Tomato Pappu Recipe
Although I am not from Andhra, my Tomato Pappu recipe is just as good as any localite’s. I have perfected it over the years with my taste buds assisting me. Do try!
In my house, we make a dal almost every day. Here are some of the dal recipes that are our favorite: Toor Dal, Yellow Moong Dal, White Urad Dal, Lauki Chana Dal, and Shahi Dal.
Andhra cuisine is one of my favorite Indian cuisines. During our Bangalore days, we used to go to an Andhra thali place every week without fail. Even today, an Andhra thali meal is a must if I visit Bangalore.
The best part of that meal was the pappu, the Andhra-style lentils. This lentil dish is spicy, tangy, and very texture-rich.
When I tried making it at home, I couldn’t replicate the taste and texture of the tomato pappu served at the thali place. After many trials and errors, I figured out the taste and texture I was looking for. It came from the small details, such as how to cut the onions and tomatoes, using urad dal in the tempering, and smashing the garlic instead of chopping it.
Try my recipe and let me know if it is similar to the one you tasted at one of the Andhra messes.
About Tomato Pappu
Tomato Pappu is a delicious lentil curry from the state of Andhra Pradesh. “Pappu” in Telugu refers to a lentil stew made with tomatoes. It is simple and flavorful and is commonly served with rice.
Tomato Pappu is not only nutritious due to the protein content of lentils but also offers a balance of flavors, with the sourness of tomatoes and tamarind, the heat of green chilies, and aromatic spices.
You can make this tomato dhal in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. For a comforting meal, serve it with hot steamed rice and avakaya. I always top my dal with a spoonful of ghee for extra flavor.
Ingredients
Toor Dal (Pigeon Pea Lentils) – Toor dal is traditionally used to make this recipe. However, you can replace it with yellow moong dal, pink masoor dal, or a combination of these lentils.
Tomatoes are the star ingredient of this recipe. Use red, ripe tomatoes.
Others – You will also need onions, salt, red chilli powder, oil, tamarind paste, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) to make this Andhra style tomato pappu recipe.
You can add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder while cooking the dal if you wish to.
For The Tempering – The cooked lentils are tempered with oil, cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, white urad dal, garlic, dry red chillies, green chillies, and curry leaves.
I have used Indian green chilies, but you can use jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers, or other chilies.
How To Make Tomato Pappu
Cook The Lentil
Rinse ½ cup of toor dal with water and soak it in 3-4 cups of water for 20 minutes.
Once the dal is soaked, let’s cook it. You can cook it in an Instant Pot or a stovetop pressure cooker. I am writing both methods below.
Add the following ingredients to the inner pot of an Instant Pot.
- soaked dal
- 1 cup tomatoes (cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 1 cup onions (cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oil
Add 2 cups of water to the pot and stir well using a wooden ladle to combine.
Now, close the lid of the Instant Pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press the PRESSURE COOK button and set the timer to 12 minutes at high pressure.
Note – The instant pot will take 10-12 minutes for the pressure to build and the timer to start.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a spoon to push the valve. Then open the lid of the Instant Pot.
Mix the dal well with a spatula or a wire whisk.
Then add 2 teaspoon tamarind paste to the cooked dal and mix well to combine.
Note – To cook the dal in a stovetop pressure cooker, add all the ingredients to a cooker and secure the lid. Cook over medium-high heat until 1 whistle comes. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, add tamarind paste, and mix the dal. Add some more water if the dal looks thick and whisk well.
Check for salt and tamarind paste, and add more if needed.
Temper The Pappu
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a small pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the following ingredients to the pan.
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon white urad dal
- 4-5 smashed garlic cloves
- 2-3 dry red chilies (broken into small pieces)
- 1-2 green chiles (cut into small pieces)
- 15-20 and curry leaves
Saute for 10-15 seconds.
Pour the tempering over the dal. Add 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and mix well.
Serve hot with a dollop of ghee on top.
Pro Tips By Neha
Cooking the lentils in an instant pot requires less water than cooking them in a traditional pressure cooker. So, adjust the thickness of the cooked dal by adding some more water if you cook it in a conventional pressure cooker.
I make slightly thin pappu as I like it soupy, but you can choose to make it thicker by adding less water while cooking.
Andhra food is traditionally very spicy, but I cannot handle too much heat, so I add fewer chilies to my recipe. If you like really spicy food, you can increase the quantity of red chili powder and green chilies to suit your taste preference.
Storage Suggestions
This Andhra tomato dal can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat in a microwave or a pan over the stovetop before serving.
You can also freeze it for upto a month. Thaw, reheat, and serve.
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Tomato Pappu Recipe
Ingredients
To Cook The Dal
- ½ cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 1 cup chopped onions (cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 2 teaspoons tamarind paste (or to taste)
For Tempering
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon white urad dal
- 4-5 garlic cloves (smashed)
- 2-3 dry red chilies (broken into small pieces)
- 1-2 green chilies (cut into small pieces)
- 15-20 curry leaves
Instructions
Cook The Lentil
- Rinse the dal and soak it in water for 20 minutes.
- Add soaked dal, tomatoes, onions, salt, red chili powder, and oil in an instant pot.
- Add 2 cups of water and stir to combine.
- Close the instant pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 12 minutes at high pressure.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
- Mix the dal well with a spatula or a wire whisk.
- Add tamarind paste and mix well.
- Note – To cook the dal in a traditional pressure cooker, cook it over medium-high heat for 1 whistle. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Add some more if the dal is thick and mix well.
- Check for salt and tamarind paste, and add more if needed.
Temper The Pappu
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, white urad dal, garlic cloves, dry red chilies, green chiles, and curry leaves.
- Saute for 10-15 seconds.
- Pour the tempering over dal. Add 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and mix well.
- Serve hot.
Loved this dal recipe! I used masoor dal and it worked perfectly. I can’t wait to try it again with toor dal or even a mix of the two. It was easy and quick to make and is absolutely delicious.
Thanks for trying