Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu | Yellow Cucumber Dal

This Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu or Yellow Cucumber Dal is a flavorful lentil curry prepared with split pigeon peas and yellow cucumber – so comforting!.

Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu | Yellow Cucumber Dal

After posting quite a few North Indian and North Eastern state recipes, I am back with a South Indian recipe. This dal is one among the comfort and staple food of Andhra/Telangana region.

We all know that Andhra and Telangana are known for their different varieties of pappu or dal recipes. Every dal recipe is unique and flavorful. But among all of them my favorites are the simple tomato pappu and this dosakaya pappu.

Earlier this year, I posted the tomato pappu recipe and also included it in my Andhra Thali post. Now it’s the time for the yellow cucumber dal. I love yellow cucumber only when added in this pappu.

Whenever I buy this cucumber, I always think to prepare kootu with that but eventually end up making this pappu. These no fuss simple day-to-day dal recipes are the way to get you daily dose of protein. :-)

Like sambar and rasam, every household has their traditional family recipe for this pappu. I learnt it from our friend S and modified it to suit our taste buds. It is more like tomato pappu, but with onions, and tamarind. Also, the tempering is slightly different from the tomato pappu.

These days I started including ginger and carom seeds in all my recipes as they aid in digestion. For this recipe, I did add ginger but not the carom seeds. The ginger is entirely optional. I cooked the veggies along with the dal and mashed them nicely.

But if you want the veggies to be non-mushy and tender, please cook the dal first in instant pot and then add the veggies and cook for 2 to 3 minutes and do a quick pressure release. Please see the notes for different variations. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, this is vaandu approved recipe, and he loves this with rice and roti too.

Recap:

• 2015 | Day 18 – Matar Kachori
• 2016 | Day 18 – Lemon Pickle
• 2017 | Day 18 – Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu | Yellow Cucumber Dal

Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu | Yellow Cucumber Dal Recipe

A flavorful  Andhra/Telangana delicacy prepared with split pigeon peas, yellow cucumber and with assorted spices.

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal – 1 cup
• Chopped Dosakaya/Yellow Cucumber – 4 cups
• Green chili – 2
• Oil – 2 tsps
• Ginger – ½ inch (optional)
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 2 tsps
• Hing – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – few, 5 to 6
• Chopped Cilantro – 2 tbsps
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Salt – 2 tsps
• Half of medium sized onion
• Tomato – 1
• Tamarind paste – ½ tsp
• Water – 2 cups + 1 cup

Prep –Work:

• Wash the toor dal and soak it until you chop the veggies. Then drain the water and set aside.
• Wash and chop the onion, tomatoes, cilantro and yellow cucumber (peel the skin) into small pieces.
• Slit the green chili into two.
• If using ginger, cut them into small pieces.
• Mix ½ tsp of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water and set aside.

Steps:

Instant Pot Method:

• Set your IP in the saute mode and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing.
• As the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and chopped ginger.
• Saute for a minute and then add the onion.

• Cook until the onions turn translucent.
• Then add the chopped tomatoes and yellow cucumber. Mix them all.

• At this stage add the toor dal. Then add the turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder. Mix them all again.

• Then add the tamarind water, plus two more cups of water. Stir all the ingredients and set the IP in manual mode and cook for 12 minutes.

• Let the pressure release normally and once the pressure is dropped carefully open the lid.

• Set the IP back in saute mode and now add the chopped cilantro. Let it simmer for two more minutes, and that’s it.

• Dosakaya pappu is ready. Serve hot with rice and any dry curry.

Pressure Cooker Method:

• Pressure cook the toor dal along with dosakaya, tomatoes, and turmeric powder by adding 2 cups of water for three whistles.
• Let the pressure drop and mash the ingredients and set aside.
• Heat the kadai and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing.
• As the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and chopped ginger.
• Saute for a minute and then add the onion.
• Cook until the onions turn translucent.
• At this stage add the cooked dal, tamarind water, salt, red chili powder and mix them all.
• Let this pappu mix simmer for 5 minutes and then add the cilantro and bring it to a boil. That’s it. Dosakaya Pappu is ready.

Notes:

• If you don’t want the cucumber mushy, cook the dal separately either in the pressure cooker or instant pot. Once the onion turns translucent, you can add the cucumber along with tamarind water, and salt. Let it cook until the cucumber is tender. Then add the cooked dal and other spices.
• If using instant pot, after adding cucumber either you can use steam mode or manual mode with quick pressure release for cooking the cucumber.
• Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
• I did not add any garlic. But you can add two to three cloves.
• As I mentioned above ginger is entirely optional.

📖 Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu | Yellow Cucumber Dal

This Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu or Yellow Cucumber Dal is a flavorful lentil curry prepared with split pigeon peas and yellow cucumber - so comforting!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, sides

Cuisine: South Indian, Telugu

Servings: 4

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup Toor Dal
• ▢ 4 cups Chopped Dosakaya/Yellow Cucumber
• ▢ 2 Green chilis
• ▢ 2 tsps Oil
• ▢ Ginger - ½-inch optional
• ▢ 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• ▢ 2 tsps Cumin seeds
• ▢ ½ tsp Hing
• ▢ Curry leaves - few 5 to 6
• ▢ 2 tbsps Chopped Cilantro
• ▢ ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 tsp Red chili powder
• ▢ 2 tsps Salt
• ▢ ½ Onion - medium-sized
• ▢ 1 Tomato
• ▢ ½ tsp Tamarind paste
• ▢ 2 cups Water (+ 1 cup)

Instructions

Prep –Work

• Wash the toor dal and soak it until you chop the veggies. Then drain the water and set aside.
• Wash and chop the onion, tomatoes, cilantro and yellow cucumber (peel the skin) into small pieces.
• Slit the green chili into two.
• If using ginger, cut them into small pieces.
• Mix ½ tsp of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water and set aside.

Steps

Instant Pot Method

• Set your IP in the saute mode and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing.
• As the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and chopped ginger.
• Saute for a minute and then add the onion.
• Cook until the onions turn translucent.
• Then add the chopped tomatoes and yellow cucumber. Mix them all.
• At this stage add the toor dal. Then add the turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder. Mix them all again.
• Then add the tamarind water, plus two more cups of water. Stir all the ingredients and set the IP in manual mode and cook for 12 minutes.
• Let the pressure release normally and once the pressure is dropped carefully open the lid.
• Set the IP back in saute mode and now add the chopped cilantro. Let it simmer for two more minutes, and that's it.
• Dosakaya pappu is ready. Serve hot with rice and any dry curry.

Pressure Cooker Method

• Pressure cook the toor dal along with dosakaya, tomatoes, and turmeric powder by adding 2 cups of water for three whistles.
• Let the pressure drop and mash the ingredients and set aside.
• Heat the kadai and add oil.
• Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing.
• As the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and chopped ginger.
• Saute for a minute and then add the onion.
• Cook until the onions turn translucent.
• At this stage add the cooked dal, tamarind water, salt, red chili powder and mix them all.
• Let this pappu mix simmer for 5 minutes and then add the cilantro and bring it to a boil. That's it. Dosakaya Pappu is ready.

Notes

• If you don't want the cucumber mushy, cook the dal separately either in the pressure cooker or instant pot. Once the onion turns translucent, you can add the cucumber along with tamarind water, and salt. Let it cook until the cucumber is tender. Then add the cooked dal and other spices.
• If using instant pot, after adding cucumber either you can use steam mode or manual mode with quick pressure release for cooking the cucumber.
• Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
• I did not add any garlic. But you can add two to three cloves.
• As I mentioned above ginger is entirely optional.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1261mg | Potassium: 443mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 526IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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