Parippu Curry is simply a Moong Lentil Curry that is delicious and comforting. This lentil curry is also one of the popular ones that feature in the all-vegetarian festive feast called ‘Sadya,’ during Onam celebrations in Kerala.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Kerala, South Indian

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup moong dal (70 grams, (split & husked yellow mung lentils))
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder (or 2 pinches (ground turmeric))
  • ⅓ cup fresh grated coconut
  • 1 green chili (chopped or ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pearl onion (- sliced or 2 tablespoons, sliced)
  • ¼ cup water (- for grinding)
  • ⅓ to ½ cup water (- to be added later)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or ghee)
  • ⅓ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 or 2 dry red chilies (- broken and seeds removed)
  • 9 to 10 curry leaves
  • 2 to 3 pearl onions (- thinly sliced or ¼ cup sliced)

Method

Pressure cooking moong lentils

  1. Rinse moong dal in water a couple of times. Then add rinsed moong dal in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Also add turmeric powder and 1 cup water.
  2. Pressure cook on medium to high heat for 5 to 6 whistles or for 8 to 9 minutes.
  3. Once the pressure settles down, remove the lid and check the lentils. They should be softened and cooked thoroughly.
  4. Mash the cooked moong dal with a spoon or masher. Keep aside.

Making coconut paste

  1. Meanwhile, while the dal is cooking, take grated coconut, chopped green chillies, sliced pearl onion in a blender or grinder jar. For a spicy dal, you can add 2 green chilies or about 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped green chillies.
  2. Add cumin seeds and ¼ cup water.
  3. Grind to a smooth and fine paste. Add more water if required while grinding.

Making parippu curry

  1. Add this coconut paste to the mashed dal in the pressure cooker.
  2. Add ⅓ to ½ cup water.
  3. Season with salt as required.
  4. Mix well and keep the cooker on the stove top on a low to medium heat.
  5. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Keep stirring at intervals so that the dal does not stick to the bottom of the cooker. After 7 to 8 minutes of simmering cover with a lid and set aside.

Tempering for lentil curry

  1. Heat coconut oil or ghee in a small pan or tadka pan.
  2. Add ⅓ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
  3. Then add dry red chilies (broken and seeds removed), curry leaves and pearl onions (thinly sliced).
  4. Saute the onions stirring often till they turn golden.
  5. Once the onions turn golden, switch off the heat.
  6. Add the entire tempering mixture to the cooked lentils and mix well.
  7. Serve parippu curry 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.