A very special dal with minimal ingredients is Nimmakaya Pappu. Cooked with either tur dal or yellow moong dal, its a winner of a recipe. The lemon lends a tangy taste to the earthiness of the dal and the spice of green chillis balance out the flavors. A classic, down-to-earth comforting Andhra recipe.
Nimmakaya Pappu Recipe
Preparation: 15-20 mts
Serves 4-5 persons
Cuisine: Andhra
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1 cup tur dal/red gram dal/kandi pappu OR yellow moong dal/pesara pappu
big pinch turmeric pwd
2-3 green chillis, slit lengthwise
juice of a small lemon
salt to taste
3 cups water
For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 dry red chillis, de-seed and tear
few fresh curry leaves
1-2 tsps oil
1 In a pressure cooker, place a cup of tur dal, turmeric pwd, 2 1/2 cups of water and pressure cook upto 3 whistles. If cooking over stove top, cook till the dal is soft. Mash dal, add a cup of water and salt. You can add more water if you want a watery consistency. Cook on slow to medium flame for 4-5 mts. Turn off heat.
2 Add lemon juice and combine. Keep aside.
3 Heat oil in a pan, add mustards seeds and as they splutter, add cumin seeds, green chillis, red chillis and curry leaves and stir fry for a few seconds. Add asafoetida and turn off heat.
4 Add this to the dal and combine. Serve with white rice or rotis.
