Spicy Pepper Rasam | Miriyaala Charu

Spicy addition of black pepper to make yummy rasam

Do you know Black Pepper is a native to India? It originated from Kerala and then spread to the rest of south India and then became famous as a spice plant in entire Southeast Asia. It has become so famous that almost every dish contains at least a pinch of black pepper. 

Black pepper helps in curing indigestion and also promotes intestinal health. Especially, when a person is suffering from cold, black pepper provides a soothing relief to the sore throat and suppresses coughs. 

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Broccoli – Capsicum Pappu (Dal)

We love a variety of dal dishes. I think all Andhrites are very fond of dal dishes. Every day we make sure we have any dal item or sambar item to eat with rice.  

As my kids also enjoy the taste of these dal dishes, I add different kinds of vegetables to this to make it healthier. I sometimes sneak in the vegetables like Broccoli and Celery into these dal dishes and the kids don’t even realize it and eat happily.

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Split Moong Dal Stew (Pesara Pappu Kootu)

Belated Happy Mother’s Day to all! Hope you had a nice one. Coming to today’s recipe, this is a different kind of dal recipe where we cook moong dal with a tasty combination of coconut, urad dal and vegetables. We love to make different kinds of pappu varieties. This is very delicious yet simple recipe that goes well with steaming hot rice. 

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Dosakaya Mukkala Pulusu (Cucumber Stew)

This is one of our family favorites. This pulusu tastes so good with rice and some papads on the side. The cucumbers I used in this recipe are from our garden. It feels so good to grow your own vegetables and cook them. Isn’t it?

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All – In – One Daal

This is a very simple but filling dal that contains all the healthy ingredients. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Moong Dal (Pesara Pappu)
• ½ cup Toor Dal (Kandi Pappu)
• ½ cup Chana Dal (Senaga Pappu)
• ½ cup chopped Carrot
• ½ cup chopped Spinach
• ¼ cup Green Peas (I used frozen Peas)
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3 Green Chilies, chopped
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• A pinch of Asafetida (Hing, Inguva)
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• Salt
• A small piece of Ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Combine all three dals in the ingredients and wash well. Then add turmeric powder and pressure-cook them with 3 cups of water for 3 to 4 whistles. When the pressure is gone, mash the dal well with a spatula and keep aside. 

Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop add cumin seeds and stir well. Then add onions + tomatoes + green chilies + spinach + carrot + ginger and stir well.

To this add asafetida and mix well. Pour some water just to soak the vegetables, cover and allow the veggies to cook well and become soft. 

When the veggies are well cooked, add the dal, mix well and leave it on low flame for some time. Add salt and mix well.

Later turn the flame off and transfer the dal to a serving bowl and enjoy with rice or chapathis. Yummy!!

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Cranberry Pappu (Daal)

This is an ultimate comfort food prepared in a simplest way. Tastes so good too!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pigeon Peas (కంది పప్పు, Toor Dal)
• ¼ cup Cranberries (fresh or frozen), chopped
• ½ tsp Coriander – Cumin Powder
• ½ tsp Red Chili Powder (or 2-3 Green Chilies)
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• Salt

For Seasoning/Tempering:

• 1 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• Few Curry Leaves
• 2 or 3 whole red chilies, broken
• A pinch of Asafetida

Preparation:

Wash and place the toor dal in a bowl. Add chopped cranberries + turmeric + coriander – cumin powder and mix well.

Cover and pressure – cook for 4 whistles. When all the pressure is gone, take the bowl out, add salt and mix well with a spoon. Keep aside.

In a small pan heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds + curry leaves + asafetida + red chilies and sauté well.

Pour this on top of the cooked dal and mix well. Enjoy this simple and yummy dal with rice or chapathis.

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Vankaaya Kootu (Eggplant/Brinjal Stew)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor Dal (Kandipappu)
• 4 small Eggplants
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Urad Dal
• 1 tsp Chana dal
• 1 tsp Coconut
• 3 or 4 Green Chilies (or more)
• A pinch of Turmeric powder
• A pinch of Asafetida (Inguva, Hing)
• Salt
• 1 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• Few Curry Leaves
• Few Cilantro Leaves

Preparation:

1. Place toor daal and eggplant pieces together in a bowl and pressure cook until 3 whistles.
2. Meanwhile, dry roast (with no oil) coriander seeds + urad dal + chana dal and grind into a paste along with coconut and green chilies. Keep aside.
3. Take out the toor dal + eggplant mixture out of the pressure cooker and mash it well with a fork or back of a spatula until you get smooth texture.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds + curry leaves and fry well.
5. Add cooked dal + ground paste and mix well. Add turmeric + asafetida + salt and mix well again. Keep on low flame for some time until bubbles appear on top and turn off the flame. Garnish with cilantro and serve with steaming hot rice with a dollop of ghee. Yum!!

