Homemade Sadhya ~ Parippu Dal Curry

 
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 – 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!😍