Tomato Pappu

Tomato and lentil stew with South Indian spices
Ingredients - Serves 4-5
  • 250 g tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ cup split pigeon peas (toor dal) or split red lentils (masoor dal) (split pigeon peas/toor dal will take longer to cook)
  • 2-3 green chillies, chopped (adjust based on your spice/heat tolerance)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • fresh coriander, chopped, optional
  • Salt, to taste
  • For the tempering
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 4-5 dried red chillies, broken into small pieces
  • 6-8 curry leaves, optional
  • a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Steps
  1. Cook the lentils separately until soft and mushy
    2. Use a {pressure cooker} to speed up the cooking
  2. Heat the oil in a pan. Fry fenugreek seeds until they start to brown. Add mustard seeds and dried red chillies and fry till the mustard seeds start to splutter
  3. Add the chillies, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida and fry till the curry leaves wilt
  4. Mix in the tomatoes and cook until soft and mushy
  5. Add turmeric and red chilli powder, mix well
  6. Mix in the cooked lentils, add up to ½ cup of water if necessary
  7. Garnish with fresh coriander, season with salt and serve hot with rice
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