Pappu Charu/ Pappu Plusu/Toor dal soup

Pappu Charu is a common dish in Andhra region. This soup is slightly different from sambar, another traditional soup in south part of India.. Pappu charu/ pappu pulusu, is made of dal, tamrind, veggies n tempering. But for sambar  the whole process is same except adding the sambar powder.
My mom used to prepare in large batches, so that we can have it at least for 2 days.. Served with hot rice, ghee n vadiyalu or papads, this dish leaves us in heaven..
We can use lots of veggies in pappu charu. Drumsticks, bottle gourd, okra are main veggies for pappu charu.  It goes well with fry's. Main combination's in my house for pappu charu are- potato fry, tindora fry, okra... wat not, everything goes well with this soup..
My favorite ingredient in pappu charu is onion. I rush for them when it is done. They are so tasty that jus melt in your mouth. I like when onions when they are in shape.

Source: Own
Preparation time: 15mins
Cooking time 20 mins


Ingredients:
Toor dal: 1cup
Tamarind: 2tbsp paste or big lemon sized soaked in hot water
Onion: 3-4, small, halved, Keep ends intact
Tomato: 1, diced
Carrot: 1 sliced
Green chili: 5-6, sliced length wise
U can use any kind of veggies like radish, okra, egg plant, beans, drumsticks,bottle gourd...
Chili powder: 1tsp
Salt: To taste
Coriander powder: 1tsp
Turmeric: 1tsp

For Tempering
Oil: 2tbsp
Mustard seeds: 2tsp
Cumin seeds: 2tsp
Urad dal: 1tsp
Red chili: 2-3
Garlic cloves: 3-4
Curry leaves: 2 springs
Hing/ asafeotida: pinch
Ghee/butter: 2tsp

Preparation:
1) In a pressure cooker,. cook dal with 3 cups of water for 3-4 whistles(depend son cooker). Mash it with spatula.
2) After releasing pressure, add tamarind, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder n salt and mix it. Now add vegetables n 1tsp oil. Add 3-4 cups water (Dont make it like rasam or too lightt. The consintency of charu should be like thick buttermilk. U should leave at least 3inch below the level of cooker, so that when u cook it doesn't over flow).

3) Cook for 10 mins, covered without putting whistle on medium heat.
4) Now reduce the heat to slow n remove the cover.
5) Now, on medium heat cook for another 10mins or until onions are tender
6) In a pan, heat oil n add red chillies. Fry for 30secs. Add urda dal, hing n fry for 30secs .
Now add, mustard seeds. Let them splutter n add cumin seeds. Add curry leaves n garlic pods. Fry for 30secs.
7) Transfer it to boiling soup n reduce the heat n cook for 2 mins. Adjust chili powder n salt to your taste.
8)  Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy with hot rice or idli, dosa...

       Pappu charu with rice n potato fry..

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Spinach with dal/ palakorra pappu

Spinach n dal-- has that unique taste. Dal can be cooked  in many ways n in the same way spinach too. Combination of spinach n dal with a touch of tomato, garlic n onion puts us in a divine pleasure. Spinach is a good source of nutrients like vitamin K,C.

So here is the recipe:
Source: own
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins


Ingredients: 
Toor Dal/ Red Gram Lentil: 1cup ( i use rice cooker cup)
Spinach: 2 cups (I used fresh bagged spinach, if it is frozen use 11/2 cups)
Onion: 1 medium, finely chopped
Tomato: 1 large, diced
Green Chillies: 3, sliced
Turmeric powder/ Haldi : 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1-2 tsp ( or to taste)
Salt: 1 tsp
 Amchur : 1tsp or 2,3 pieces  ( i use amchur in my dal ,as it gives mango flavor. if u want to use tamarind u can use upto 2 tsp tamarind pulp)
Water: 4 cups
for Tempering/ Poppu:
Oil: 1tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Dried whole red chillies: 2-3
Garlic cloves: 3-4, crushed
Curry leaves: 2 stems
A pinch of hing/asafeotida
Salt: to taste
Ghee: 1 tbsp ( butter or ghee. i, normally use smart balance as it contains omega 3 n doesn't have hydrogenated oils)

Cooking:
1) In a pressure cooker, put all the ingredients . Cook up to 3-4 whistles( depends on cooker, mine takes 3) and let it cool down for 10 mins or so.
2) In a small pan, heat oil and then add red chili pieces. Now add mustard seeds n let it splutter. After that add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves, crushed garlic and butter.
3) Turn heat off n add  tempering to cooked dal. Mix it n cover, so that smell of butter doesn't escape
4) Serve with Chapati or rice.

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Dal with Collard Greens

This is my first post.

Normally, i cook dal with spinach  methi and red sorrel. I was running out of all leafy veggies n started searching in my fridge. I came across these collard greens which i use in salads.So, i thought of cooking greens with dal, as it adopts the flavor of anything.

Though collard greens are cousins of mustard leaves, they do have their own distinct flavor. These greens stand out as a nutritional superstar. Really, it contains lots of nutrients that we require in our daily life such as vitamin A, K, C n omega-3 fatty acids and many more...

Lets come to preparation part:

Source : My own
Prep time: 7 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:
Toor Dal/ Red Gram Lentil: 11/2 cup ( i use rice cooker cup)
Collard Greens: 2 cups ( here i used frozen one,if it is fresh, finely chopped)
Onion: 1 medium, finely chopped
Tomato: 1 large, diced
Green Chillies: 3, sliced
Turmeric powder/ Haldi : 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1-2 tsp ( or to taste)
Salt: 1 tsp
Ginger: 1 tsp finely chopped
Amchur : 1tsp or 2,3 pieces  ( i use amchur in may dal ,as it gives mango flavor. if u want to use tamarind u can use upto 2 tsp tamarind pulp)
Water: 4 cups
for Tempering/ Poppu:
Oil: 1tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Dried whole red chillies: 2-3
Garlic cloves: 3-4, crushed
Curry leaves: 2 stems
A pinch of hing/asafeotida
Salt: to taste
Ghee: 1 tbsp ( butter or ghee. i, normally use smart balance as it contains omega 3 n doesn't have hydrogenated oils)

Cooking:
1) In a pressure cooker, put all the ingredients . Cook up to 3-4 whistles( depends on cooker, mine takes 3) and let it cool down for 10 mins or so.
2) In a small pan, heat oil and then add red chili pieces. Now add mustard seeds n let it splutter. After that add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves, crushed garlic and butter.
3) Turn heat off n add  tempering to cooked dal. Mix it n cover, so that smell of butter doesn't escape
4) Serve with Chapati or rice.

                                   Chapathi with collard greens dal and black eyed peas curry

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