Authentic Andhra ~ Dappalam

Today marks the final day of this blogging marathon and I am here with another delicious stew from Andhra. Besides the sambhars and rasams (that are popular through out the southern parts of India), various spicy stews with toor dal and/or vegetables are prepared in Andhra to go along with hot, steamed rice. Among those, dappalam happens to be a spicy, tangy stew prepared with an assortment of vegetables. This dish could be prepared in a matter of minutes and particularly an apt one when you have to finish off the odd medley of leftover veggies from your refrigerator. It is delicious when served with rice as it is or along with some mudda pappu (cooked, plain toordal).

Recipe source: M's aunt
Ingredients for 6 - 8 servings:
For tadka: 1 - 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, asafoetida to taste, few curry leaves
6 green chilies - Slit lengthwise (I used Serrano peppers)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 cups - mixed vegetables (Veggies like drumstick, winter melon, brinjal, potato, bottlegourd/lauki, okra, beans and carrot are usually used.)
Tamarind (a lime sized tamarind soaked in water, squeezed and puree extracted)
Jaggery - 2 Tbsp or as per taste
Salt to taste
2 - 3 tsp rice flour
Cilantro for garnish

Method:
* Cook vegetables until tender, not mushy. Some veggies need to be cooked individually since cooking time of each vegetable varies.
* Mix the rice flour with little water to form a watery paste and keep it aside.
* Heat oil in a kadai (small wok) or a pan and add the tadka ingredients. When mustard seeds start to splutter add green chillies and turmeric powder. Sauté the chillies for a few seconds.
* Then add the cooked vegetables, tamarind juice, jaggery, salt and rice flour paste. Also add some water to reach the desired consistency (like a thick sambhar). Check the taste and adjust the ingredients if needed. The final dish should be spicy, tangy and sweet. J
* Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and lower the heat. Then simmer it for a few minutes. Turn off the stove and garnish with cilantro.
* Serve with rice and mudda pappu (plain dal).

Note:
* 1 - 2 tsp of sambhar powder can be added to this dish to enhance the flavor.
* The color of dappalam depends upon the jaggery and tamarind used.

Check out what the other marathoners in BM#5 are cooking today. 
Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Aarthi, Divya, Jayashree , Kaveri, Pavani,
Seven Days of Indian Sweets: Gayathri, Priya Suresh,
Seven Days of Microwave Meals: Monika,
Seven Days of Regional Specials: Harini, Me , PJ and Vaishali
Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special: Kalyani
Summer Coolers: Jayasree, Kamalika, Srivalli

Even if an Andhrite haven't eaten dappalam, they have surely heard about it. Thanks to this evergreen and iconic song from Mayabazar.
Ghathothkacha (Bheemasena's Rakshasa son) has come to help his cousins Abhimanyu and Sashirekha get married. In the process, he impersonates Sashirekha to stop her wedding that her parents had arranged with Lakshmana Kumara (son of Duryodhana). He lands up in kitchen where a scrumptious feast has been arranged for the wedding guests and ends up enjoying it single handedly.

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