Pappu Charu /Spiced stew with lentils

If I had to name one dish that makes its way into every home in the Telangana regions, it has to be this spicy, masalafied, pappu charu. It is the comfort food of the region and is easily loved by anyone and everyone. Not only does this dish taste wonderful but it also smells amazing during the entire process of  its making. Here is what I understood and learned when my mother in law cooked it for us. Hope you all can make it and enjoy it!

Ingredients (approximate measurements):

Oil

1 Onion sliced

Curry leaves - 2 stems

Cilantro - half a bunch

Mint - 1-2 stems

Green chillies chopped - 5

Turmeric

Salt

Red chilli powder

1/2 tsp sugar

4-5 Garlic chopped

3-4 inches of ginger grated

Masala powder (contains Coriander, Elaichi, Cloves, Cinnamon, etc)

1 cup Toor dal boiled

Mustard seeds

Cumin seeds

1 Lemon sized tamarind soaked and strained

4 cups of water

Procedure: 
1. First cook the Toor dal in a pressure cooker and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a deep bottom vessel and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and green chillies. After a few seconds add the onions, mint leaves and some of the curry leaves and cook till the onions have become translucent.
3. Add the ginger and garlic at the same time and stir till the raw smell disappears.

4. Now add the cooked dal into the vessel and mix/roast it in with the onion mixture for 2 minutes. This step will help the dal absorb the taste of what is present in the mixture.
5. After the dal has been roasted, add the tamarind extract and add the water along with it. Also, add salt, sugar, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the masala powder at this time.

6. Close the lid and let the stew/charu/pulusu boil well.
7. While the stew is boiling add the rest of the curry leaves. This step lets you experience the fresh smell the of curry leaves even better.

8. Once the stew is boiled and reaches the semi-solid consistency, you can add the cilantro for garnishing and eat the prepared stew with warm rice and papad.

Billala Pulusu/Stew with Besan cakes

Ingredients for the Billalu/Besan Cakes:

1 cup Besan/Gram flour

1 cup water

1/4 onion finely chopped

Little oil

Green chillies

Curry leaves

Turmeric

Salt

Red chilli powder

Ingredients for the Stew/Pulusu:

1 tbsp Oil

1 onion chopped

Green chillies

Garlic

Ginger

Lemon sized tamarind (soaked in water)

Fenugreek Powder/Menthula podi

Cumin Powder

Corriander Powder

Dry Coconut Powder

Cilantro (for garnishing)

Procedure:

1. Heat very little oil in a pan and add green chillies, corriander leaves and onions.

2. As the onions are cooking, add 1 cup of water. Soon after, add turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder accordingly.

3. As the water start to fully boil, add 1 cup of besan

and mix it well.

4. Turn off the heat and let the besan mixture cool down.

5. When the besan mixture cools down, pat it down on a greasy plate and cut the besan into cake like pieces as shown below. Make sure the pieces are hard and comp

ressed.

6. On the other hand, heat oil in a vessel and add, green chillies, corriander leaves, ginger, garlic and onions, mostly in that order.

7. When the onions are cooked, add the water from the soaked tamarind. Add more water to this mixture based on how sour you like your stew to be.

8. Add all the remaining powders into this liquid: Fenugreek powder, Corriander powder, Cumin powder and Dry coconut powder. [The powders are also meant to thicken the stew slightly so add them based on the thickness you like] If you still find the stew to be very watery, then add some more besan to the mixture.

9. Finally, add the besan cakes slowly to the boiling stew and allow for the stew to boil for a few minutes.

10. Add corriander leaves to garnish and serve with hot with rice.

I learned this recipe from my mother-in-law as I loved it when I 1st had it in Warangal. Im sure a lot of you know how to make a stew in your own way. This is one of the ways I have learned it and it works well with the Besan cakes.

రసం/ చారు: Tomato Rasam/Charu- Tomato-Tamarind soup

INGREDIENTS:

1.Tomato.......................1 big

2.Tamarind....................lemon size.

3.Coriander powder......2 t sp.

4.Black pepper powder.....2 t sp.

