Parippu Chaaru (Curry)
This dal curry, known as parippu curry, is a quintessential Kerala dish and a key component of Onasadhya. At home, we fondly refer to it as "parippu chaaru." A meal featuring parippu chaaru, ghee, and pappad feels like a mini sadya for me. The aroma of ghee drizzled over the dal enhances my appetite tremendously. Typically, I'm not a heavy rice eater, but with this dish, I wouldn't hesitate to go for a second or even a third helping. In fact, back home, whenever parippu chaaru is on the menu for lunch, extra rice is prepared since everyone tends to indulge in additional servings with this flavorful dish.
Ingredients
- 100 gms Cheruparippu (Moong Dal) (1 cup)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup grated coconut
- 1/2 tsp Jeera
- 2-3 Green chilli
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2-3 tsp Ghee/coconut oil
- 1/2 ltr Water
- 3-4 Small onion
- a pinch Mustard seeds
- 2 Red chilli
- Curry leaves
- Salt
Instructions
- Grind together coconut, jeera, green chilli and turmeric powder with 1 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Roast the moong dal in a pressure cooker for 4-5 mins on low flame, till you get the roasted smell.
- Add 3 cups water to the roasted dal. Mix well. Cover the cooker and pressure cook for 8-10 whistles on full flame. Switch off the gas and let the pressure drops naturally.
- Mash the cooked dal using a wooden spoon or you can just run it in a food processor or blender for a few seconds.
- Add ground paste, salt and 1/2 – 1 cup water to the mashed dal. Let it cook on low flame for 5-7 mins. Remove from heat.
- Heat oil/ghee in another pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add small onion, curry leaves and red chilli. Fry till small onion becomes golden brown. Pour over cooked dal. Serve with rice and papad, wait… don't start eating… drizzle some ghee on the curry, now you are ready to eat 🙂
Notes
You can also cook the dal using pressure cooker. Cook on high flame for 5-6 whistles. keep it closed for 10-15 mins and open the cooker. I recommend using ghee for this recipe.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!