Tomato Dal recipe (Tomato Pappu)

Tomato dal recipe (Tomato pappu) - Quick and easy to make Andhra pappu recipe. Dal is known as pappu in Andhra language - Telugu.

As you know that Andhra cuisine is known for its bold and spicy flavors. Keeping in mind that this tomato dal is spicy, tangy and of course delicious in taste.

To make this dal I have boiled toovar dal first. Then onion-tomato is fried with some spices and cooked dal is added. Then everything dal-tomato-spices are simmered together so all the flavors get mingle.

There is another way of making tomato dal - in the pressure cooker only. First make tadka, fry onion-tomato and spices, add washed toovar dal along with water. Then pressure cook it till dal is cooked. But somehow I never like boiled taste of onion-tomato in the dal, so I do not prefer this method.

As you know that dal is staple food in every Indian household whether it's north Indian or south Indian or any other. There are many variation of making dal so we never get bored of having dal everyday. I do make other dal recipes which are quick to make e.g. moong dal, chilke wali moong dal and many more. Also I will be share many more different dal recipes in future.

Ingredient Notes:

• Toor dal (arhar dal): Traditionally toor dal is used for making tomato pappu. But for the variation you can try with masoor dal or moong dal as well. If you have time and planned ahead, you can soak the dal in enough water for 30 minutes. It will reduce the pressure cooking time.
• Tomatoes: This is the ingredient which makes the dal tangy. We are using good amount of tomatoes, so please use ripe tomatoes. If used unripe and sour tomatoes, the tomato dal will be too tangy.

Check out other pappu recipes
Gongura pappu  //  Pappu charu

Step By Step Photo Instructions:

1) Wash toor dal under running cold water till water runs clear.

2) Take washed dal in pressure cooker, add 1 ½ cups of water. Cover with the lid, put the weight on. Let it cook for 5-6 whistles on medium heat. Let the pressure go down by itself, then open the lid. Dal should be cooked, soft and almost mushy.

3) Heat the oil or ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds, let them pop. Then add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

4) Now add sliced onions, sprinkle some salt to speed up the process.

5) Cook till onions get soft and light pink in color. It will take about 3-4 minutes.

6) Then add ginger paste, garlic paste and slit green chilies.

7) Mix and cook till raw smell of ginger garlic goes away or for about a minute.

8) Now add chopped tomatoes and curry leaves.

9) Mix well, add remaining salt.

10) Cook for few minutes or till tomatoes get soft. Few will get mushy and few will hold their shape. That is perfect.

11) Add Turmeric powder, red chili powder.

12) Mix and cook for a minute.

13) Now add boiled dal and another ½ cup of water to make dal consistency. Water quantity may vary depending on your liking consistency.

14) Mix well and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes.

15) Lastly add finely chopped coriander leaves.

16) Stir with spatula and turn off the stove. Tomato dal is ready to serve.

Serving suggestions: Serve tomato pappu with steamed rice along with roasted crispy pappadum and pickle on side. You can also serve dry veg sabzi along with dal-rice to make complete healthy meal.

Notes

• Andhra pappu is usually on thicker side. When you mix it with rice after that you can make ladoo or balls out of it. This much thick this dal supposed to be. But I and hubby do not prefer that thick dal, so I kept it on little thinner side. But you can adjust the consistency by adding or reducing the water quantity.
• Traditionally, this tomato pappu is served with rice along with drizzle of ghee (clarified butter) over it. I know this way single serve might consume more ghee. Instead you can make tempering with ghee in place of oil. This way you will not miss the flavor of ghee.

Did you try this tomato dal recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.