For my first ever attempt at a homemade Sadhya, I made a Puli Inji, beans thoran, a mandatory payasam and this delicious coconut dal recipe â Parippu Dal Curry. I can now boast of making some more Sadhya recipes like Puliserry and Pachadis but I find Parippu Dal Curry to be one of the most comforting and easy recipes in the Sadhya menu.
Parippu Dal Curry is a moong dal with coconut blended into it.
It has a lovely nutty flavour to it due to an extra step of roasting the dal. and goes well with rice and poppadum. Make it with your usual Sadhya fare like Ulli Theeyal, Sambar, Cabbage Thoran and Pulli Inji for a memorable festive meal.
Easy Parippu Curry Recipe
Prep Time: 5 mins; Active time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves 2-3; Yields: 3-4 cups
Ingredients
- moong dal, 1/2 cup
- 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
- 3 1/2 cups water
- grated fresh coconut, 1 and 1/2 cup
- 1 inch piece of ginger-peeled and finely chopped
- green chilli, 1
- cumin seeds, 1 tsp
- 5-6 small onions- peeled and sliced
- A sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tbsp ghee/ clarified butter
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 dried red chilli
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
Method
Roasting the Dal
Place a thick bottomed pressure cooker on medium high heat and add coconut oil. Next add the moong dal and fry for 3-4 minutes. Note that this is dry, unwashed dal that needs to be either dry roasted (skip adding the coconut oil, of course) or fried in the coconut oil so that it becomes toasty and golden in colour.

Cook the Dal
You will be able to take in the nutty aroma soon and that’s when you add the water, salt and turmeric. Cover and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let it cool down.
Make the Coconut Paste
Till then grind the coconut, ginger, green chilli and cumin together in a mixie/blender/ processor. I added a bit of salt too. You may need to add some water to make a better paste.

Assemble the Parippu Curry
Once the pressure releases in the cooker, check the dal and mash it using the back of a ladle or a spoon. It should be well cooked, you’ll just need to give it a good mix. I sometimes need to add half a cup of water incase the dal is too thick. Next add the coconut paste to the dal, mix well and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes while you prepare the tempering.

Top with a Ulli Tadka
Soak the small onions or the ulli as they are called in Malayalam, in cold water for 5-10 minutes. This helps in peeling the onions easily because cleaning and peeling small onions is a tiresome and intricate task. Slice the onions.
In a small pan, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the sliced onions, curry leaves and dried red chilli. Fry for 3-4 mins and finally add it to the dal. Take the dal off the heat and it’s ready.


Parippu Dal curry is now done. Enjoy with some steamed rice and poppadum!đ



- 1/2 cup moong dal
- 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
- 1 inch piece of ginger-peeled and finely chopped
- 1 green chilli
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5-6 small onions- peeled and sliced
- A sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tbsp ghee/ clarified butter
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 dried red chilli
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- Place a thick bottomed pressure cooker on medium high heat and add coconut oil. Next add the moong dal and fry for 3-4 minutes. Note that this is dry, unwashed dal that needs to be either dry roasted (skip adding the coconut oil, of course) or fried in the coconut oil so that it becomes toasty and golden in colour. Alternatively, you can also use washed moong dal after draining it properly.
- You will be able to take in the nutty aroma soon and thatâs when you add the water, salt and turmeric. Cover and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let it cool down. Till then grind the coconut, ginger, green chilli and cumin together in a mixie/blender/ processor. I added a bit of salt too. You may need to add some water to make a better paste.
- Once the pressure releases in the cooker, check the dal and mash it using the back of a ladle or a spoon. It should be well cooked, youâll just need to give it a good mix. I sometimes need to add half a cup of water incase the dal is too thick. Next add the coconut paste to the dal, mix well and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes while you prepare the tempering.
- Soak the small onions or the ulli as they are called in Malayalam, in cold water for 5-10 minutes. This helps in peeling the onions easily because cleaning and peeling small onions is a tiresome and intricate task. Slice the onions.
- In a small pan, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the sliced onions, curry leaves and dried red chilli. Fry for 3-4 mins and add to the dal. Take the dal off the heat and itâs ready.
- Parippu Dal curry is now done. Enjoy with some steamed rice and poppadum!
[…] from Kerala, a state in southern India. It is one of the dishes that constitute a festive feast or Sadya prepared at the time of festivals like Onam and Vishu and also at the time of weddings. Coconut in […]
[…] add a splash of milk, but trust me, even if you don’t add it you won’t really miss it. Coconut milk would be nice too, but I haven’t yet tried […]
[…] to get the proportions right and here I am sharing the recipe. It is often a part of a Kerala sadhya and is best had with some steamed rice among other […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]
[…] it’s kept for sometime. This applies to the other recipes I’ve previously shared ~ the Parippu Dal and Ripe Mango […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]
[…] Parippu Dal Curry […]