Mamidikaya Pappu --Mango Dal

Dal is a regular side dish that accompanies almost every meal in most parts of India. It is packed with high levels of protein, and is considered as the main source of protein by vegetarians in India. It can be cooked just plain by itself or with combination of various greens or vegetables. Dal with rice and ghee is heavenly.

Summer and Mangoes almost go hand in hand for our andhra people. Mangoes are relished in all stages, right from when they are raw and sour all the way to when they are ripe and juicy. They are used in multiple recipes in all stages and are also eaten just by themselves.

Mango dal has an unique flavor of the tart in the mango well incorporated into the scrumptious flavor of toor dal.


Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal
1 raw mango skinned and cut into thin slices
½ onion chopped
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 red chili
Curry leaves
Pinch of asafoetida

Pressure cook dal with two cups of water upto two whistles and let it cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.

In a sauce pan place mango pieces along with onions and a cup of water and cook on medium to low heat until the mango pieces are tender and soft.

Add the cooked dal along with chili powder, turmeric and salt to the sauce pan with cooked mango.

Stir and cook on low for couple of minutes or until you get the desired consistency.

Now for the seasoning, heat oil in a small pan, add mustard let it splutter, add cumin, red chili, curry leaves and asafoetida. In couple seconds when roasted add it to the dal.

Enjoy it with rice and ghee.