Pappu charu is a andhra style basic lentil soup that is mostly eaten with rice. It is similar to sambar but is made without sambar powder or spice powder. I have shared the basic recipe here. You can also add in your favorite veggies like drumsticks or ladies finger.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Andhra

Ingredients

  • ½ cup kandi pappu (or pesara pappu (or a combination))
  • 1¼ cup water (or little more to pressure cook)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons tamarind (or lemon juice as needed)
  • 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 large tomato (chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 sprigs coriander leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt ((adjust to taste))
  • 1 green chilli (slit or chopped)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 Pinch hing (or asafoetida (optional))
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds (or jeera)
  • 1 pinch methi seeds (or menthulu)
  • 1 red chili (broken)
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic (crushed)

Method

  1. Pressure cook dal till smooth. I usually use 1 cup of water for ½ cup of dal and pressure cook for 2 whistles on a medium flame. You can also cook following pot-in-pot method by placing the bowl of dal inside the cooker. In this case pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. When the pressure releases mash it well.
  2. Soak tamarind in little water. Set aside.
  3. Heat ghee in a pot. Add red chili, mustard, cumin and methi. When they begin to crackle add garlic, curry leaves & hing.
  4. Add onions and sauté for a min. I like them to be crunchy. If you want them to be soft, fry till they are half done.
  5. Add tomatoes, green chilies sprinkle salt and turmeric, fry till the tomatoes turn fully mushy. If you do not want to use tomatoes, just proceed to next step
  6. Add red chili powder, mix well and fry for a min. Squeeze the tamarind and filter the water to the pot. Pour 1 cup plain water, bring it to a boil.
  7. When the water comes to a boil, add mashed dal or filter the dal through a colander like me to remove coarse grains. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Add coriander leaves.
  8. Serve pappu charu with rice, ghee and papad.

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.