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Paruppu sadam
Mashed rice and toor dal
பருப்பு சாதம்: Tamil soft rice and toor dal mashed together, finished with ghee and a gentle cumin and curry-leaf tempering
Long before they can manage rasam or sambar, children in Tamil homes are fed paruppu sadam: rice and toor dal cooked together until very soft, mashed smooth and loosened with a spoonful of ghee. It is plainer and wetter than a khichdi, with no vegetables or spice blend, just turmeric, salt and a light thalippu (tempering) of cumin, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. The same bowl is comfort food for grown-ups, eaten with a crisp potato roast, a fried appalam (urad papad) and a dollop of mango pickle. It also turns up at the start of a festive Tamil meal, where the first course is always dal rice with ghee. The texture should be creamy and spoonable, almost like a thick soup. Chef's tip: mash the rice and dal while they are piping hot; once they cool, the starch sets and the mash turns gluey rather than smooth.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the dal rice
- 3 ½ oz ponni or sona masoori rice
- 2 ⅛ oz toor dal (split pigeon peas)
- 2 ¾ cups water
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¾ tsp salt
For the thalippu (tempering)
- 2 tbsp gheedivided
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida
To serve
- 3 appalam (urad dal papad) (optional)fried or roasted
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 3 ½ oz ponni or sona masoori rice and 2 ⅛ oz toor dal (split pigeon peas) together in a bowl 3 times until the water runs almost clear.
Step 2: Put them in a pressure cooker with 2 ¾ cups water and ¼ tsp ground turmeric and cook on a medium heat for 5 whistles, about 15 minutes. Let the pressure drop by itself. In a pan, simmer covered for 35–40 minutes, topping up with hot water, until both are completely soft.
15 minStep 3: Open the cooker while it is still very hot, add ¾ tsp salt and mash hard with a ladle or potato masher until creamy. Add hot water a little at a time until it is soft and spoonable. Common mistake: undercooked dal stays grainy however much you mash; it should collapse when pressed.
3 minStep 4: Heat half the 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan over a medium heat. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds and, when it sizzles and darkens slightly, add 6 curry leaves and 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida for a few seconds.
1 minStep 5: Pour the tempering over the dal rice and stir it in. Serve warm in bowls with the rest of the 1 tbsp ghee spooned over the top and 3 appalam (urad dal papad) on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does paruppu sadam take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ponni or sona masoori rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of toor dal (split pigeon peas)?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
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