Thursday 20 May 2010

Naadan parippu curry (moong dal simmered with coconut & spices)

I slept in really late this morning and woke up alarmingly at about 11am. Ro was working from home today and so I couldn't skip lunch. I mean i could have always made some sandwich and satisfied him, but I didnt have enough bread and cold meats to do so. Ro in between conference calls remembered about lunch and very sweetly offered to make rice and said rice and curd and some leftover chicken drumsticks would do. I was glad and atleast to be supportive said id make the rice. Just when i was getting the rice outta the jar i saw the dal container and i had this urge to make the naadan parippu (dal) curry. Asked Ro how long he had between calls, did some research online (oh ofcourse i need youtube and atleast 3 or 4 blog references for anything and everything) and decided to go for it.
This is the second time I'm trying this and i must say I'm proud of the outcome. For one, my hand blender is kick ass. The last time, the coconut mix wasnt smooth enough which left bits and pieces of coconut floating around and it didn't taste like what my grand mom used to make back home. This is a familiar dish to all the mallu's, and an absolute favourite of mine. I also made sure Ro got hooked on to it as well :)

Moong dal- 1/2 cup
Water- enough to cook the dal
Green chillies- 2, slit

To grind:
Grated coconut- 1/4 cup
Shallots- 2 small
Red chilli seeds- 1/4 tsp or less
Garlic- 2 pods
Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

To temper:
Coconut oil- 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida- a pinch
Curry leaves- a sprig
Dry red chillies- 3

Grind all the ingredients in the 'to grind' section to a smooth paste
Cook the dal with enough water and salt- about 2 whistles in the pressure cooker.
Open the lid, mash the dal if required and add the slit red chillies and more water if required. Stir and simmer for about 3 minutes.
Add the coconut mix,combine well and simmer for a further 5 to 6 minutes.
Check for salt, spice etc. and add if needed.

Heat the oil in a tadka pan, splutter the mustard seeds, add the curry leaves, asafoetida and rest of the ingredients and sauté for a few minutes.
Add to the dal mix and stir well.
Serve hot with rice, pappad and pickle.
Notes: I like my dal a little watery, so i added some water just before adding the coconut mix. It was still thick according to my standards
Also, mashing the dal is purely optional.
The coconut oil was a lil over powering, so i might skip that the next time.

I am sending this entry to the 'Delicious Dal's' event hosted by Veggie Platter and to 'My Legume Love Affair 23' hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

22 comments:

Umm Mymoonah said...

My mom used to make these dal varieties with coconut, i know it taste simply delicious. I'm sure you had a good lunch :-)

Hayley said...

Love to have that daal right now..great click and looks delicious and tasty!

divya said...

My moms makes this dish...its yummy and delicious.

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

my super fav dal with steamed rice and pickle...yum.easy and comfort meal..all in one..looks delcious..my sons fav too..

Nitha said...

Parippu curry is the easiest for me.. But I usually use toor dal instead of moong dal.. The clicks are really wonderful..

Unknown said...

I too do a lot of online research before trying out new recipes :) Like your version of parippu. I love it with ghee and pappadam...Will try out this recipe sometime..

AdukalaVishesham said...

this parippu curry is a good combo with rice... easy to make and really tasty too

Unknown said...

lovely dish , it looks yummy

nice post
thanks for recipe

Sushma Mallya said...

Lovely dal, just loved the recipe, cant wait to try as it looks so yum...

Subhie Arun said...

lovely dal..my fav too....nice click

Subhie Arun said...

i do own parotta whn got time...but for this one i bought frm sri lankan store .. frozen kothu parotta .i alwiz keep this frozen kothu parotta which nicely chopped ..for a quick meal....

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a comforting food, parippu curry looks truly delicious..

Suma Gandlur said...

The dal looks absolutely gorgeous. When you say red chili seeds, do you mean only the seeds?
Thank you for sending over such a delicious dal to the event.

Sarah Naveen said...

My Fav..looks so yummy..ippo chorum kootti kayikkan thonnunnu

shriya said...

I love making different dal varieties, coz it's healthy and goes well with chapathi. Love your recipe. Love the masals you've used in this recipe. Next time i'll try adding your masalas.

Namitha said...

My fav too :-) Inevitable part of a sadya, alle?pappadam kudi undel adipoli :-)

PJ said...

you know for a long time i wasnt a fan of mung-daal but then as i start cooking with it, i am liking it more and more. this daal looks delicious and a perfect lazy weekday lunch.

Susan said...

How I love these soupy dals! I know they are traditionally served with rice or bread, but I want to get up every last drop with a spoon.

Thank you, Nisha, for your great MLLA recipe!

Sunitha said...

This with some rice and papad is great!

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi. First time here, and loved reading through your blog. I was hooked to the pear cake and loved the simplicity of this dal.
Do drop by at your convenience and check out my space.
http://cooking-goodfood.blogspot.com
take care
pari

Sadhana Valentina said...

Looks yummy dear....u have a nice collection of mouthwatering dishes...first time to ur blog....I'm following u....

vinitha said...

hey! ur recipe came as a true life saver this morning.. this was my first attempt at a mini sadhya and the easiest of things was to make!
came out really well thanks a ton!
and happy onam!! :)