Any ‘pappu, paruppu or parippu’ dish can be a lentil-based dish in South India. The identical goes for the recipe of Tomato Dal. A specialty from Andhra Pradesh, Tomato Pappu is tangy curried lentils made with pigeon pea lentils (tuvar/arhar dal), loads of tomatoes, onions, herbs and spices. Andhra delicacies is thought for its daring and spicy flavors. However this Tomato Dal recipe shouldn’t be sizzling and spicy, and makes for a comforting lunch or dinner with a facet of steamed rice.


About Tomato Pappu
The Hindi phrase ‘dal’ can be known as as ‘pappu’ within the Telugu language. Dal means ‘lentils’ and is a staple in houses throughout the Indian subcontinent.
There are a lot of variations of creating lentils which fluctuate from state to state in addition to from house to house. This Tomato Dal is one such variant.
This lentil delicacy Tomato Pappu is principally tur dal or arhar dal (pigeon pea lentils) which is cooked with beneficiant amount of tomatoes.
It’s a conventional lentil-based dish originating from Andhra Pradesh, and consisting of pigeon peas (toor dal) pressure-cooked and simmered with tomatoes, onions, inexperienced chilies, turmeric, pink chili powder and a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves in ghee or oil.
Recognized for its tangy, mildly spicy taste and comforting texture, this dal is usually served with sizzling steamed rice, a light-weight drizzle of ghee, and a facet of pickle or papad or vegetable stir-fry.
Other than the soaking of the lentils and a few prep work with the greens, there’s not a lot it’s a must to do to prepare dinner this dal.
You should utilize ghee (clarified butter) for making the tempering of this Tomato Dal. But when you need a totally vegan pleasant dish, then use any impartial flavored oil for this recipe.
About My Recipe
Remainder of the components that go into making this Tomato Pappu are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, onion, inexperienced chilies, curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste and floor spices like turmeric powder and pink chili powder.
I might additionally not suggest to skip the asafoetida (hing), because it simply elevates the flavors of this dish. If you happen to want to make a spicy dal, then simply add extra of inexperienced chilies and chili powder.
This Tomato Dal has the specified tang from the tomatoes. Right here, I’ve made the tempering first after which sautéed the onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. Later, arhar dal or toor dal (pigeon pea lentils) is added and cooked till the lentils are softened.
The result’s a gentle, barely bitter, but scrumptious and comforting dal that’s finest had with steamed rice and a drizzle of ghee. Have a facet vegetable dish or a vegetable raita and also you get to get pleasure from a whole meal.
You may also benefit from the mixture of Tomato Pappu and steamed rice with the traditional Avakaya (Andhra Mango Pickle) for a comforting lunch or dinner.
Step-by-Step Information
How you can make Tomato Pappu
Preparation
1. Decide after which rinse ½ cup pigeon pea lentils (arhar dal or tuvar dal) a few instances in contemporary water.


2. Soak the dal in water for 15 to twenty minutes.


3. Later, drain all of the water and preserve the lentils apart.


4. Chop 1 medium onion, 2 medium tomatoes and 1 inexperienced chili. Measure and preserve all of the components prepared for making Tomato Pappu.


Mood Spices & Sauté Onions
5. Warmth 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a stovetop stress cooker. Hold the warmth to low or medium-low.


6. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds first.


7. Let the mustard seeds crackle.


8. Then, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and allow them to splutter on low warmth.


9. Subsequent, add ⅓ to ½ cup chopped onions and 10 to 12 curry leaves.


10. Subsequent, add the chopped inexperienced chili.


11. Sauté the onions on low to medium-low warmth, stirring typically, until they soften and switch translucent.


12. Add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste.
For making ginger-garlic paste, you possibly can crush 1 inch ginger and three to 4 medium garlic cloves to a paste in a mortar-pestle.


13. Sauté on low to medium-low warmth for a couple of seconds or till the uncooked aroma of each ginger and garlic dissipates.


Sauté Tomatoes
14. Add about 1 to 1.25 cups chopped tomatoes. Stir and blend nicely.


15. Subsequent, add the next – ¼ teaspoon pink chili powder (or cayenne pepper), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) and salt as required.
Word: To make the dish gluten-free, skip including asafoetida or embody gluten-free asafoetida.


