Pappu charu (పప్పు చారు, பப்பு சாறு, दाल रसम, ಪಪ್ಪು ಚಾರು)

Pappu charu (పప్పు చారు, பப்பு சாறு, दाल रसम, ಪಪ್ಪು ಚಾರು) a common dish in the state of Andhra Pradesh. This is a lentil stew made of toor dal, tamarind and variety of vegetables such as okra, brinjal or egg plant, beans, carrots, radish, bottle gourd, drum sticks, pearl onions and beans.

Regional dish : Andhra; Tamilnadu; Karnataka; Kerala; South India; some place in North India.

Cuisine Style : Andhra| Cooking  Time  30 minutes| Take with rice | Type Soup| Shelf Life: 1 day | Quantity : 5 Servings.

Appx. Nutritional values : calculated for 1 serving ( 1cup)

Calories (167.5 Kcal), Carbohydrates (28.8 g), Protein (11g), Fat (2 g).

Ingredients :

• Toor Dal/Kandhi Pappu   ¼ cup
• Mustard Seeds    ½ tsp
• Cumin Seeds    1 tsp
• Curry Leaves   10nos
• Small Onion sliced length wise
• Green Chillies 3 nos
• Red chillies 1 nos
• Coriander Powder   ½ tsp
• Turmeric Powder  1 tsp
• Cumin Powder 1tsp
• Curry Leaves   5
• Salt to Taste
• Oil 1Tbsp
• Chilli powder 1tsp
• Carrot ( peeled and sliced  either length wise 1 or in to circles )
• Bottle Gourd sliced   1 cup
• Tomato diced   1 medium sized
• Tamarind Paste   1 ½ tbsp or small lime size tamarind soaked in water
• Sugar/jaggery   1 tsp (optional, I don’t use it but some people do)
• Cilantro for garnish

Method :

1. Pressure cook toor dal with ½ cup of water for 5 whistles and another 5 minutes on low heat.
2. If using tamarind, soak it in ¾ cup of water for 10 minutes and extract the pulp. or/ microwave tamarind with water for a minute and extract the pulp.
3. Heat oil in a sauce pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and Red chillies .
4. When seeds start spluttering add onions and saute until translucent.
5. Add coriander powder, Cumin powder , turmeric and salt , chilli powder and mix well.
6. Add all the vegetables, mix well and cover and cook for a minute or 2.
7. Add dal and cook for another couple of minutes.
8. Add tamarind paste and 3 cups of water. Mix well and check if it is tangy enough. If required add more tamarind paste.
9. Reduce the heat to medium and boil of 10 minutes.
10. If using sugar, add it and simmer for another couple of minutes. Add cilantro and remove from heat.

Other variants / Cuisine Style : 1. Tamato Pappu Charu, 2.Drumstick pappucharu.