5.Red Chilly powder...........3 t sp.

6.Jaggery...............................big lemon size.

7.Fenugreek powder............2 t sp.

8.Curry leaves

9.Turmeric.

10Salt.

11.Ghee....................................2 t sp.

12.Mustard seeds....................2 t sp.

13.Asafoetida ...........................1 t sp.

METHOD:

1.Cook tomato in hot water. when it becomes soft, peel off the skin. keep it aside to cool.

2.Soak the tamarind, take out the pulp.

3.Take a vessel put 2 cups of water, add the tamarind pulp, salt, turmeric and with curry leaves cook for some time.

4.Take the peeled tomato, put it in the mixi grind it to a pulp. Take out.

5.After the tamarind juice boiled nicely getting the flavour of it add , this tomato pulp to it.

6.Add all powders and jaggery to the rasam. Boil it again.

7.Take a small pan put ghee, when it is hot add mustard (hing) asafoetida

మజ్జిగ పులుసు: Majjiga Pulusu- Buttermilk soup stew with vegetables

INGREDIENTS:

1. Yogurt.....................2 cups

2. Bottle Gourd..............................1/2 piece

3. Drumstic........................................2

4. Salt.........................................as required

5. Turmeric.....................................1/4 t sp.

6. Red Chilly......................................1

7. Few Curry leaves...........................few.

8. Cilantro.......................................for garnishing.

FOR MASALA :

1. Bengal Gram Dal.................................2 t sp.

2. Rice Grains............................................1 t sp.

3. Coriander Seeds....................................1 t sp.

4. Cumin Seeds...........................................1 t sp.

5. Mustard Seeds.........................................2 t s

6. Red Chilly..................................................2 or 3

7. Fresh Coconut.............................................3 tbl sp.

8. Green chilly...............................................4 or 5.

9. Garlic...........................................................3 cloves.

10. Ginger piece.

METHOD: 

1. Cut veg. into medium size pieces. cut drumstics into 3'' long.

2. Cook them with little salt. keep aside.

3. Soak 1 to 6 all masala items in minimum water for one hr.

4. Take yogurt in a big vessel, put 2 cups of water and make butter milk using beater. See the consistency not too thin nor too thick. After masala added and coked it gets thick any way. you must keep this in mind. So you can do according your liking.

5. Grind the soaked items adding 7 to 10 items also. It should be very smooth.

6. Now mix this ground paste into the butter milk. Again churn it nicely.There must not be any lumps.

7. Keeping it on medium heat, Boil it slowly, stirring continuously in the beginning. Other wise it gets curdled. later you must do in intervals because it suddenly comes up, and over flows. that should be taken care of. Add salt as per taste.

8. Now add veg. which was cooked and kept ready.

9. Bring one or two Boils. take out off the stove, because Curd should not be heated long.

10. For seasoning, keep small pan, put 1 t sp. ghee. when it is hot add cut red chilly pieces also 

curry leaves. Pour this hot one in the ready Majjiga Pulusu.

Note: When we use Garlic , no need of putting Asafoetida in the seasoning.

ఉండల మజ్జిగ పులుసు: Undala majjiga pulusu- Lentil balls in butter-milk stew

INGREDIENTS:

Serving for 4 persons(8 balls)

For Balls/vundalu:
1/3 cup chana dal/bengalgram dal/senaagapappu
1/3 cup toor dal/kandi pappu
3 to 5 red chillies/yendu mirapakayalu
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp jeera/jeelakarra/cuminseeds
1/2 tsp asafitodia/heeng/inguva

For gravy
1 ltr Butter milk/majjiga
Salt to taste

For paste:
11/2 tbs senagapappu/chanadal/bengalgram dal
1/2 tsp jeelakarra/jeera/cuminseeds
1/2 tsp avalu/mustard seeds/raayi
6 green chillies/pacchi mirpakayalu
1 inch long ginger/allam/
2 tbs coconut powder/kobbari turumu (fresh or dry coconut)

