Go Back

Kerala style Parippu/Dal Curry

Toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas) simmered with coconut and spices
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, Kerala

Ingredients

For the dal (parippu):

  • 1.5 cups Katoomba toor dal; washed and soaked for at least 1 hour
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt; to season
  • ¾ th cup grated coconut
  • 2 green chillies medium heat variety
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp cumin/jeera seeds
  • 1 tbsp coconut/veg oil
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 dry red chilli

For the fried shallots:

  • ¾ th cup Katoomba ghee
  • 5 shallots; sliced
  • 2-3 sprigs curry leaves

Instructions

For the dal:

  • Cook the dal with enough water, salt and turmeric powder till very soft. Mash the dal well to break up the lumps and get a smooth consistency.
  • Blend grated coconut, green chilli, garlic and jeera with just enough water to get a fine, thick paste like consistency.
  • Return the mashed dal to heat, add the ground coconut paste and mix well. Bring to boil; taste and season with salt if necessary. Cook till the rawness of the coconut disappears; the final consistency of the dal must be slightly thick and not too watery.
  • In another small pan, heat coconut oil and add the mustard seeds. When it begins to crackle, add the dry red chillies and fry on low heat for 5 seconds. Pour over the cooked dal and keep it covered for at least 10 minutes before serving.

For the shallots:

  • In a pan, heat ghee and add the sliced shallots. Fry on medium heat for 3 minutes and then add the curry leaves. Continue to fry till the shallots are lightly browned. Remove to a small serving dish.
  • Add the fried shallots to the dal only at the time of serving. Alternately, pour the dal over rice and then pour a little of the ghee and fried shallots on top.
  • Tuck in!

Notes

The fried shallots in ghee can be stored upto 2 weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. Heat in the microwave till the ghee melts.
Soaking the lentils enables it to cook faster. If you don’t have time, soak the lentils in hot water for 10 minutes and then proceed to cook. Also pressure cooker/instapot is a faster way to cook lentils.
• The shallots used must be the Indian/Asian variety. The golden shallots do not lend the same flavour.