Beerakaya Pappu

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Toor dal or kandhi pappu
• ¼ cup Moong dal or Pesara pappu (or toor dal)
• 1 to 2 green chilies
• ¼ cup onion fine chopped
• ½ cup tomatoes fine chopped
• 1 tsp Tamarind or as needed
• 1½ cups ridge gourd or beerakaya chopped, tender, pieces
• ½ to 1 tsp ginger garlic paste (optional)
• Salt to taste

Talimpu (To Temper)

• 1 to 2 tbsp Oil or ghee
• 2 sprigs curry leaves fresh
• 2 to 3 small garlic cloves gently crushed
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds or jeera
• 1 pinch hing or asafoetida
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 dried red chilies broken
• ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (optional)

Steps

How to Make Beerakaya Pappu

1. Rinse the ridge gourd thoroughly, peel it and cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. Put the dal in a pot or pressure cooker, rinse it thoroughly several times and drain. Pour in 1½ cups water.
3. Put in the ridge gourd, onions, green chilies, tamarind, tomatoes and ginger garlic paste, then cover with a lid.
4. For pot-in-pot cooking, pressure-cook for 3 whistles. The reported usual method cooks the dal directly in the cooker for 2 whistles.
5. Wait for the pressure to reduce before opening the lid. Mash the dal smooth, then add turmeric and salt.
6. If you want to adjust the consistency, add water; bring the dal to a boil if more water is added.

Temper

1. For the tadka, heat oil in a pan and add red chilies, mustard and cumin. When they start spluttering, add the garlic and curry leaves, and fry until the leaves are crisp. Turn the stove off, then put in hing, turmeric and red chilli powder.
2. Mix quickly and pour the tempering over the dal. Turn off the heat and mix thoroughly, then serve the beerakaya pappu with rice, ghee and pickle.