Mamidikaaya Pappu / Andhra Style Green Mango Dal / మామిడికాయ పప్పు

(This was originally published on 9/ 9/09.)

Pappu is a signature lentil based dish from the south Indian states of Andhra and Telangana. The preparation is a simple one using the basic ingredients from an Indian kitchen and usually brings out the flavors of the vegetable being used. However, it should be noted that all vegetables are not used to make a pappu. Some are absolute classics if a list of pappus is being made. Mamidikaya pappu (green mango dal), and the ones prepared using leafy greens like gongura and chukka koora are mouth watering and flavorful dals. Today's recipe is for mamidikaya pappu, which is one of our family favorites. Mango dal, the protein rich dish with the tart mangoes and a flavorful seasoning of asafoetida and curry leaves would make a pleasing meal when served with rice, drizzled with ghee.

Pick the tartest kind of green mango you can, for this dal. See that it is very firm to touch and green in color. The signature flavor of the dal is lost with out the sourness. The requirement of tamarind in this recipe depends upon the sourness of the mango being used. If the mangoes are really sour as back in India, tamarind may be omitted. I get sour mangoes but not that mouth puckering variety and so I happen to use tamarind. 

Ingredients needed:
1 cup pigeon peas / toor dal

1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 small firm, green mango - peeled, seeded and chopped into cubes (I had about a cup.)
About 2 tsp. salt or as needed
1/2 tsp. spicy chili powder or as needed
Thick tamarind puree (I used about 3 tbsp. See note below.)

Ingredients for seasoning / popu: 

2 tsp oil 

1 tsp. mustard seeds 

1 tsp. cumin seeds (optional)

A pinch of fenugreek seeds (optional)

2 pinches of asafoetida

Few curry leaves

Directions:
* Wash pigeon peas / toor dal with water twice and throw away the cloudy water. Pressure cook the dal adding 2 cups of water and turmeric powder for 3 whistles or until done. (The dal can be cooked in a thick bottomed pan on stove top in lieu of a pressure cooker. Soak dal for a couple of hours in that case to fasten the cooking process. Cook until the dal softens adding water as needed.)

* Cook mango cubes in another container in the cooker (while cooking dal) or cook separately in a sauce pan or in a microwave adding about 1/2 cup of water. (It is done because the tartness of mango interferes with the cooking of toor dal.)

* Mash the cooked dal with the back of a ladle and keep aside.

* Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add asafoetida and curry leaves. Then add the mashed dal, cooked mango cubes along with the water used to cook, salt, chili powder and tamarind if using. Mix all the ingredients well with the ladle. Add extra water if the dal appears thicker. Check the taste and adjust any seasonings if needed. Let the dal simmer for about 5 minutes for all the flavors to mingle and turn off the stove.

How to serve:
Serve this with a small mound of rice and a tsp of ghee. Serve along with a pickle, koora (a vegetable preparation), and yogurt for Andhra style lunch.

Notes:

Soak about 1/4 cup of tamarind in water for about an hour or microwave for about 3 minutes adding water. Squeeze thick tamarind puree using your fingers or passing through a sieve. Discard the seeds and fibre. Use the puree as needed and refrigerate the rest. The amount of tamarind puree used depends upon the tartness of mango being used. I used about 3 tbsp. of tamarind puree but the quantity may vary for the same amount of pigeon peas cooked depending upon the mango used. If using the ready made tamarind paste, the quantity mentioned above varies.

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