SEASONING:
1tsp oil/nune
1/2 tsp Avalu/mustard deeds
1/2 tsp jeelakarra/jeera/cumin seeds


METHOD:
1. Soak dals for balls and soak gravy items separately for one hour.
2. Grind soaked dalls, red chillies ,salt,jeera and heeng together and make dough.
(with out adding water)and make medium sized balls and keep aside.
3.Now grind all ingredients to make smooth paste for gravy.
4.Take thick bottom vessel add 1ltr butter milk and mix with paste.
5.Add salt and turmeric and let it boil.
6. When it comes to boil drop one ball in it.
7. After a minute add another and continue like that for all the balls.
8.Boil them for 5 minutes.
9. Heat oil in a small pan and add seasoning when it splutters add to the pulusu.
and serve.


This goes with rice. First, take one ball and smash it and mix with rice then
add gravy to it and mix well and eat.

వంకాయ పచ్చి పులుసు :Vankaya pacchi pulusu- Eggplant Tamarind Stew

INGREDIENTS:

Eggplant 1( Big)
Tamarind big lemon size
Salt as per taste
Jaggary 1 table spoons (powdered)
Red chilys 8 to 10 (as per taste)
Celantro for garnishing
Seasoninig:

Oil 1 tbl sp.
mustard seeds 1 tsp
Heeng 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds powder 1/2 tsp (dry roast and grind)

Preparation:

1. Peel eggplant and microvave for 5 to 8 minits or cook in a pan./(roast it directly on the flame using wire mesh).
2. Soak tamarind for 30 min and make thin puree and keep aside.
3. Heat small pan add little bit oil and fry red chillyis.
4.Take tamarind water in a bowel and add Fri.ed red chillies (mashed)
5. Add jaggary, salt to the tamarind water.
6. Add cooked and mashed eggplant to the mixture.
7. Heat oil in small pan add mustard seeds when it splutter add heeng and fenugreek powder.
8. Add to the mixture and mix well and garnish with cilantro and serve.

This can be eaten with rice or roti.

1.Variations..

Instead of egg plant, you can use onions.
1. cut onion into small pieces.
2. fry it in a little oil untill they get soft.
3. add this in the tamarind juice.
4. rest is as above.
(Refer to Ullipaya pacchi pulusu for detail).

2.Variation..

1.white pumpkin vadis can be fried and can mixed in the tamarind juice.
2. rest is as above.

పాలకూర పులుసు: Palakura pulusu- Spinach stew

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach 1 bunch
Chanadal 1/3 cup
Tamarind big lemon size(soaked in water)
Green chillis 3 mediem size
Jaggary mediem size lemon
Salt as per taste
water to boil 2 rice cooker (meisure)
Turmeric 1/4 tsps

Seasoning:

Musterd seeds 1tsps
Jeera 1tsps
Red chillis 3


Method:
1. Wash and chop spinach.
2. Heat vessel add spinach and water.
3.Add chanadal and green chilli.
4.Add turmeric and salt and cook .
5.Take pure from soaked tamarind and add to the spinach when it is half cooked.
6.Add jaggary and chilli powder and cook them when it is done.
7. Heat oil in a pan add seasoning when it splitter add to the cooked spinach.


This item goes with rice and roti.

బెండకాయ పులుసు: Bendakaya pulusu- Lady's finger soup

Serves: Four. Preparation time: 30 minutes.


Ingredients:
1 lb Bendakaya/ Bhindi/ Okra/ Lady's finger
2 Tbsp Tamarind paste
1 tsp Salt
1 Tsp Jaggery/ Brown Sugar
3 Green chillies chopped
1 sprig Cilantro

For tempering:
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
4 Dry red chillies broken into pieces
2 Tsp Coriander powder
1 Tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 Tsp Heeng
1/2 Tsp Turmeric
1/2 Tsp Fenugreek powder
1 Tsp Rice flour
2 Tsp Besan
4 Curry leaves


Method:

1. Wash lady's fingers in running water and pat dry. Chop into 1" pieces. Boil lady's finger immersed in 1" water until they are half done, around 7 minutes. Pour in the tamarind paste, salt & sugar, and boil until fully cooked, around 7 minutes. Add the green chillies and cilantro. Set aside.