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Celery Pappu

A healthy way to eat regular daal and tastes so delicious too!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pigeon Peas (Kandi Pappu, Toor daal)
• 1 cup diced Celery
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• Few Cilantro leaves
• A pinch of Turmeric
• 3 or 4 Green chilies, chopped
• Salt

For Seasoning/Tempering:

• 1 tsp oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• A pinch of Asafetida (Inguva, Hing)

Preparation:

Pressure cook daal until it is cooked. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan or bowl and add all the other ingredients under For Seasoning/Tempering in order.

Then add all the chopped vegetables (celery, tomato and green chilies) and mix well. Add turmeric and mix well.

Pour some water, cover and allow the vegetables to cook well.

When the veggies appear to be cooked, add cooked daal and mix well. Add salt as needed.

Keep the pan on low flame for 2 minutes, sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and turn off the flame.

Transfer the pappu to a serving bowl and enjoy with rice or chapathis.

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Sorakaya Pulusu Koora (Bottle Gourd in a Tangy Gravy)

Whenever I buy bottle gourd I always make this yummy dish. This is one of our favorite dishes to eat with rice/chapathis. 

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Mung Bean Sprouts Pappu

Mung Bean sprouts are rich in protein and vitamins C and B complex. I added these to the regular pappu to make it healthier. It tasted so delicious too.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pigeon Peas (Kandi Pappu, Toor Daal)
• ¼ cup chopped Mung Bean Sprouts
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 to 3 Green Chilies
• 1 tsp dry Coconut powder
• A small piece of Ginger
• Few Curry Leaves
• Few Cilantro Leaves
• 1 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• A pinch of Asafetida (Inguva, Hing)
• A pinch of Turmeric
• Salt

Mung Bean Sprouts (Picture Courtesy: Chinesefood.about.com)

Preparation:

Wash and pressure cook toor daal for 3 whistles (until cooked).

Meanwhile, grind ginger + green chilies + coconut powder into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan/bowl and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds + ginger paste + tomatoes + curry leaves + asafetida + turmeric and sauté well for some time.

Then add chopped bean sprouts and pour little water and allow the sprouts to cook for some time and become soft.

Later add cooked daal and mix well. Add salt as required. Keep it on low flame until bubbles are formed on top, mix well and turn off the flame. Finally add chopped cilantro and mix well.

Enjoy this yummy and healthy pappu with rice or chapathis.

Yummy!!

On a Different Note:

Check out my daughter’s blog where she blogged about 2 beautiful Mother’s Day Poems that she has written for the Mother’s Day.

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Simple Cauliflower Pappu

Today I am blogging about a simple but delicious pappu (daal) made with cauliflower. This is an ultimate comfort food for any day.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor Daal (Kandi Pappu)
• ½ cup Cauliflower Florets, finely chopped
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped into pieces
• 2 or 3 Green Chilies, cut into small pieces
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• A pinch of Asafetida (Inguva, Hing)
• Some Cilantro Leaves
• Salt as required

For Tempering/Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Pressure-cook toor dal until 3-4 whistles.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a bowl/pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds.

Then add cauliflower + tomato + green chilies, pour little water and leave it on medium flame until the veggies cook well.

When the veggies become soft, add the cooked toor dal and mix well. To this add turmeric powder + hing and mix well. Add little more water, if needed.

Finally add cilantro + salt and mix well. When dal comes to a boil, turn off the flame.

Transfer the cooked dal to a serving bowl and enjoy. It goes well with rice/chapathi.

