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.

బీన్స్ కొబ్బరి కూర: Beans Kobbari Vesina Kura- French beans with grated coconut

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

Serves - 4

Ingredients

French Beans - 1/2 Kg.
Chillies - 3 (Decrease if you don't like it spicy)
Ginger - 1 inch
Coconut (grated)- 4 tbsp.
Oil - for popu.
Salt - to taste.

Tiragamata/Popu

Minapappu - 1 tsp
Senagapappu - 1 tsp
Aavalu - 1 tsp
Karvepaaku - 1 strand.

Method:

1.Wash & Cut beans fine.
2.Heat the oil in a wok and add minapappu,senagapappu, aavalu and karvepaaku , chillies and grated ginger.
3. Add the beans
4. Add some turmeric, a little salt and some water and close the lid.
5. Allow 15 minutes for the beans to be tender at a medium or medium low.
6. Switch off the heat add the grated coconut. Mix well

Trivia : grated ginger adds a lot of flavor to bland vegetables , like carrots, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, amma calls them 'english' kuralu. & vegetables that can take flavors like aratikaya, vankaya, aalugadda. Interstingly, bendakaya,dondakaya,doppamenisinakaya or simla mirch (I don't know the exact telugu name I think it's called bunga merapakaya) are tastier vegetables by themselves and don't need too much of additional flavor.

Variations : Beans Kura can be made in a number of ways, Patoli (ofcourse the famous version), nuvvupodi vesi, aalugadda to kalipi, pesarapappu to (pappu kura laga, & my favorite of all ), Kura Podi vesi. Will post them as I make them. There's a traditional kura podi & Kharapodi which all of the chivukula adapaduchulu and kodallu make ( learnt from MIL,(Prabha attayyagaru)), So I'm waiting for manju attayya to post it for the authentic version.