Santulaସନ୍ତୁଳା

Name: Santula
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Odia
Ingredients: 1 medium raw banana (kacha kela), peeled and cubed; 1 cup yam (suran / elephant foot), peeled and cubed; 1 drumstick drumstick (sahajan), cut in 3-inch segments; 1 medium eggplant / brinjal, cubed; 1 large tomato, chopped; 1 tsp panch phoron (Odia 5-spice blend of cumin, mustard, fenugreek, nigella, fennel seeds); 2 dried red chili; 2 tbsp mustard oil; ½ tsp turmeric powder; to taste salt; 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut

⏱ Prep 15m🍳 Cook 25m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegan

Video: HOGR (YouTube)

Santula is Odisha's most humble and beloved side dish — a lightly cooked medley of seasonal vegetables tempered with panch phoron and mustard oil. Santula is offered as mahaprasad at the Jagannath temple in Puri and features in every Odia home kitchen, cooked with whatever vegetables the season offers. The word itself means balance, and that spirit shows in the cooking: nothing overpowers, everything belongs.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

Finding Desi spots near Plano…

Ingredients

Vegetables
▪raw banana (kacha kela), peeled and cubed1 medium
▪yam (suran / elephant foot), peeled and cubed1 cup
▪drumstick (sahajan), cut in 3-inch segments1 drumstick
▪eggplant / brinjal, cubed1 medium
▪tomato, chopped1 large
Tempering
▪panch phoron (Odia 5-spice blend of cumin, mustard, fenugreek, nigella, fennel seeds)1 tsp
▪dried red chili2
▪mustard oil2 tbsp
Seasoning
▪turmeric powder½ tsp
▪saltto taste
▪fresh grated coconut2 tbsp

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Panch phoron is sold ready-made at Indian grocery stores worldwide. If you can't find it, mix equal parts whole cumin, whole mustard seeds, whole fenugreek, nigella (kalonji), and fennel seeds at home — they keep for months in a jar.
Yam (suran/elephant foot) can be replaced with taro root (arbi), or even regular sweet potato if both are unavailable. The texture differs slightly but the dish holds together well.
Drumstick (moringa pods / sahajan) are increasingly available at South Asian grocery stores and some African-Caribbean markets. Substitute with ridged gourd (turai), green beans, or okra if drumstick is not on hand.

Method

1Boil raw banana and yam pieces in salted water with turmeric until 80% cooked, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.
2Heat mustard oil in a kadai over medium-high heat until it smokes and turns clear; reduce heat to medium.
3Add panch phoron and dried red chili; let the seeds splutter 20-30 seconds.
4Add the eggplant cubes and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until they soften slightly.
5Add the partially cooked raw banana, yam, and drumstick segments; stir gently to mix without breaking the pieces.
6Add the chopped tomato, salt, and remaining turmeric; stir, cover, and cook on low-medium heat for 10-12 minutes until all vegetables are fully tender.
7Uncover, stir in grated coconut, and cook 1 minute more until the coconut is just warmed through.
8Taste for salt. Serve hot as a side with steamed rice and dal.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.