Mamidikaya Pappu is an Andhra Mango Dal recipe made with raw, green unripe sour mangoes, pigeon pea lentils, onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Andhra, South Indian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup pigeon pea lentils ((tur dal or arhar dal})
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • 1.75 to 2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 10 to 12 fenugreek seeds
  • 1 green chili (- chopped)
  • 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves (- crushed lightly or chopped)
  • ⅓ cup chopped onions (or 1 medium size onion, chopped)
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves
  • ½ cup chopped mango cubes (- unripe and green mangoes)
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (or as required)
  • 1 cup water (or as needed)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Method

Cooking lentils

  1. In a 3 liter pressure cooker, take tur dal. Add turmeric powder.
  2. Then, add 1.75 to 2 cups water and mix everything. If using a smaller size cooker, add less water.
  3. Pressure cook on medium heat for 7 to 8 whistles or for 10 to 12 minutes till the dal is cooked very well and mushy. For a smaller cooker, less time will be required for cooking dal.
  4. When pressure settles down naturally in the cooker, open the lid. Mash the cooked dal with a spoon. Keep aside.

Making Mamidikaya Pappu

  1. Heat oil in a pan. Keep flame to low and add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
  2. Then, add fenugreek seeds and chopped green chili Instead of green chili, you can use 1 dried red chili (broken and seeds removed) or even can use both.
  3. Fry till the fenugreek seeds change color. Keep heat to low or if the pan has become too hot, then you can switch off the heat. Then, add garlic cloves, crushed lightly or chopped.
  4. Fry till the garlic turns light golden.
  5. Then, add chopped onions and curry leaves.
  6. Mix and begin to sauté onions on low to medium-low heat till they turn translucent.
  7. When the onions become translucent, add chopped raw mango cubes and red chili powder. Mix well. For a spicier dal, you can add ½ teaspoon red chili powder.
  8. Then, add water.
  9. Cover the pan and cook the raw mango cubes till they soften. Do check in between.
  10. Cook till the mango pieces soften. If you press the mango pieces, they should get mashed.
  11. Now, add the cooked dal. Season with salt as per taste.
  12. Mix very well. If the dal looks very thick, then you can add some water.
  13. Cook on low heat for a few minutes or till the Mamidikaya Pappu comes to a boil.
  14. Switch off the heat and add chopped coriander leaves. Mix again. Optionally, you can garnish with coriander leaves while serving.
  15. Serve Mamidikaya Pappu with steamed rice.

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.