16. Stir to combine and sauté on medium to medium-low warmth for two to three minutes.


Make Tomato Pappu
17. Add the soaked tuvar dal.


18. Combine nicely after which add 2 cups water.


19. Stir and blend once more.


20. Stress prepare dinner on excessive warmth for 7 to eight whistles (9 to 10 minutes) or until the lentils are utterly cooked and softened.
The variety of whistles wanted relies upon upon the scale of the stress cooker, the depth of warmth and high quality of dal.
Aged dal takes extra time to prepare dinner. So, for finest style, it is very important use contemporary dal that’s in its shelf life. Ideally attempt to use unpolished tur dal.


21. When the stress drops naturally within the cooker, then solely take away the lid.


22. Mash the dal calmly with a picket spatula or spoon.


23. If the consistency of Tomato Dal is thick for you, then add water as required to get a medium consistency.
Combine nicely and simmer on low to medium-low warmth for five to six minutes or until you get a consistency that’s neither skinny, nor thick however has a medium consistency. Stir dal at intervals, whereas it’s simmering.
Test the style of the dal and add extra salt, if required. Change off the warmth.


24. Garnish Tomato Dal with chopped coriander leaves.


25. Serve Tomato Pappu sizzling or heat with steamed rice, avakaya, vegetable salad or any vegetable stir-fry that you simply choose.
You could possibly additionally serve with a facet of Gongura Pachadi for a comforting Andhra model meal.
If you happen to like, you possibly can drizzle some ghee whereas serving. Leftovers can be utilized inside a day. However preserve the leftover dal refrigerated.