On a Different Note:

Have you ever read a story written by a kid? As you already knew my 10-year old has her own blog called “Crazy World of Art” where she shares her art works, craft works and stories. She couldn’t update her blog for many days due to school work, but now she got some time and she posted a beautiful story. Please encourage her by visiting her blog and leaving your precious comments. I think kids would definitely enjoy this story told by a kid. Thank you!! Here is the link:

http://myartisticworld.blogspot.com/2009/11/shortcut-that-started-it-all.html

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Lentils with Ridge Gourd (Beerakaya Pappu/Dhal)

This is a very simple side dish which is very comforting and delicious. Coming to the health benefits, we all know all the lentils are good sources of protein. Lentils are also rich in calcium, vitamin B and iron. Ridge Gourd is a healthy vegetable too! It’s rich in minerals, fiber, Vitamin C and lot more. It has an excellent cooling effect of our body.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Tuvar Dhal (Kandi Pappu)
• 2 small Ridge Gourds
• 1 Tomato
• 2 or 3 Green Chilies
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• A pinch of Asafetida (Hing/Inguva)
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 dry Red Chili, broken into 2 pieces (optional)
• A handful of Cilantro Leaves (Kottimeera)
• 1 tsp Oil
• Salt

Preparation:

Wash and pressure cook toor daal until soft.

Peel and chop ridge gourd into small pieces. Chop tomato and green chilies into small pieces.

In a pan/bowl heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds + red chili + asafetida and stir well.

Then add ridge gourd pieces along with tomato and green chilies and mix well. Pour some water just enough to boil the veggies. Add turmeric and mix well. Then cover the pan and let the veggies cook well and become soft.

Later add cooked daal and mix well. Leave it on the stove on low flame until bubbles form on top and daal comes to a boil.

Finally add cilantro leaves and salt. Mix well and switch off the flame.

Enjoy this yummy daal with hot rice and some ghee. This is a very comforting food!!

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Honeydew Melon Sambhar

This is the yummiest sambhar I ever made. This is a little sweet and sour in taste. I usually prepare such sambhars with ripe mangoes, sweet potatoes, apples etc. I thought why not try to make this with honeydew melon and I tried it. Everyone liked the taste so much and enjoyed it heartily.

Ingredients:

• 3 fistfuls of Toor Dal (Kandi Pappu)
• 1 cup of honeydew melon peeled and cut into pieces (approx.)
• 1 or 2 Tomatoes, chopped into pieces
• A few Curry Leaves
• A handful of Cilantro
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Oil
• A pinch of Turmeric
• A pinch of Asafetida (Inguva, Hing)
• 1 tsp Sambhar Powder
• 1 tsp Tamarind Pulp (or as required)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Chili Powder (I didn’t add this as my kids wanted it non-spicy)
• Salt
  

Preparation:

Pressure cook toor dal until it’s done. Keep aside.

In a bowl heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds and fry for 2 seconds.

Then add curry leaves + tomatoes + melon pieces + turmeric + sambhar powder + asafetida to the bowl and stir well. Add the chili powder too if using. Add a small amount of water just to soak the melon pieces, cover and leave the bowl for some time on medium flame.

After some time check if the melon pieces are soft (don’t let it turn too soft and mushy). If they are soft, add the cooked dal along with tamarind pulp and sugar and stir well. Add some more water and let the sambhar cook for some time more until it comes to a boiling point. Add salt and cilantro and mix well.

You can feel the aroma while this yummy sambhar is cooking. It fills the whole house with hunger with its aroma!

Switch off the flame and enjoy hot sambhar with steaming rice and some ghee (optional). I bet you can’t stop yourself with one serving of this yummy sambhar!

This is my contribution to “WYF: Side Dish” event hosted by EasyCrafts.

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Tale of a Tangy Soup (Pachi Pulusu)

This is a kind of sambar that is very easy to prepare and is a blend of three tastes like tangy, spicy and sweet. We call it as “Pachchi Pulusu” in Telugu.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium Onion, chopped lengthwise
• 1 Tomato, cut into small pieces
• 4 or 5 Green Chilies, cut into small pieces
• Some Cilantro Leaves
• 1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Rice Flour (to thicken)
• Salt and Water as required

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal, Pachchi Senaga Pappu)
• 1 tsp Black Gram Dal (Urad Dal, Minapa Pappu)
• 1 broken dry Red Chili
• A few Curry Leaves
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a deep bottomed bowl and add the mustard seeds to it. When they splutter add the cumin seeds along with the dals + red chili and the curry leaves. Fry for some time until the dals turn golden brown in color.

Then add the chopped veggies (onion, green chilies and tomato) and stir well. Add a little water to this, cover and let it cook for some time until the onions become translucent.

Later add the tamarind pulp + turmeric + sugar and mix well. Adjust the salt too.

Add more water to this, cover and leave it on medium flame until it boils and a nice aroma comes out.

