TOMATO PAPPU / ANDHRA TOMATO PAPPU

Tomato pappu is an easy recipe which will go well with rice.  It is from Andhra couisine and this dhal is neither spicy nor hot.  This is full of tang and flavours of the tomatoes.  I had a chance to have this wonderful dish in one of my friend Swetha's home in dinner.  It's been long time that I had in my try list and I totally forgot.  Last week when I spoke to her it reminded me to ask the recipe to her and that's what made me to do it on the next day itself.  It's very easy and just in three steps the tangy and hot recipe will be ready.  I added little spicy and if you dont want then reduce the chillies.  This is called as pappu in Telugu and they have plenty of pappu recipes.  I wanted to try one by one and here is the easiest and yummiest one among the pappu recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

Toor dhal             - 1/2 cup
Tomato                - 3
Garlic                   - 4 to 5 cloves
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt                       - to taste

To temper:

Oil or Ghee              - 1 tsp
Musard seeds           - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp
Grated ginger           - 1 tsp
Asafoetida                - a pinch
Red chilies               - 4 break into pieces
Green chillies           - 1 slit into half
Curry leaves             - few

HOW TO MAKE:

Cut tomatoes and garlic in to pieces.  Pressure cook toor dhal, tomatoes and garlic together by adding a 1 1/2 cups of water.  Add turmeric powder in it.  Allow three to four whistles.  Let the cooker release the pressure then mash the dhal and tomatoes by whisk.

Heat oil in a kadai splutter mustard seeds add cumin seeds.  Add red chillies, green chilli and asafoetida.  Saute them well and add grated ginger.  Add curry leaves.  Add dhal mixture and mix well. 

Add needed salt and allow to boil.  Do not add more water or add little water as per you need the consistency.  It his neither thick or watery.  You can keep it as sambar consistency too.  

Serve hot with rice and any poriyal can be as a side dish and pappad or chutney is the best combo.  I made mint chutney and it was wowwww :-)

TIPS:

Ghee is an optional and I tempered with oil.

I love ginger flavour in dhal, hence I add it.  You can skip adding ginger if you don't like it. 

You can add even ginger garlic paste when tempering if so, avoid adding garlic when you pressure cook.  Too much of garlic flavour will dominate the flavour of dhal.

Green chillies can be avoided if you feel it's too spicy. 

Either green chillies or red chillies can be added.  

Chopped onions can be added.