Tomato Pappu is a traditional Andhra lentil dish made with tur dal (pigeon pea lentils), tomatoes, onions, green chilies, and a tempering of spices and curry leaves in ghee or oil. It has a tangy, spiced flavor and is typically served with hot steamed rice, a drizzle of ghee, papad and a side of avakaya pickle or vegetable stir-fry.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Andhra, South Indian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup toor dal ((tuvar dal, pigeon pea lentils))
  • 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ⅓ to ½ cup or (1 medium-sized) onion (- finely chopped)
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 1 green chili (- chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (- 1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves crushed to a paste in a mortar)
  • 1 to 1.25 cups or (2 medium-sized) tomatoes (- finely chopped)
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 pinch of asafoetida ((hing))
  • 2 cups water (- for pressure cooking)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (- chopped)

Method

Soaking arhar dal

  1. Pick and rinse arhar dal a couple of times in fresh water. Then soak the arhar dal (pigeon pea lentils) in fresh water for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Later drain all the water from the dal and keep the arhar dal aside.

Cooking lentils, tomatoes, spices

  1. Heat oil or ghee in a stovetop pressure cooker.
  2. Add the mustard seeds first and let them crackle on low to medium-low heat.
  3. Next add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
  4. Add the finely chopped onions, curry leaves and chopped green chilies. Sauté the onions stirring often on low to medium-low heat till they soften and turn translucent.
  5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a few seconds on a low to medium-low heat or until their raw aroma goes away.
  6. Next add the finely chopped tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida (hing) and salt as required.
  7. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes on a medium-low to medium heat.
  8. Add the lentils and water. Stir and mix well.

Making tomato pappu

  1. Close and seal the cooker tightly with its lid. Pressure cook on high heat for 7 to 8 whistles (about 9 to 10 minutes) or until the lentils are softened and cooked completely. Timing to cook dal will depend upon the quality of dal, size of pressure cooker and intensity of heat.
  2. When the pressure drops naturally in the cooker, then only remove the lid.
  3. Mash the dal lightly. If the consistency is thick then add water as required to get a medium consistency in the dal. Stir and mix well.
  4. Simmer the tomato dal for 5 to 6 minutes on a low to medium-low heat till you get a dal which is neither thin nor thick but having a medium consistency.
  5. Once you get the right consistency, check the taste and add more salt if required.
  6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
  7. Serve Tomato Pappu hot or warm with steamed rice, avakaya or preferred mango pickle and vegetable stir-fry.
  8. While serving you can add a bit of ghee.

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.