Beerakaya pappu is a basic Andhra style lentil dish made with lentils, ridge gourd, tomatoes & spices. Serve with rice or roti.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Andhra
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)
- 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))
Method
How to Make Beerakaya Pappu
- Wash the ridge gourd well and peel the skin. Cube it to 1 inch pieces.
- Add dal to a pot or pressure cooker. Rinse it well a few times and drain the water. Pour 1½ cups water.
- Then add ridge gourd, onions, green chilies, tamarind, tomatoes & ginger garlic paste. Cover with a lid.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles if cooking in a pot in pot method. I usually cook directly in the cooker for 2 whistles.
- Once the pressure reduces. open the lid & mash the dal to smooth. Add turmeric and salt.
- Adjust the consistency by adding water if desired. Bring it to a boil if you add more water.
Temper
- Heat oil in a pan for tadka. Add red chilies, mustard, and cumin when they begin to splutter, add garlic and curry leaves. Fry till the curry leaves turn crisp. Turn off the stove. Add hing, turmeric & red chilli powder.
- Quickly mix & pour this over the dal. Off the heat and mix well. Serve beerakaya pappu with rice ghee and pickle.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.