Daal with Drumstick leaves / Munagaaku pappu

No greens area exceptional to prepare daal. Drumstick leaves is one among them which has got lots of nutritional values. Also mentioned by the Scientists as potential life saver. The leaves are high in protein and contain essential amino acids and also Vitamin A and C. So why not add these nutrients to our meal.

Ingredients:
Toor Daal – 1 cup
Drumstick leaves – 1 cup
Tomato – 2 large
Green chili – 6-8 (break them into small pieces)
Onion – 1 chopped
Turmeric
Salt
Tamarind – ½ lemon size. Soak in hot water.

For Seasoning
Oil – 1 tbsp
Garlic pods – 2 to 3
Mustard + Cumin – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds roughly ground– 2 tsp
Curry leaves
Coriander
Red Chili – 1 or 2

Drumstick leaves and Toor daal

Method:

Wash and pressure cook / boil toor daal, drumstick leaves, green chili and tomatoes by adding pinch of turmeric.

When the daal is cooked thoroughly and is soft, add tamarind puree and salt and mash the daal mixture.

Heat a sauce pan with oil and do the seasonings by adding red chili, pounded garlic pods, curry leaves, mustard + cumin and ground coriander seeds.

When the mustard starts spattering, add chopped onions and fry them until they become transparent.

Add the daal mixture to the seasoning and add chopped coriander, close the lid and cook the daal for another 5 minutes on low flame and turn of the heat.

Daal is served with warm rice.

Green apple pappu

Though it sounds funny, it is an absolute worth to try. Just to come out of the routine recipe world, I have tried to prepare this. Actually it is my brother’s thought. When we went to a farm to pick some fresh green apples to prepare Green apple pickle, he teased me, why don’t you experiment Green Apple pappu /daal as well. Aaa ..ha …., good idea and I tried, tested and tasted it. We all ended up in saying Aaa..ha.



Here we go…….

Ingredients:

Toor Daal / Kandhi pappu – 1 cup
Green apple (big size) – 1
Green chilli – 5 -6
Aamchoor / Dry Mango powder – 1 tsp (optional)
Tomato large – 1 or 2 small
Onion (medium size) - 1
Turmeric – ½ tsp

For Tempering:

Curry leaves – Hand full
Mustard + Cumin – 1 tsp
Garlic – 2- 3 cloves
Dry red chilli – 2
Oil – 1 tbsp

Green Apple, Green chilli, tomato and toor daal / kandi pappu

Method:

Wash and soak daal for 30 minutes. Cut onion, tomato and apple into big chunks’.

Mix all the ingredients like onion, tomato, apple, dry mango powder, turmeric and green chilli with daal and pressure cook it or cook normally until the daal gets soft.

Mash the daal by adding salt and tamper it.

For tempering – Heat oil in a small frying pan and add crushed garlic, red chilli, mustard, cumin and curry leaves. Fry until garlic changes its colour and pour the contents straight into the daal.

Rice with Apple pappu

Note: you can substitute dry mango powder with lemon juice

Kandi pappu thalimpu (Toor daal curry)

This is another tasty yet simple recipe introduced to me by my Athamma (mother-in-law).

Kandi pappu thalimpu

Ingredients:

Toor Dal (Kandipappu) – ½ cup
Water - ¾ th cup
Onion – 1 Chopped into small pieces

For coconut powder
Dry Coconut grated or chopped - 1/4 cup
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Garlic cloves - 3-4
Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Grind all the ingredients into fine powder.
For seasoning
Curry leaves
Oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard + Cumin seeds.

Method:

Soak the dal for 30 min and cook till just done. Most important thing for this recipe is, should not over cook the da1.

Drain the excess water if any.

Cooked daal

Never throw away the water in which veggies or dals are boiled as it contains water soluble nutrients. If you have to do so, then don’t discard the water, instead use the water in curries, soups or to mix chapatti dough.

Take a kadai, heat it with oil. Check the heat and add mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves.

When they start splatter, add onion, salt and fry until the onion becomes translucent.

Add the boiled dal and fry for 2 more minutes until it looses the moisture. Finally sprinkle the coconut powder and remove from the fire.

Serve with roti or rice.

Vankaya Pappu (Daal with eggplant)

Daals are an integral part of South Indian cuisine. You can prepare simple daal by not adding any other ingredients except daal like Mudha pappu, or you can add various vegitables to enhance the taste. One variety among the daals is Vankaya pappu.

Ingredients

Toor Daal - 1 cup
Egg plants - 2 (Indian variety)
Tomato - 1 large cut into big chuncks
Onion - 1 small cut into big chunks
Green chilli - 5 - 7
Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Toor Dar, egg plant, tomato, onion, chilli, tamarind

Method:

Wash and soak Daal for about 30 min. Wash and cut the egg plants. Heat a deep pan or pressure cooker and add tsp of oil. When it is hot add egg plant pieces and fry for a minute to get rid of the raw taste and also it enhances the veggie taste. Gradually add onion, chilli, tomato, toor dal, and turmeric. Add 2 cups of water and drop the tamarind at the end so that it remains on top and pressure cook for 3 whistles. If you are not using the pressure cooker, do not add tamarind until the daal has cooked well.

Allow the pressure to go and mash the daal by adding salt while it is still warm.
For seasoning, heat a kadai (small pan) add 1 tblsp of oil and when it is hot add crushed garlic, red chillie, curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin. Add the hot seasoning to the daal and mix.
Enjoy with hot rice.

Vankaya pappu with Annam (Rice)

Menthi Pappu (Daal with Fenugreek seeds)

Onion, Chili,Coriander seeds, Fenugreek, Cumin, Mustard 

This is a very handy recipe with out much ingredients. My mom used to prepare this on the day when we come back from our holidays and there won’t be any vegetables at home including green chili and tomato.

Ingredients:
Toor Dal (Lentil / kandi pappu) – ½ cup
Water – 1 cup
Red chillies – 6 (Roasted and coarsely ground)

Fenugreek seeds – 1 ½ tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp (Roasted and coarsely ground)

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Onion – 1

Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp (Optional)

Method:

Heat the pressure cooker with oil and ghee together. When it becomes hot add Onion pieces, Fenugreek seeds and fry for a minute. Add the ground chilis, coriander and Cumin seeds and saute for a minute. You will smell the nice aroma of fenugreek seeds.

Add the daal, turmeric and roast for 2 more minutes. Pour water and drop tamarind and close the lid. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles and turn off the heat.

Allow the pressure to come down and then remove the lid. Add salt, about half teaspoon or as per your taste, and mash the cooked ingredients gently with a wood masher or wooden spatula.

That’s all done. No tadka required for this as we have already done this in the beginning. Isn’t it easy…

My husband loves the combination of Menthi pappu and Egg with miriyala podi.

Steamed rice with Menthi Pappu and Egg withMiriyala podi