on Oct 22, 2024 In my house, we make a dal almost everyday. Here are some of the dal recipes that are our favorite – Toor Dal, Yellow Moong Dal, White Urad Dal, Lauki Chana Dal, and Shahi Dal. Andhra cuisine is one of my favorite Indian cuisines. During our Bangalore days, we used to go to an Andhra thali place every week without fail. Even today, an Andhra thali meal is a must if I visit Bangalore. The best part of that meal was the pappu, the Andhra-style lentils. This lentil dish is spicy, tangy, and very texture-rich. When I tried making it at home, I could not achieve the taste and texture of the tomato pappu served at the thali place. After many trials and errors, I figured out the taste and texture I was looking for. It came from the small details like how to cut the onions and tomatoes, using urad dal in the tempering, and smashing the garlic instead of chopping it. Try my recipe and let me know if it is similar to the one you tasted at one of the Andhra messes.
About Tomato Pappu
Tomato Pappu is a delicious lentil curry from the state of Andhra Pradesh. “Pappu” in Telugu refers to a lentil stew made with tomatoes. It is simple and flavorful and is commonly served with rice. Tomato Pappu is not only nutritious due to the protein content of lentils but also offers a balance of flavors, with the sourness of tomatoes and tamarind, the heat of green chilies, and aromatic spices. You can make this tomato dhal in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or an instant pot. For a comforting meal, serve it with steamed rice and avakaya. I always top my dal with a spoonful of ghee for extra flavor. This dal can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat in a microwave or a pan over the stovetop before serving. Tomatoes are the star ingredient of this recipe. Use ripe red tomatoes. Others – You will also need onions, salt, red chili powder, oil, tamarind paste, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves). You can add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder while cooking the dal if you wish to. For The Tempering – The cooked lentils are tempered with oil, cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, white urad dal, garlic, dry red chilies, green chilies, and curry leaves. I have used Indian green chilies, but you can see jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers, or other chilies. Add the following ingredients to the inner pot of an instant pot.
soaked dal 1 cup tomatoes (cut into ½-inch pieces) 1 cup onions (cut into ½-inch pieces) 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon red chili powder 1 teaspoon oil
Add 3 cups of water to the pot and stir well using a wooden ladle to combine. Note – The instant pot will take 10-12 minutes for the pressure to build and the timer to start. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a spoon to move the valve. Then open the lid of the instant pot. Mix the dal well with a spatula or a wire whisk. Then add 2 teaspoon tamarind paste to the cooked dal and mix well to combine. Note – To cook the dal in a stovetop pressure cooker, add all the ingredients to a cooker and secure the lid. Cook over medium-high heat until 1 whistle comes. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, add tamarind paste and mix the dal. Once the oil is hot, add the following ingredients to the pan.
1 teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon white urad dal 4-5 smashed garlic cloves 2-3 dry red chilies (broken into small pieces) 1-2 green chiles (cut into small pieces) 15-20 and curry leaves
Saute for 10-15 seconds.
Karivepaku Podi (Curry Leaves Powder)
Perugu Charu (Andhra Style Curried Buttermilk)
Tomato Pachadi (Thakkali Pachadi)
Mirchi Ka Salan (Biryani Salan)
