Kerala Cuisine ~ Parippu Curry

A dal served with rice / roti is equivalent to a comfort meal to an average Indian. That 'dal' happens to be a legume preparation served in millions of Indian homes everyday and the kind of legume used varies regionally. Today's dal comes from the southern state of Kerala, and is prepared using moong dal and/or toordal. This parippu curry happens to be a simple dal flavored with coconut and mild spices. It is an essential part of sadya meal (Vegetarian festive meal). The use of onions in the recipe is optional and skip them if serving on festive occasions. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup moong dal
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. ghee / coconut oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
2 dried red chillies, broken into bits
Few curry leaves
1 big onion, sliced or chopped (optional)
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 green chillies
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Rinse the dal with two exchanges of water and drain. Pressure cook moong dal adding turmeric and a cup of water for 3 whistles. When the valve pressure is gone, mash the dal well with the back of a ladle.
2. Meanwhile, heat ghee / oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add red chillies, curry leaves and onion if using. Fry the onions until they turn golden brown and translucent.
3. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and chillies to a smooth paste adding water as needed. 
4. Add the ground paste from step 3 to the cooked dal. Add salt and about 1/2 cup of water or extra if needed and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off the stove.
5. Pour the sauteed onion mixture from step 2 over the cooked dal and serve warm with rice and a dollop of ghee. 

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