10 South Indian Lentil Recipes

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10 Simple South Indian Lentil Recipes :

All the recipes listed in the One page cookbooks give just the essence of a recipe, without getting into details. They are designed to minimise mistakes and reveal the big picture at a glance. With the overall idea in mind, do take a look at more detailed recipes from fellow bloggers listed below and cook up your own variations.

1.: Paruppu ( Plain boiled lentils) – the simplest dal of them all. Plain tuvar dal/ Mung dal is boiled with a dash of turmeric powder and eaten mixed with hot rice and ghee. This is traditionally eaten at the start of a meal. Most Brahmin kids still grow up on ‘Pappu Mammu’. There are versions which call for spicing up the dal. This curry is so basic, that I’m unable to find any recipe online !

2.: Dali Thoye (Spiced lentil curry)
This is a spiced up Tuvar dal curry much loved in Mangalore / Konkani regions.

3.: Paruppu Podi (Lentil - chili Powder)
Lentils cooked in numerous ways are consumed across South India. This recipe and the next one use roast and ground lentils. Paruppu Podi is just roast tuvar dal ground into a powder with red chilies and salt.

4.: Paruppu Thogayal (Blended lentil curry)
Paruppu Thogayal is just roast tuvar dal ground into a paste with coconut, red chilies and salt. A bit of tamarind paste is also occasionally blended in.

5.: Kosambari (Soaked lentil salad)
Here's a recipe which uses soaked, raw lentils. Mung dal tastes delicious when just soaked in water. Tuvar dal does not. So this is the only recipe where they cannot be used interchangeably.

6.: Nimmakkaya Pappu (Sour lentil curry)
A much loved lentil dish in Andhra, this is just boiled lentils mixed with lemon juice. A variety of vegetables can also be boiled along with the dal giving rise to variations like Dosakkaya Pappu, Mamdikkaya pappu etc.,

7.: Paruppu Rasam (Thin lentil curry)
A thin soupy curry, this is nothing but spiced up lentil water. Some recipes call for a dash of lemon juice mixed in with Paruppu rasam. Contrary to popular belief, a Rasam or Sambar need not always have tamarind or need not always use Sambar powder / Rasam powder for flavouring.

8.: Paruppu Sambar (Sour Lentil curry)
A thick, chunky curry, Paruppu Sambar is just a thicker version of Paruppu Rasam. It took me quite a while to accept the fact that Kulambu and Sambar are just thicker Rasams !

9.:. Paruppu Kootu (Lentil - coconut - cumin curry) When coconut, cumin and chili paste is mixed with boiled tuvar dal, we get the delicious Paruppu Kootu. A variety of boiled vegetables can be aded to this Kootu.

10.: Molagootal ( Mixed lentil curry) When coconut-chili-cumin paste is cooked together with tuvar dal and vegetables and flavoured with coconut oil, we get the Kerala Brahmin special, the Molagootal.

And that goes to Srivalli's MLLA, an event started by Susan.