Pachi Mirapakaya Pappu or Toor Dal with green chilies is a common simple dal we make for all festival feasts, especially Ugadi ~ Andhra New Year. This spicy mirchi dal features in our regular everyday Andhra meals as well.
While we make this dal in everyday meal, when it comes to festival times, we all get excited to make special dishes for the day right. Well, depending on which festival you are going to celebrate, the dishes vary. However, when it comes to the festival food that we cook and offer to God, we cook some dishes for all festivals.
Also in my parents' home, it is always Green chili dal or Pachi Mirapakaya Pappu for the dal to be offered. Amma makes this dal without fail for all festivals.
Like the Ugadi Festival where we feature special Ugadi Recipes or the Andhra Thali we make for festivals. The other festivals like Purattasi Shanivaralu Panduga.
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Ingredients
To make this Green Chili dal, you will only need regular pantry ingredients that are easily available. I have added pictures to show what goes into the boiling for the dal and the ingredients used for tempering.
For the Dal Boiling:
- Lentils - Toor Dal or Spilt Pigeon Peas are used to make this dal.
- Green chilies - 5 -6 of the regular green chilies you get during any season. We get two different ones, sometimes we get very dark-coloured green chilies that are quite spicy and the other variety the light green ones. Also depending on the variety you can decide how many to add.
- Tomatoes - Ripe medium-sized ones are the tomatoes to select.
- Turmeric - quarter teaspoon.
- Tamarind - 2-inch piece, you can add it directly or you can soak it in water for 5 mins
- Coriander leaves - few
- Salt to taste - We normally use rock salt for making dal.
For the Seasoning
- Seasoning Spice - a mix of cumin seeds, Mustard seeds, and Urad dal is used, approx a teaspoon.
- Onions - regular white or violet approx about 1/4 cup
- Curry leaves a sprig
- Garlic pods - 4 crushed with the skin.
- Cooking Oil - You can use any oil of your choice. I have used about 2 teaspoons of refined sunflower
Instructions
Easiest method to make this dal is pressure cooking it. The dal involves two steps. First step is quite easy to prep and cook as we assemble all the ingredients needed for the dal to be pressure cooked with enough water. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Second is the tempering the dal.
Prep work for Pachi Mirapakaya Pappu
Wash the dal a couple of times, chop the tomatoes, break the green chilies into two
Boiling the Dal
In a pressure cooker, take all ingredients listed under the first step except salt.
Add enough water to cover the dal. Pressure cook for 4 -5 whistles.
First of all, wait for the pressure too cool off, then remove the lid, and drain the water to a bowl.
Leave one or two green chilies, and remove the rest to a bowl.
In a deep vessel, add rock salt, and the cooked dal along with tomatoes, tamarind, and green chilies.
Take the pappu guthi or masher, and mash everything well.
Adjust salt and spice, if you want more spice to be added, add a few green chilies back and churn again.
Pour back the dal water into the dal and put it on flame, simmer, and let it thicken.
Tempering the Dal
Heat a pan with oil and sputter with cumin seeds, mustard, and urad dal.
Next, add onions, and garlic and sauté well. You saute until the onions get slightly brown.
Pour the tempering spice over the simmering dal.
Finally cook on high flame for a few minutes, until it reaches the required consistency.
Substitutions & Variations
Traditionally we always make this dal with Toor dal. However, for a variation you can try using split moong dal or masoor dal as well.
We also make a dal with dried red chilies, Endu Mirapakaya Pappu
Equipment
We need a pressure cooker along with a deep vessel for mashing the dal. Using pressure cooking dal is faster.
Expert tip
This Green Chili Dal is spicy as we use whole green chilies. However, you can control the spice by mashing just the number of chilies you want. The spice from all the green chilies absorb during pressure cooking. So depending on how much spice you want, you can remove or add the chilies.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
How to make Pachi Mirapakaya Pappu ~ Green Chilli Dal
Ingredients
Ingredients Needed:
- 100 gms Toor Dal
- 6 Green chilies depending on your choice
- 2 medium Tomatoes
- A pinch Turmeric
- 2 inch Tamarind
- Coriander leaves few
- Salt to taste
For Tempering
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon Urad dal
- 1/4 cup Onions
- Curry Leaves
- 4 pods Garlic pods
- 2 teaspoons Cooking Oil
Instructions
Prep work for Pachi Mirapakaya Pappu
- Wash the dal a couple of times, chop the tomatoes, break the green chilies into two
Boiling the Dal
- In a pressure cooker, take all ingredients listed under the first step except salt.
- Add enough water to cover the dal. Pressure cook for 4 -5 whistles.
- Once the pressure is off, remove the lid, and drain the water to a bowl.
- Leave one or two green chilies, and remove the rest to a bowl.
- In a deep vessel, add rock salt, and the cooked dal along with tomatoes, tamarind, and green chilies.
- Take the pappu guthi or masher, and mash everything well.
- Adjust salt and spice, if you want more spice to be added, add a few green chilies back and churn again.
- Pour back the dal water into the dal and put it on flame, simmer, and let it thicken.
Tempering the Dal
- Heat a pan with oil and sputter with cumin seeds, mustard, and urad dal.
- Next, add onions, and garlic and sauté well. You saute until the onions get slightly browned.
- When it's done, pour this over the simmering dal.
- Cook on high flame for a few minutes, until it reaches the required consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
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Usha Rao says
We usually make pachi michi dal with moong dal and no tamarind. It is lime and/or tomato or none. After seeing your recipe, I tried it with toor dal and tamarind. Loved the dal and will be including it my daily dal recipes.
Kalyani says
FOr my spice loving elder one, we made this and enjoyed it a lot, Valli. Usually I use tomato but tamarind was great here.
Priya Srinivasan says
Wow green chili dal, amazing valli. Dal is our absolute favorite, that too my elder one can have it all 3 times with rice. I m sure he would love this punchy dal.
Radha says
This version sounds equally tasty. I always use a mixture of both chilies, but will try this version along with the addition of tamarind.
Archana says
Mom used to make this dal but without onion and garlic. Made some after seeing your dal and it smells deliicous.