Parippu curry is a typical dal with moong beans and coconut from Kerala and a typical component of a sadya, a large feast of more than 20 different vegetarian dishes. But it is also typically eaten on its own prepared with rice, pappad and pickle. Here’s the recipe and a tip on how to properly roast pappads.
Parippu curry stands out from dals because it is made with shredded coconut. This was also my motivation to cook this dish once. At first I was a bit disappointed when I tried it. Something was missing. As a side dish in a meal certainly okay, but as a main course I found it a bit boring at first.
Then I drizzled some lime over it which made a huge difference. Pappads also made it much more interesting given their crispy texture. And along with Mango Pickle I was finally satisfied. You can say of course, with Mango Pickle tastes somehow everything ( and that is like Mango Pickle), but the combination was altogether nicely balanced: Parippu Curry with rice, Pappad and Mango Pickle. In addition, I had the leftovers of the great Beetroot Thoran.
How to properly roast pappads
In Germany, I always despaired of pappadums. I like to eat them very much, but at home I never got them right. In fact, it’s quite simple: don’t add oil to the pan, otherwise they just get oily and don’t taste good. Instead, brush the pappads themselves thinly with oil and then place them in the hot pan. As you can see in the video, they slowly get more and more crispy this way. Press them down a bit in various places as needed, since they get a little wavy when roasted. But they need to be in direct contact with the pan.
Sadyas and Onam
Even though my goal is to cook as authentically as possible and explain to you regional typical specialties: a sadya I will not prepare it its entirety. According to Wikipedia, there are 24-28 different components to it, which would just be way too much effort for one person.
Sadyas are served at Onam, a Hindu festival from Kerala. This is roughly equivalent to a thanksgiving festival, in memory of the former king Mahabali, who was known for his generosity. This generosity was tried by the god Vishnu in the form of a dwarf named Vanama. Since the king passed the test, Mahabali is allowed to return once a year, which is celebrated with Onam. For those interested in more detail, you can find more information about Onam on Wikipedia.
With Onam being a religious Hindu festivah, Sadyas are vegetarian and are served on a large banana leaf and, of course, eaten with one’s hands, as is customary in India. I was once allowed to eat a vegetarian feast on a banana leaf at a wedding (not in Kerala). It was sensationally good. Anyone who has this opportunity should definitely give it a try! Just don’t pop a handful of green beans in your mouth like a good friend of mine did, only to find out they were green chilies 😂.
You can find more recipes from Kerala here. If you want to learn more about Indian cuisine in general, visit my country page on India.
Parippu Curry – Moong dal with coconut
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
For the coconut paste
- ⅓ cup coconut grated
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2-3 green chilies
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
For the dal
- 100 g moong dal
- 4 cups water
- salt
For the tadka
- 2-3 tsp ghee (clarified butter), alternatively neutral or coconut oil
- 3-4 pearl onions or 2-3 shallots
- ½ tsp mustard seeds brown
- 2 red chilies
- 1 sprig curry leaves (if frozen, use about 15 leaves)
Instructions
The coconut paste
- Put the grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chilies and turmeric in a blender along with a tablespoon of water.
- Make a paste as uniform as possible. Depending on the blender, a hand blender may work better.
The dal
- Roast the moong dal in a pressure cooker for 4-5 minutes on low heat.
- Then add 3 of the 4 cups of water, stir thoroughly and close the pressure cooker.
- Cook until the pot has hissed 5-6 times. Set the pot aside and wait until the pressure in the pot has decreased.
- Then stir the dal with a wooden spoon until as smooth as possible.
- Now add the coconut paste, salt and ½-1 cup of water.
- Let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes with the lid off and low to medium heat.
The tadka
- Cut the pearl onions or shallots into rings.
- Now heat ghee or oil in a separate small pan.
- When it is hot, add the mustard seeds and turn the heat down a bit. The seeds should really pop in the pan. This makes them jump back and forth in the pan and also out 😊.Therefore, best to put the lid on and after about 10 seconds add the other ingredients.
- These would be the onions, the red chili and the curry leaves.
- Now fry the whole thing until the onions are golden brown.
- Now add the tadka to the cooked dal.
- Everything is ready to serve.Serve with boiled rice and pappad (see text). Enjoy your meal!
Please rate my recipe before you leave 🙂:
Source of recipe for Parippu Curry: https://mariasmenu.com/vegetarian/parippu-chaaru-curry
Cooked with lots of love ♥ on From zero to curry.
