Dalca

Dalca is actually curry mixed with pulses, vegetables and leftover cuts of meat, bones or chicken. It is a popular dish at weddings and family feasts.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken or meat leftover cuts
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2.5 cm ginger
5 tablespoons curry powder
4cm cinnamon stick (kulit kayu manis)
2 cloves star anise (bunga lawang)
3 cardamom seeds (buah pelaga)
1 sprig curry leaves (you can use bay leaves if you cannot get curry leaves while abroad)
3 pieces tamarind (asam keping)
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup cooking oil (You may notice that I don't recommend too much oil as I don't like oily curries)

2 potatoes, skinned and quartered
2 brinjals (eggplant or aubergine), cut into quartered and cut into 3cm strips.
1 carrot, cut as the brinjal
5 long beans, cut into 4cm pieces. Replace with French beans if not available.
2 tomatoes, quartered
2 green chillies, split in 2
1/2 cup dhall (previously steeped in cold water for two hours)

Way to Cook:

Clean the leftover cuts and set aside.
Grind the onions, garlic and ginger fine.
Heat the oil in a deep pot and fry the grounded ingredients with the cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom seeds and curry leaves (without the sprig).
Add the curry powder and stir fry till the oil rises to the top. Add water if necessary. When the ingredients smell fragrant and is cooked, add in the the chicken or meat and bones pieces together with the steeped dhall.

Add coconut milk, tamarind pieces and potatoes and cook till the dhall and potatoes are nearly cooked, stirring frequently. Add in the carrots and brinjals.

Finally add in salt, with the beans, tomatoes and chillies.

Serves hot with boiled white rice or best eaten with bread or paratha.

If you have cooked too much at one time, it is okay. You can pack the balance in freezer packs and keep them in the freezer. You can heat them up in the microwave oven when you want to enjoy them later. They become useful when you are tired after a hard day at work or at school.