AI-generated image
Tomato pappu
టమాటా పప్పు: Andhra everyday toor dal cooked with tomatoes, green chilli and a garlic tempering
Pappu (dal) is the backbone of an Andhra meal, and tomato pappu is the one most Telugu households cook on an ordinary weekday. Toor dal is cooked with plenty of ripe tomatoes, onion, green chillies and a little tamarind, then mashed to a thick, rustic consistency and finished with a fierce garlic and red chilli popu (tempering). It's tangier and hotter than a North Indian dal, and it's mixed into hot rice with a spoon of ghee and eaten with avakaya pickle and a crisp fried vegetable. Chef's tip: mash the dal and tomatoes together with a whisk or a wooden mathu while hot; it gives the creamy, slightly rough texture that blending never does.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dal
For the tempering (popu)
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ oz toor dal, 3 ripe tomatoes, 1 onion, 3 green chillies, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 2 ½ cups water in a pressure cooker and cook for 4–5 whistles over a medium heat, or simmer in a covered pan for 35–40 minutes, until the dal is completely soft and collapsing.
20 minStep 2: Add 1 tsp tamarind paste, ½ tsp red chilli powder and 1 ¼ tsp salt and mash everything together well with a whisk or wooden masher until thick and creamy, with a few bits of tomato skin still visible.
Step 3: Simmer over a low heat for 4–5 minutes, adding a splash of hot water if it's too thick. It should pour slowly from the ladle, like thick porridge.
5 minStep 4: Heat 1 ½ tbsp groundnut oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds and ½ tsp cumin seeds; when they crackle, add 5 garlic cloves and fry until golden at the edges, about 40 seconds. Add 2 dried red chillies, ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida and 10 curry leaves and fry for 10 more seconds. Common mistake: letting the garlic go dark brown; it turns bitter and overpowers the dal. Pull the pan off as soon as it's golden.
1 minStep 5: Pour the sizzling tempering over the dal, sprinkle with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve hot with rice and ghee.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tomato pappu take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 toor dal?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sayur lodeh
Sayur lodeh is everyday cooking in Central Java, made in big pots in Solo and Semarang kitchens and ladled over rice, with lontong rice cakes at Lebaran, or alongside opor and sambal goreng on festive tables. It's soupy rather than thick: a fragrant broth of coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf that carries chunks of aubergine, long beans, chayote and sweetcorn, plus tempeh and tofu to make it a meal. The flavour is mellow and slightly sweet, so the heat comes from sambal on the side. Chef's tip: keep the pot at a gentle simmer once the coconut milk goes in and stir now and then — a rolling boil splits the coconut milk into oily curds.
Masala khakhra
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
Potato chakri
Potato chakri are crisp, light spirals made with rice flour and boiled potato, flavoured with ginger, chilli, lemon, sesame and coriander. The potato makes them extra tender-crisp. They keep for about 3 weeks in an air-tight container, so make them ahead for Diwali or guests.