Dalimbi Usal

Name: Dalimbi Usal
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Maharashtra)
Ingredients: 1.5 cups (250 g) dalimbi / val (field beans / hyacinth beans), soaked overnight, peeled (skin removed by squeezing between fingers — optional but preferred); 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 10 curry leaves; 2 green chillies, slit; 2 medium onions (200 g), finely chopped; 1 medium tomato (100 g), chopped; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; ½ tsp turmeric; 1.5 tsp red chilli powder; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1.5 tsp goda masala; 1 tsp salt; 250 ml water; ¼ cup fresh grated coconut blended with 3 green chillies and 2 tbsp water into a paste; Removing the skins of the beans (optional) makes the texture more creamy and reduces the slight bitterness in the skin; Val (field beans) take longer to cook than matki — don't under-pressure-cook them or they will be tough; Goda masala is essential — the dish tastes flat with regular garam masala

🟢 Veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Easy

A thick, nutty curry made from flat field beans (val / dalimbi) — one of Maharashtra's most traditional legume dishes. The beans have a creamy interior with a slightly tough skin that adds wonderful texture. Cooked with goda masala and fresh coconut, it is a deeply satisfying vegetarian dinner.

⏱️10 minPrep

🔥40 minCook

🕒50 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Dalimbi Usal

Pressure cook beans (Heat: high → low): Combine soaked (and peeled if desired) beans with 300 ml water in a pressure cooker. Cook on high until first whistle, then medium for 8 minutes. Natural release. Beans should be cooked through but firm — not mushy. Drain and reserve the cooking water.
Temper and fry (Heat: medium): Heat coconut oil. Crackle mustard seeds. Add cumin, curry leaves, green chillies. Add chopped onion — fry 8–10 minutes until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste — fry 2 minutes. Add tomato — cook 4 minutes.
Add masalas (Heat: medium): Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder — stir 30 seconds. Add coconut paste if using — fry 3 minutes until oil surfaces. Add goda masala — stir 30 seconds.
Add beans (Heat: medium): Add cooked beans and salt. Stir to coat. Add 250 ml water (use the cooking water for extra flavour). Bring to a simmer.
Simmer (Heat: medium-low): Cook uncovered on medium-low for 12–15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until beans are fully tender, some are beginning to break open slightly (which thickens the gravy naturally), and the masala has melded into a thick, coating curry.
Finish: Taste and adjust salt. Drizzle coconut oil. Garnish with coriander, raw coconut and lime.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 290 kcal | 13 g | 38 g | 10 g | 10 g | Dalimbi usal is a Maharashtrian winter dish — field beans (val/dalimbi) are harvested in winter and are at their best from November to February. Eaten during Makar Sankranti (January harvest festival) celebrations and at Shravan month dinners. The flat, pale beans look distinctive and are immediately recognisable as a Maharashtrian ingredient unlike anything common in other Indian state cuisines. ---

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