My quench for dal recipe never ceases and here is my new find from God’s own country – Instant Pot Kerala Parippu Curry – a delicious and a simple dal prepared in the instant pot with small yellow lentils or the yellow moong dal and with the fresh ground coconut-cumin paste. Check out the detailed Instant Pot Kerala Parippu Curry recipe with step-wise pictures below.
Parippu Curry:
With Onam right around the corner, I wanted to post a few sadya recipes and here comes the first one – Kerala Parippu Curry. In simple words, it is the Kerala style moong dal tadka. Parippu means dal in Malayalam. We cannot imagine Kerala food without coconut, and this dal recipe has fresh ground coconut as well. The coconut-cumin paste and the shallots tempering make this dal flavorsome and delicious. If you are looking for an alternative to the regular dal tadka, then here is one of the best bet.
Onam Sadya Recipes:
This march, I posted the Onam Sadya Thali and it features a lot of sadya delicacies and one among them is the Kerala Parippu Curry. I love how this dal is simple yet creamy and delicious. Thanks to the coconut and the coconut oil that makes this dal lip-smackingly good. :-) You can check the other sadya recipes here in the below link.
PS: Don’t forget to sign-up for my newsletter to get the weekly digest and these festival delicacies.
Other Dal Recipes:
As I mentioned above, this parippu curry is one of the best bet, if you are looking for an alternative to the regular dal tadka. Wondering what the other options are? Check out the few dal recipes from my archives and all are Instant Pot Dal Recipes as well. Let me know what’s your favorite dal recipe.
Ok, now without any further delay, let me share how to prepare this Kerala Parippu Curry in the Instant Pot.
How to Make Kerala Parippu Curry in Instant Pot:
The recipe is quite simple. You have to first pressure cook the moong dal in the Instant Pot. Parallelly, you can grind the fresh coconut masala. When the dal is ready, add the ground paste and let it simmer. And finally, do the tempering or the tadka.
For this recipe, I prefer adding the tadka in the end. We add onions/shallots to the tempering and I like the crunch of it. You can do in the beginning in the Instant Pot itself. But the shallots become mushy and blends with the dal. But if you like it that way, please go for it and make it a one-pot meal.
Ingredients:
- Moong Dal – ⅓ cup
- Turmeric Powder – ⅛ powder
- Salt – ¾ tsp
- Water 1.5 cups + 1 cup
- To Temper:
- Coconut Oil – 1 tsp
- Ghee – 1 tsp
- Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
- Curry Leaves – few
- Shallots – 3
- Red Chilies – 2
- To grind:
- Coconut – ¼ cup
- Green Chili – 1
- Cumin – ¼ tsp
- Water – 3 tbsps
Prep-Work:
- Peel and chop the shallots into small pieces.
- If using frozen coconut, then thaw the coconut to room temperature. If using fresh coconut, grate the required amount.
Steps:
- Wash the moong dal and add it to the Instant Pot along with 1.5 cups of water and turmeric powder.
- Set it to manual mode and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. (If using a pressure cooker, cook the dal by adding water and turmeric powder for three whistles)
- Then carefully open the lid and mash the dal.
- Now set the IP in saute mode and add the remaining one cup of water and salt.
- Mix well and allow it to simmer.
- Meanwhile grind the coconut, green chili and cumin into a smooth paste by adding 3 tbsps of water.
- Add this fresh ground paste to the simmering dal and mix well. Allow it simmer for just two minutes and set the IP to keep warm mode or turn off the heat.
- In a tempering pan, heat the coconut oil and the ghee. When they melt, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped shallots, and red chilies.
- Let the mustard seeds splutter and then add this tempering to the dal and mix well.
- That’s it. The Kerala Parippu Curry is ready. Serve hot with rice or any Indian Flatbread.
Recipe Notes:
- If you want to keep the dal vegan, then skip the ghee and add one more tsp of coconut oil.
- You can use, 2 to 3 tbsp of thinly sliced onion instead of shallots. But shallots add a unique flavor. So please try not to skip that.
- You can use the fresh coconut masala for any other dal recipe, or you can replace moong dal with your favorite lentils or legumes.
- Adjust the salt, spice, and water according to your preference. If you want the dal to be thin in soup consistency, then add one more cup of water.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Kerala Parippu Curry
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Moong Dal
- ⅛ tsp Turmeric Powder
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 2.5 cups Water
To Temper:
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil
- 1 tsp Ghee
- ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
- 5 Curry Leaves
- 3 Shallots
- 2 Red Chillies
To grind:
- ¼ cup Coconut
- 1 Green Chili
- ¼ tsp Cumin
- 3 tbsps Water
Instructions
Prep-Work:
- Peel and chop the shallots into small pieces.
- If using frozen coconut, then thaw the coconut to room temperature. If using fresh coconut, grate the required amount.
Steps:
- Wash the moong dal and add it to the Instant Pot along with 1.5 cups of water and turmeric powder.
- Set it to manual mode and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. (If using a pressure cooker, cook the dal by adding water and turmeric powder for three whistles)
- Then carefully open the lid and mash the dal.
- Now set the IP in saute mode and add the remaining one cup of water and salt.
- Mix well and allow it to simmer.
- Meanwhile grind the coconut, green chili and cumin into a smooth paste by adding 3 tbsps of water.
- Add this fresh ground paste to the simmering dal and mix well. Allow it simmer for just two minutes and set the IP to keep warm mode or turn off the heat.
- In a tempering pan, heat the coconut oil and the ghee. When they melt, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped shallots and red chilies.
- Let the mustard seeds splutter and then add this tempering to the dal and mix well.
- That’s it. The Kerala Parippu Curry is ready. Serve hot with rice or any Indian Flatbread.
Notes
- If you want to keep the dal vegan, then skip the ghee and add one more tsp of coconut oil.
- You can use, 2 to 3 tbsp of thinly sliced onion instead of shallots. But shallots add a unique flavor. So please try not to skip that.
- You can use the fresh coconut masala for any other dal recipe, or you can replace moong dal with your favorite lentils or legumes.
- Adjust the salt, spice, and water according to your preference.
- If you want the dal to be thin in soup consistency, then add one more cup of water.
Nutrition
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.
Question! Mine came out very watery…what is the best way to fix that?
You can add some rice flour slurry to thicken it. Mix a tsp of rice flour in 1/3 to 1/2 cup water and add it. That should help. Thanks
Amazing recipe vidhya, Kudos and keep going
Thanks Janani. :-)