This soup will be very thin at this stage. So to make it a little thicker: combine rice flour with a little water and pour this mixture into the soup. Stir well so that no lumps are formed. Leave the bowl for 5 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with steaming hot rice, ghee and some papads.

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Exquisite Eggplant!!

Eggplant is really exquisite. It has a unique taste and spongy texture and praised by everyone. Moreover, they are available throughout the year. It is available in many colors like lavender, jade green, orange, yellow-white and purple. It’s even available in different sizes and shapes. It has different names in different places like aubergine, eggplant, brinjal etc.

Eggplants are rich in Vitamin C and Potassium. They are also proved to contain some anti-bacterial and cancer fighting anti-oxidants. Apart from that, they are low in calories.

Picture Courtesy: The Cook’s Thesaurus

Now coming to the recipe, I have made a sambar like (not a sambar actually) curry with sambar qualities (I call it CURRY SOUP) with eggplant. It is so simple to prepare and tastes great. Let’s dig into the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 Japanese Eggplants or 1 American Eggplant (I used Japanese Eggplants)
• 1 medium Onion
• 2 small Tomatoes
• 5 or 6 small Green Chilies (Yes, it is spicy)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Tamarind paste or pulp
• 1 tsp Rice Flour
• Some Coriander Leaves
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• Salt as required

For Seasoning:

• 1 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ¼ tsp Asafetida

Preparation:

Wash and cut the eggplant, onion, tomatoes and the green chilies into medium pieces.

In a deep pan or bowl, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and the asafetida and fry for a while.

Add the chopped vegetables and the coriander leaves to the pan with a little water enough to cook them.

When they become somewhat cooked add turmeric, tamarind pulp, sugar and salt and mix well and add more water as required to cook them. Cover with a lid and leave for some time.

Meanwhile, mix the rice flour with a little water and keep aside.

When the vegetables appear cooked add the rice flour mixture prepared above to the soup and mix well so that the consistency of the curry soup would be thick like gravy. Leave the curry soup for some time on medium flame. Later transfer the curry soup into a serving bowl.

This Curry Soup can be eaten with rice and ghee or Chapathis.

Variations: The same kind of Curry Soup can be prepared using the bottle gourd (Sorakaya or Dudhi) also.

This is my entry to Pooja’s “Vegetable Of the Week – Brinjal” event.

Here is one more variety of eggplant published by me long back: Gutti Vankaya Koora (Stuffed Eggplant Curry)

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Radish Leaves Dal

The radish leaves are rich in Vitamin A. The leafy vegetables, particularly, supply a wide variety of nutrients.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Toor Dal
• 2 bunches of Radish Leaves
• 1 small Onion
• 2 Tomatoes
• 5 Baby Carrots
• ½ piece of Green Bell Pepper
• 4 small Green Chilies (or According to taste)
• Some Cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ¼ tsp Asafetida

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Wash the toor dal well and pressure-cook it until done. Mean while, wash the radish leaves well and chop into small pieces. Chop the onion, tomatoes, baby carrots, green bell pepper and the green chilies into medium pieces.

In a bowl, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds too and fry for 1 minute. Then add all the chopped veggies along with the radish leaves, fry for some time. Later pour some water on the veggies and let them cook for a while by putting a lid on top. When they are half way done, add the turmeric powder along with the asafetida and the tamarind paste. The tamarind can be substituted with lemon juice.

When the veggies were cooked add the cooked dal, mix well and add salt. Pour some more water if required. The consistency of this dal should be neither too thin nor too thick, but medium. Finally add the cilantro leaves and let the dal stand on the medium flame for a little while. Be careful not to burn the dal.

Serve with hot rice with some deep-fried yogurt chilies (majjiga mirapakayalu) or papads. This dal goes well with chapathis too.

This is my entry to Srivalli’s “MEC: Greens” theme.

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Hot and Tasty Dal

We usually call this as “Pindi Miriyum” in Telugu. It is also called as ‘Kootu’ in some places. This is one of my most favorite kinds of dal. I remember when my mom used to cook this, just the aroma of this dal used to make me very hungry. If you go traditionally, a lot of preparation is involved. I usually go the easier way. I have learned it from my mom.