2. For tempering:
Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add Jheera, dry red chillies, turmeric, Heeng, Dhania powder, red chilli powder, Rice flour, Besan and curry leaves. Let it fry for a few seconds until the rice flour/besan are roasted and switch off flame. Mix in the Methi powder.

3. Pour the tempering into the okra soup.


Suggestions/Variations:
1. Adjust the salt, sugar, tamarind and chillies to taste depending on how mild/strong they are.
2. Rice flour- besan may be dissolved in 3 Tbsp water and added into the soup stew to boil instead of frying with the tempering.

Culture:
This is another addition to our list of pulusus. Pulusus are very versatile since they may be served with hot rice, paired with snacks such as Upma, eaten with Kandi pacchadi or Mudda pappu, or simply used to dip Idlis into!
It can be prepared in a jiffy when making small quantities and tastes heavenly.

Trivia:
This is my mother's recipe, she made it for us while she was here, and it is a truly lip smacking preparation. Some claim that eating Bendakaya makes you sharp, while Dondakaya makes you dull. So enjoy this pulusu as it sharpens your mind ;-)

తోటకూర కాడల పులుసు: Totakura Kadala Pulusu- Amaranth Stalk soup

 Serves: Four. Preparation time: 30 minutes 


Ingredients:

1 bunch Totakura/ Cholai/ Amaranth greens
1 Tsp or to taste, Salt
1 Tsp or to taste, Sugar
1 Tbsp Tamarind paste
2 Tsp Putnala pappu podi (Roasted chickpea powder)
Green chillies to taste
1 sprig Cilantro

Tempering:
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds
2 Tsp Coriander powder
1 Tsp Fenugreek powder
2 Tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 Tsp Asafoetida
4 Curry leaves

Method:
1. Remove leaves from the Totakura stalks, they can be used to make Totakura pappu. Wash the stalks thoroughly in cold running water and pat dry. Discard any mature fibrous stalks, use tender juicy stalks. Chop stalks into 1" pieces. 

2. Boil stalks immersed in 1" water until they soften, they will be half done in around 7 minutes, cover the boiling pot with a lid.
3. Stir in the salt, sugar and tamarind juice. Boil until the stalks are fully cooked and tamarind juice cooks too, around 5 more minutes of covered cooking.

4. In a bowl, make a runny sauce from the putnala pappu podi by adding 2 Tbsp of cold water, making sure to break up any lumps.

5. Pour the chickpea powder sauce into the Kadalu pulusu while stirring gradually. Let it boil for a minute so the chickpea sauce mixes into the soup, it doesn't need cooking time since it is prepared from roasted powder. 
6. Switch off the heat and add the green chillies and curry leaves. Cover and set aside. 
7. Tempering:
Heat the oil and add the Mustard seeds. When they splutter, add Cumin seeds, coriander powder, red chilli powder and asafoetida. Switch off the heat and add the fenugreek powder. Pour this tempering into the pulusu.
8. Garnish the pulusu with fine chopped cilantro.

Variations:
Instead of putnala pappu podi, you may add a mixture of 1 tsp Rice flour mixed into 2 tsp Besan (Chickpea flour) dissolved in 3 Tbsp water. However, the pulusu should be boiled for 5 minutes after adding besan/rice flour since they are raw & take time to cook. Alternatively, the besan/rice flour can be roasted along with the tempering as described in Bendakaya pulusu. 


Culture & Health:
Telugu cuisine is full of a variety of pulusus which are delicious accompaniments with rice, upma, mudda pappu, kandi pacchadi, etc.
I found this a very clever way of utilizing every part of the Totakura, including the stalks! The stalks are a rich source of fibre, and very yummy too. This pulusu is a medley of flavours: salt, sour, sweet, spicy, totally mouth watering.

