Dumurer dalna

Bong Eats’ Dumurer Dalna cooks unripe dumur figs with potato in a ginger-and-cumin sauce. The source distinguishes these indigenous figs from anjeer and describes the dish among its favourite Bengali vegetable preparations.

The gritty centres are cut away, leaving the fleshy outer fruit, which is rinsed under running water. The cleaned dumur boils briefly with a separate salt, turmeric and hot-water portion, then is strained and set aside; potatoes are cubed and green chillies slit.

Mustard oil stir-fries the dumur until its moisture dries up, and the pieces are set aside. More oil is added to the same pan and tempered with dried chilli, bay leaf, cardamom, clove, cinnamon and cumin seed before the potatoes fry with part of the cooking salt under a cover.

A slurry of cumin, coriander, turmeric and red-chilli powders is added and fried, followed by ginger paste. The remaining cooking salt, sugar and slit green chillies are mixed in; the selected rice-flour option helps the sauce coat the vegetables.

Hot water is added for the sauce, and covered low-heat cooking continues until the potatoes and dumur are done. Ghee and Bengali gorom moshla finish the dalna.