Variations
- With Tamarind: Add a small marble-sized ball of tamarind (soaked in heat water and extracted) towards the top of cooking for a tangier taste. This variation is widespread in some Andhra households.
- Including Spinach (Palakura Pappu): Add a handful of chopped spinach together with the tomatoes for a extra nutritious model. It turns into a beautiful mixture of greens and lentils.
- Garlic Taste: Enhance the variety of garlic cloves within the tempering for a stronger garlicky style, which many individuals love paired with rice and ghee.
- Spicy Model: Add a teaspoon of pink chili powder after sautéing the tomatoes for a spicier model. Some even add a pinch of garam masala, although it’s much less conventional. You may also add extra inexperienced chillies.
- No Onion No Garlic Possibility: Skip onion and garlic solely for a satvic or temple-style preparation. It nonetheless tastes scrumptious because of the tomatoes and tempering spices.
Knowledgeable Suggestions
- Tomatoes: Use ripe and juicy tomatoes for the perfect style. Barely bitter tomatoes add a wonderful tanginess.
- Lentils: Use contemporary lentils, that are in its shelf interval. Don’t use aged tur dal. I like to recommend utilizing unpolished tuvar dal for the perfect style.
- Crimson Chillies: As a substitute of inexperienced chilies, you may as well add dried pink chilies. Bear in mind to take away their seeds.
- Skipping Ginger: If you’re not keen on ginger, then solely add the garlic paste or finely chopped garlic.
- Consistency: Modify the water based on your choice. Some choose a thicker consistency, whereas others prefer it barely runny. So alter the consistency of this dal by including roughly water.
- Dal Texture: Mash the cooked dal calmly for a smoother texture. If you happen to choose chunky lentils, mash very calmly or skip it.
- Gluten-free Lentils: For a gluten-free tomato dal, omit the asafoetida (hing) or use a gluten free asafoetida on this recipe.
FAQs
Tomato Pappu is a conventional Andhra-style lentil preparation made primarily with toor dal (pigeon peas) and ripe tomatoes. It’s easy, comforting, and usually seasoned with a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin, garlic, and curry leaves. It’s typically served with steamed rice and a drizzle of ghee.
Sure, you possibly can prepare dinner toor dal in a pot on the stovetop. Nevertheless, it takes longer — about 40 to 50 minutes relying on the standard of dal. Be sure to soak the dal for half-hour beforehand to cut back cooking time.
Whereas toor dal is historically used, you possibly can substitute it with moong dal (yellow break up mung beans) or masoor dal (pink lentils) for a barely totally different texture and style. Every lentil will give the pappu recipe a singular taste.
You possibly can management the spice stage by adjusting the variety of inexperienced chilies or dried pink chilies used. For a milder model, deseed the chilies or use fewer chilies. You may also stability extra warmth by including a bit extra cooked dal or a small spoon of contemporary cream whereas serving.
Tomato Pappu stays good within the fridge for as much as 1 day when saved in an hermetic container. Reheat it gently on the stovetop or microwave, including slightly water if it has thickened an excessive amount of.
Extra Dal Recipes To Strive!
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Tomato Pappu (Andhra Dal With Tomatoes)
Tomato Pappu is a conventional Andhra lentil dish made with tur dal (pigeon pea lentils), tomatoes, onions, inexperienced chilies, and a tempering of spices and curry leaves in ghee or oil. It has a tangy, spiced taste and is usually served with sizzling steamed rice, a drizzle of ghee, papad and a facet of avakaya pickle or vegetable stir-fry.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook dinner Time 15 minutes
Complete Time 30 minutes
Stop your display screen from going darkish whereas making the recipe
Soaking arhar dal
Decide and rinse arhar dal a few instances in contemporary water. Then soak the arhar dal (pigeon pea lentils) in contemporary water for 15 to twenty minutes.
Later drain all of the water from the dal and preserve the arhar dal apart.
Cooking lentils, tomatoes, spices
Warmth oil or ghee in a stovetop stress cooker.
Add the mustard seeds first and allow them to crackle on low to medium-low warmth.
Subsequent add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
Add the finely chopped onions, curry leaves and chopped inexperienced chilies. Sauté the onions stirring typically on low to medium-low warmth until they soften and switch translucent.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a couple of seconds on a low to medium-low warmth or till their uncooked aroma goes away.
Subsequent add the finely chopped tomatoes, pink chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida (hing) and salt as required.
Saute for two to three minutes on a medium-low to medium warmth.
Add the lentils and water. Stir and blend nicely.
Making tomato pappu
- Shut and seal the cooker tightly with its lid. Stress prepare dinner on excessive warmth for 7 to eight whistles (about 9 to 10 minutes) or till the lentils are softened and cooked utterly. Timing to prepare dinner dal will rely on the standard of dal, dimension of stress cooker and depth of warmth.
When the stress drops naturally within the cooker, then solely take away the lid.
Mash the dal calmly. If the consistency is thick then add water as required to get a medium consistency within the dal. Stir and blend nicely.
Simmer the tomato dal for five to six minutes on a low to medium-low warmth until you get a dal which is neither skinny nor thick however having a medium consistency.
When you get the suitable consistency, verify the style and add extra salt if required.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve Tomato Pappu sizzling or heat with steamed rice, avakaya or most popular mango pickle and vegetable stir-fry.
Whereas serving you possibly can add a little bit of ghee.
- Soak lentils for an hour earlier than cooking them.
- Comply with the identical recipe methodology. Nevertheless, add 3 to three.5 cups water, cowl and prepare dinner the lentils until delicate and completely cooked. There must be no separate grains seen. The consistency of the lentils must be clean and creamy. Add extra water, if required.
- Use a deep pot whereas cooking, because the lentils begin frothing whereas cooking. If the combination froths up and begins popping out, take away the lid and prepare dinner.
- Use ripe, juicy tomatoes for finest taste.
- Cook dinner dal till delicate and mashable for clean texture.
- Modify spice by various inexperienced chilies or pink chili powder.
- Add garlic in tempering for a conventional Andhra style.
- End with a spoonful of ghee for a richer taste. Serve sizzling with steamed rice and a facet of avakaya pickle or fryums.
Vitamin Details
Tomato Pappu (Andhra Dal With Tomatoes)
Quantity Per Serving
Energy 155 Energy from Fats 72
% Every day Worth*
Fats 8g12%
Saturated Fats 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fats 1g
Monounsaturated Fats 6g
Sodium 648mg28%
Potassium 230mg7%
Carbohydrates 18g6%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 756IU15%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 29mg145%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 64mg78%
Vitamin E 3mg20%
Vitamin Okay 7µg7%
Calcium 42mg4%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 311µg78%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 16mg4%
Phosphorus 32mg3%
Zinc 1mg7%
* % Every day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie food plan.
Tomato Pappu recipe from the archives was first revealed on September 2013.