you need to shut your eyes for a bit

See how I am able to negotiate so well with myself.

Dalma Kala Hai or Phuluris

I have started on this little paean to the first people who helped us to have our food at home, or in schools and colleges. There’s an unfinished task that I leave for others to take forward.

Is it possible to find and make 80 kinds of Dal recipes this coming year? I think it is a very easy task. But who will take on such a task? I mean an actual person and not an AI generated website. Real work done by people working in real kitchens.

This is where the children walked out.

Why do you have to make things more difficult?

We have an army of people ready to do it today. It just needs a bit of time to collate it together into a simple playlist. Something called “80 dal recipes I made and tried this year”. Wasn’t done by I or me. Was done by US or we. You see the difference we get in the strength of numbers?

Here’s my question again. Have you tried those 80 dals? At least a spoonful of it? Would you be able to remember to have the same consistency in marking them?

What would you do in such a situation? Some hapless parents will pull a few strings here and there behind the scenes.

Are you sure?

Dalma Kala Hai Screamfest

We would create an option for others to just pick and choose. Now here’s the tricky bit.

When you leave it to others to pick and choose- we have many possibilities of dilution of quality testing parameters. The standards are slipping and this is the sleeper coach who is repeating the same story.

The coach who comes in and says, I teach and I also own your house. Guess what happens then to Freedom at Midnight or any other time of the day.

In fact, we have had a case earlier which was very alarming. Hence, we will not encourage that kind of Midnight Express here in the Orient.

Creators will continue to create irrespective of the limits posed. There is a limit of time, space, energy and other resources. Sometimes, we bow out of such creativity theories.

What are the available resources in the mystery box? Just work with it for now.

Big Brother said we are coming home

We will make sure you sit while we make the Dalma. I looked this way and that way. Couldn’t find an escape route. I was stuck letting them take over the kitchen for this week.

I am painfully aware that there are better recipes and there are better cooks or chefs. So why bother to cook? That was the question that nobody helped me answer.

It was a heartbreaking admission to defeat. I cook mostly for myself these days. When I do, I remember a few meals and moments of love. That’s what keeps us going in times which are darker.

When you get at least one thing right in a day where nothing seems to have worked, you remember with gratitude that you can still feed yourself.

I wasn’t there for those who needed a lot of care and spoon-feeding. It wasn’t out of choice. It was just how it was. We are showing again another version of the same Brown Story.

My dear departed husband wanted something else instead. Perhaps a simple steamed chicken breast with stir fried veggies which apparently, he can eat forever more.

I have left that little dog with his parent/s to sort out the television or other visionary channels.

Unending list for Dalma Kala Hai

I only got 2 letters from my father. In 2005.

The first letter was about how to work with a few people based upon his many years of experience.

The second letter was about his health issues. He was a simple man who was a Chartered Accountant and very careful with his words and spending.

This is 2026. It is going to be Twenty-One Years since he gave up trying to teach me any lessons. My brothers are trying to repeat that same mistake. Accounts submission needs to be done by others. Not by me.

And yet here I am trying to sift out the false accounts from the genuine ones which is next to impossible. Like I recently heard that my husband had three wives and a few children from his previous marriages. I had no clue about this at all when we got married. Now, who is to be held responsible for this accounts mismatch.

I had gone to meet my in-laws a couple of times after receiving that information. They shut the door and went to attend a few more weddings and funerals instead. Also, they partied even harder after receiving the information about how I was duped.

Helpless Women are Abused Multiple times

Perhaps, somebody can help them with some more counseling services for being a party to cheating and forgery? My hands are tied down.

I am not allowed to do certain things to a few people as per the laws of the real world.

These laws are currently under scrutiny. Here’s me asking them again to look at the power equation to prevent further abuse.

What are the things we were made to do by the unending list sent by mothers with no accounts?

I lost my heart to bake. I lost my equipment too. Even the people who loved what I made. Somehow this year has been so difficult.

Maybe, I’m more to blame than others but I still hope to keep this going ahead.

Footnote

March Heat Wave Mystery

Can you find another way to feel better?

This little coaster reminded me of a date

Where I celebrated a friend’s return.

I hadn’t given them any gifts to keep

So, I gave them a simple wish

May you have what you desire

I heard it was a home, a car and a pet

Maybe I was mistaken but it felt like

High time for a visit to the vet.

Melting Lemon Drop 29. 03. 2026