To prepare this in the easier way, we need:

• 1 cup Toor Dal
• 1 small Plantain
• 1 tomato
• 2 tsp Black Pepper Powder or according to taste
• 1 tsp desiccated Coconut
• ½ tsp Coriander Powder or Rasam Powder
• A small piece of ginger
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Asafetida
• Some Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds

Preparation:

Wash the toor dal well and cook it until soft. Peel the skin of the plantain, chop into medium pieces. Chop the tomato and ginger also. In a bowl add these pieces along with some water and cook them until soft. When they become soft, add the cooked dal along with all the other ingredients and mix well. Cook it for some time, but be careful not to burn the bottom as the dal has tendency of burning if left on the flame for a long time. This dal should be relatively thin in consistency. The black pepper powder gives a unique spiciness to this dal.

In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the cumin seeds and fry for a while. Add this seasoning to the prepared dal.

Serve with hot rice, ghee and papads.

Traditional way of preparation:

We need:

• All the above ingredients excluding the powders (coriander or rasam and pepper)
• 1 tsp Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Peppercorns or according to taste

Dry roast the chana dal, coriander seeds, peppercorns and the desiccated coconut until they turn golden brown. Grind them into a fine powder. Add this powder to the cooked dal instead of coriander powder or rasam powder and the black pepper powder.

Variation: The plantain can be substituted with a potato or 2 arvi or zucchini.

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Go Green!

Green is the color of nature, which happens to be my most favorite color. To my surprise, I found out that I have some green recipes (I mean green colored) with me. As they all are looking nicely green I thought of posting them all at the same time even though they were made on different dates. Believe me, they all tasted so yummy! Read on!

Let me start with a healthy and very easy snack.

Green Apple Snack

This was our snack on one evening. There is no cooking involved in this.

We need: 1 Green Apple (Granny Smith) 1 tsp Red Chili Powder 1 tsp Salt Preparation: Chop the apple into thin slices.  Mix the chili powder and salt together in a separate bowl.  Arrange them on a serving plate.  Dip the apple slices in the mixture and eat.  Trust me it tastes great. That’s it.

Green Sour Dal

This dal is for the sour lovers. It has the combination of green veggies like mango and tomatillo.

Ingredients: 1 cup Toor Dal 1 Green Mango (only ½ mango is needed) 1 Tomatillo Some Coriander Leaves A pinch of Turmeric Salt to taste For Seasoning: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp Cumin Seeds A pinch of Asafetida 1 tsp Oil Preparation: Wash the toor dal well and cook it until it becomes soft. Chop the mango and tomatillo into medium pieces. In a separate bowl add these pieces with some water and cook until they are soft. Then add the cooked toor dal, turmeric and salt to it. Mix well and finally add the coriander leaves. Take it away from the flame. In a small pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the cumin and asafetida. Fry for a while and add this seasoning to the dal. Serve with hot rice.

Spinach-Potato Patties

Spinach-Potato Patties with Peanut Chutney and Ketchup

This is one easy snack and tastes great.

Ingredients: A bunch of Spinach Leaves 3 medium Potatoes ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour Salt to taste Oil to deep fry Method: Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and mash them into a smooth paste.  Cook the spinach leaves until tender, mash into a fine paste with a fork. In a bowl, mix the mashed potato and spinach well, add the flour and salt.  Mix them well and prepare just like chapathi dough. Make small balls out of the dough and flat them with palm into the shape of patties. Heat the oil in a pan. When it is hot, add these patties one by one carefully.  Fry them for some time and take them away from the oil and spread on a paper towel. Repeat this process for all the patties. Transfer them into a serving plate. Serve hot with the ketchup and peanut chutney.

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Masoor Dal (Red Lentils) with Multi-colored Peppers

The peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A. They also contain vitamin B6 and folic acid. Bell peppers are low in calories, have no fat and are sodium-free and cholesterol-free.

Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and minerals.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Masoor Dal
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red bell pepper
• 1 Orange bell pepper
• 1 Yellow bell pepper
• 2 Tomatoes
• 2 or 3 Green Chilies or according to taste
• A pinch of Turmeric
• A pinch of Asafetida
• Salt to taste
• Some Coriander leaves for garnishing

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds

Method:

Wash the Masoor Dal well and then pressure-cook until cooked. It can also be cooked on a stovetop with plenty of water, after soaking the dal for at least 30 minutes.

Cut all the peppers and the tomatoes into medium pieces. In a separate pan or bowl heat little oil and then add the mustard and the cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the peppers and tomatoes along with the asafetida, turmeric and cook them by adding some water.

When they become little soft add the cooked dal and salt. Let it cook on the medium flame for some time. The dal shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. Finally add Cilantro just before switching the flame off. Serve hot with rice or chapathis.

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