Dal or Parippu Chaar (as we call it in Malayalam) forms the first course in an Onam Sadya, Hot rice, with a little dal poured on top and some ghee drizzled over – this is how we start eating an Onam Sadya, And this is my personal favourite in the sadya too…:)
Like many other typical kerala side dishes and curries, the base for this lentil curry is ground coconut. Freshly grated coconut is ground with some spices and added to the cooked moong dal. And like most other dals, this too is incomplete without a tempering.
If you are looking for more dal recipes from other parts of India, do check out all the other recipes I have posted so far. It is so interesting to note how the preparation of dal varies as we travel from North to South and from East to West! And if you are looking for more Onam recipes, check this out.
Kerala Parippu Chaar (Kerala Dal Curry)
Course: SidesCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Moderate6
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesA traditional preparation of lentils from Kerala.
Ingredients
- For Pressure Cooking
Moong Dal – 1 cup
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Salt – as per taste
Water – 3 cups (to cook the dal)
- For Grinding Together
Grated Coconut – ½ cup
Cumin – ½ tsp
Green Chillies – 2-3, chopped
Water as required
- For Tempering
Ghee – 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp
Curry Leaves – a few
Small Red Onions/Shallots – 3-4, finely sliced
Dry Red Chilli – 2, broken into two pieces
Directions
- Wash and rinse the moong dal and drain off the water.
- Dry roast the dal in a pressure cooker till you get a roasted smell.
- Add turmeric, salt and water into the pressure cooker and cook the dal for 2 pressures. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Meanwhile, grind together grated coconut, cumin and green chillies with a little water to a coarse paste.
- Add this to the cooked dal along with salt and more water as needed.
- Let it come to a boil and cook together for 5 min. Turn off the heat and keep it aside.
- In a small pan, heat some ghee.
- Add the mustard seeds and once they crackle, add the curry leaves and chopped shallots and fry till the shallots are golden brown in color.
- Just when the shallots start changing color, add the dry red chilli too and fry together.
- Add this seasoning on top of the cooked dal and serve hot.