Trivia:
This is my mother's recipe. I clicked photographs of all her cooking while she was here, and you will soon notice that she made some interesting pulusus! Mommy is fond of tamarind/chilli based dishes, so pulusu is of top priority on her menu ;-) Those are her hands you see cooking in the pics :-)

పిండిమిరియం: Pindi Miriyam- Pigeon pea broth with black pepper & banana plantain

Ingredients
(Serving for 4)

1 cup Toor Dal/Kandipappu
1 Medium size Plantain/Arati kaya
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp turmeric/pasupu
Big marble size tamarind

For paste

1/2tsp Rice/biyyam
2tbsp Grated Coconut Powder
1Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Chana Dal
1 Tbsp Urad Dal
1/2 Tbsp Coriander Seeds
2 Red Chili(option)

Seasoning

1/2 Tsp Avalu/mustard seeds
1/4 Tsp jeera/ jeelakarra/ Cumin seeds
Pinch of heeng
Few curry leaves/karivepaku.

Preparation

. Peel banana plantain and cut into desired size pieces
. cook them adding turmeric and little bit of salt until soft
. Sqeeze tamarind and keep it aside.
. Pressure cook Toor Dal Keep it aside.
. Heat a pan and dry roast Rice, Black Pepper, Chana Dal, Urad Dal, Coriander Seeds & Red Chili's except Grated Coconut. Now grind them all into paste along with Grated Coconut and Salt.
. Add the paste ,tamarind puree to Toor Dal, plantain and cook them by adding 21/2 cups water in low heat for 10mins
. Heat a pan with oil and add the seasoning to it. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the heeng and curry leaves to it and mix the seasoning with the Pindi Miriyam..

This item tastes best with rice.

Variations : Instead of banana plantain we can use potato or beans or chamagadda.

ఉల్లిపాయ పులుసు / Vullipaaya Pulusu/ Onion Stew

Ingredients
2 big onions/ vullipayalu
1/2 tsp chilly powder(adjust as per taste)
salt to taste
1tbsp oil
1 big marble size tamarind/ chinthapandu

Popu/ Thadka Ingrdients
Cumin seeds
Mustard seeds


Preparation

Soak tamarind. Chop onions into small cubes.
Heat oil and add thadka ingredients.
Add onions and fry them until light brown
Squeeze tamarind and add this juice to the onions
Now, add salt and chilly powder boil them
In a bowl take chana flour, add water and make a paste and add this paste to pulusu.
Let it boil for 2 more minutes.

This will go with rice along with kandi pachadi and sandigapindi.

సొరకాయ మజ్జిగ పులుసు: Sorakaaya majjiga pulusu- Bottle gourd yogurt gravy

Ingredients
2 cups bottle gourd(sorakaya/kaddu) diced into pieces
1 cup Yogurt
2 cups water
1 tbsp chana dal/senaga pappu
t tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1 tbsp fresh kobbari/grated coconut
2 chillies
1 inch ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
cilantro

Tadka/Seasoning/Thiragamatha
1 tsp mustard seeds/aavalu
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
pinch of hing/inguva
curry leaves/karivepaku
1 tsp oil

Preparation/ Thayarucheyatam
1. Soak chana dal for 1 hour and grind them along with ginger,grated coconut,green chillies by adding liitle amount of water to make a fine paste.
2. Add 1 cup water and boil the bottle gourd pieces.
3. Mix 1 cup of water to 1 cup of yogurt and beat well.
4. Add the ground paste,turmeric ,boiled bottlegourd pieces to majjiga/buttermilk and mix well.
5. Transfer buttermilk mixture into a deep pan and cook on low flame. Add salt and mix well.
6. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds,once they splutter add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and remove from fire and pour into the majjiga pulusu
7. Garnish with cilantro

Variations: Instead of bottle gourd/sorakaaya you can use pumpkin/gummadikaaya or drumstick/munakkayaa or seema vankaaya.

