Delicious Kerala Parippu curry

This is a delicious everyday, comfort food for a malayalee. Parippu curry or Kerala yellow dal curry is a very healthy dish that is high in protein. Hot steaming rice drizzled with ghee, red mango pickle, crisp pappadam, yellow parippu curry……aren’t you drooling already…

The ghee part always brings back fond childhood memories. Parippu curry for Kerala Sadya is slightly different from this as it is made from roasted moong dal.

Ingredients:

1.       Toor dal/  tuvara parippu – ½ cup

2.       Green chillies - 2

3.       Salt – to taste

4.       Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

5.       Shallots, sliced -4

6.       Water – 2 cups

Cook the toor dal adding slit green chillies, turmeric, salt and adequate water in a pressure cooker for two whistles. Mash the dal.

7.       Grated Coconut – ½ cup

8.       Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

9.       Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

10.   Shallots – 2

11.   Curry leaves - 2

Grind the coconut, adding the other ingredients and a little water, to a fine and smooth paste. Add this to the cooked dal and cook for another 5 minutes on medium flame. Add more water, if needed, to adjust the gravy to required consistency.

12.   Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

13.   Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

14.   Curry leaves- 1 sprig

15.   Dry red chillies -2

16.   Shallots – 2, sliced

Heat coconut oil in a small kadai, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add remaining ingredients and sauté till the shallots are browned. Pour this over the parippu curry.

Serve hot with rice, ghee, pickle and pappadam.

Grandma’s Secret Tips

• For sadya parippu curry, fresh coconut oil is added rather than tempered hot coconut oil. Shallots are not used in that recipe.
• Once the dal is mashed, stir frequently to prevent burning.
• The final consistency of the gravy should be thick, but easily pourable.