గుమ్మడికాయ పులుసు: Gummadikaaya pulusu- Pumpkin stew

Preparation time : 25 mins
(Serves 2)

Ingredients
yellow pumpkin(pandu gummadi)
big marble size tamarind
pinch of fenu greek powder
salt to taste
1/4tsp turmeric
1 tbsp jaggery
1/4tsp chilli powder
1 tsp rice flour

popu/thiragamatha
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/ Aavalu
1tsp urad dall/minapappu
pinch Hing/inguva

Preparation

1 Peel, clean, remove the seeds from pumpkin and chop it into medium size cubes.
2 Add 2 cups of water,turmeric, salt, pumpkin cubes and cook for 5 minutes.
3 Now add tamarind puree, jaggery, chilly powder, pinch of fenu greek powder.
4 Cook until pumpkin becomes tender.
5 Mix rice flour with water & add and cook for 2 more minutes
6 Heat oil in a pan and add popu ingredients.
7 Add popu to the stew, garnish with cilantro and serve

This tastes great with rice and muddapappu.

టమాట పెసర పప్పు పులుసు: Tamata Pesara Pappu Pulusu- Tomato & Yellow moong bean soup stew

One of my all time favorites back in India.


Preparation time : 10 mins, Cooking time : 20 minutes.

Ingredients -
(1 cup holds - 240 ml)

Pesarapappu/Moong Dal - 1/2 cup.
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Tomatoes - 4.
Tamarind - lemon size.
Salt - to taste.
Chillies - 1/2
Pulusu Podi - 11/2 tsp.

Tiragamata
Senagapappu - 1 tsp
Aavalu - 1 tsp
Mentulu - 1 tsp.
Inguva - a little more than a pinch
Karvepaku - one strand.(Optional)


Method.

1.Pressure cook the moong dal with tomatoes for 3 - 4 whistles.
2.Soak tamarind in water, for 15 minutes, and make the extract
2.a or , with some water microwave tamarind for 30 - 45 seconds / until soft and take the extract.
3. Once the pressure is low, to the moong dal , add tamarind extract, salt, chillies and pulusu podi and allow it to boil for 5 - 10 minutes.
4. In the tiragamata baanali , add a little oil, when hot, add senagapappu, mentulu, aavalu and inguva, once aavalu splits, add the tiragamata into pulusu.

Pulusu Podi

Makes pulusu for 3 - 4 times.
Ingredients

Endu Merapakayalu - 4 - 6
Dhaniyalu - 1/2 cup.
Jeelakarra - 1 tsp.
Senagapappu - 3 tsp
Minapappu - 3 tsp.
Mentulu - 1 tsp.
Endu Kobbari - 1 - 2 tsp.(Optional).

Dry roast all the above ingredients and make a powder once it cools.


Variation : Vankaya, Bendakaya, Ullipaya, Are pretty tasty in this pulusu.

Other Cuisines : Idey, with kokum & Jaggery will become gujarati dal of course without pulusu podi, and With all vegetables(Carrots, celery, capsicum, etc.) and vegetable broth instead of water will make it a hearty lentil soup :).

Trivia : My grandmother , always made pulusu podi fresh. This pulusu does not need biyyapindi as moong dal thickens pretty quick. The main ingredient of pulusu podi is dhaniyalu, love it when it's fresh. The podi is a slight mix of sambar and chaaru podi.

మెంతి మజ్జిగ / Menthi majjiga

Preperation time: 10 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 cups buttermilk
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
salt

For talimpu / tadka:

1/2 tbsp oil
pinch of hing / inguva
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp″ jeera
1 tbsp urad & chana dal
1/3 tsp″ turmeric
pinch of menthi podi / methi powder
4-5 curry leaves
2 green chillis chopped
1″ ginger finely chopped


Method

Add chopped coriander, little turmeric and salt to the buttermilk and keep aside.
Heat little oil in a pan on medium flame, add mustard seeds, jeera and dals. Once they crackle, add chopped ginger, green chillies , curry leaves and turmeric. After a min, add hing, methi powder and remove from fire&add it to the buttermilk..
Serve with plain rice or with dal.


Note: You can replace jeera with vaamu/ ajwain. Also, can add crushed methi seeds if you dont have methi powder.
Majjiga pulusu needs more time for preparation and so I prefer menthi majjiga in most cases. Its equally yummy!