This Munakkaya Instant Pot Pesaru Pappu Charu is a delicious tiffin accompaniment from Andhra/Telangana prepared with moong dal and drumsticks.
Sambar and chutney are the most commonly used Tiffin accompaniments. But are you looking for alternatives? Then you are at the right place and here is a recipe for you with moong dal. Today I am going to share a delicious tiffin accompaniment from Andhra/Telangana, and here is how you can make it in Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Pesaru Pappu Charu
The Telugu cuisine has tons and tons of pappu/lentil based recipes and it was a daunting task to narrow down one from that humongous list. But finally, I picked two recipes one for Telangana and one for Andhra. IMO, the two dishes that I picked belong to both the states. I did not dig deep into the origin of the recipe, so I am going to state as Pesaru Pappu Charu from Telangana/Andhra. I will post the other recipe in the coming weeks. I had similar confusion for few other states as well like for Bihar and Jharkhand. :-)
I had to post this way as I couldn’t find legume based recipes for states like Arunachal Pradesh. I won’t say I did a thorough research, so please folks, if you know any pulse based recipes from the states that I missed, please share it in the comments. Now coming back to the recipe, I prepared it very similar to pappu charu except instead of toor dal; I used moong dal and also included drumsticks. I was a bit confused about the spice powders employed in the recipe and I immediately checked with Valli. She shared her family version, and that’s what I tried.
As you can see, I served this as a side for Venpongal and OMG; it was divine. (Even if I say so myself) I prepared this again for a potluck, and all our friends enjoyed this recipe. This is a quick recipe perfect for your tiffins, be it Pongal or upma or idli.
Without any further ado, here is the recap and the recipe.
Recap:
- 2015 | Day 6 – Undhiyu
- 2016 | Day 6 – Kala Channa Chaat
- 2017 | Day 6 – Instant Pot Pesaru Pappu Charu | Munakkaya Pesaru Pappu Charu
Munakkaya Instant Pot Pesaru Pappu Charu Recipe
A delicious tiffin/rice accompaniment from Andhra/Telangana – Munakkaya Pesaru Pappu Charu prepared with moong dal and drumsticks.
Ingredients:
- Moong Dal – 1 cup
- Tomato – 2 or 1 cup chopped
- Chopped Onion – 1 cup
- Green Chili – 1
- Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp
- Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
- Tamarind Paste – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1.5 tsp
- Water – 3 cups
- Drumsticks – 1 or 5 to 6 pieces chopped
- Sugar – ½ tsp
- Cilantro – a handful
- Curry leaves – a few
For Tempering:
- Oil – 2 tsps
- Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
- Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek Seeds – ½ tsp
- Garlic Clove – 1
- Red Chili – 1
Prep – Work:
- Chop the onion, tomatoes, and drumstick and set aside.
- Wash the moong dal and drain the water and set aside.
- Slit the green chili into two.
Steps:
Instant Pot Method:
- Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, drumstick, moong dal, red chili powder, coriander powder, tamarind paste, salt, slit green chili and sugar directly into the instant pot.
- Add three cups of water and mix them well.
- Now set the IP in manual mode for 6 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
- Carefully open the lid and mash the dal nicely.
- Set the IP in sauté mode and add the chopped cilantro and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate tadka pan heat oil and once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic, red chili and curry leaves.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add this tempering to the charu and mix it. Turn off the IP and set it to either warm mode or serve hot with your favorite tiffin.
Pressure Cooker Method:
- Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, drumstick, moong dal, red chili powder, coriander powder, tamarind paste, salt, slit green chili and sugar directly into the pressure pan or cooker.
- Add three cups of water and mix them well.
- Let it pressure cook for up to two whistles. Then let the pressure release.
- Carefully open the lid and mash the dal nicely.
- Add the chopped cilantro and let the dal simmer over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a separate tadka pan heat oil and once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic, red chili and curry leaves.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add this tempering to the charu and mix it. Turn the heat off and serve hot with your favorite tiffin.
Notes:
- I did not add turmeric powder and also hing. But both can be included in this recipe.
- Sugar is optional. Please adjust the red chili powder, green chili as per your preference. You can increase the quantity of either one or both as per your taste preference. Same for salt too.
- I just went with one big garlic clove while tempering. You can add 5 to 6 small cloves for this measure.
- My drumsticks became mushy as I mashed them all together. You can skip mashing the dal with the potato masher, or you can add the drumsticks after the dal is cooked and you can simmer the dal until the drumsticks are soft and tender. In that case, add ½ more cup of water.
- Also, adjust the water as per your consistency preference. For upma, Pongal, dosa this measure would work. For idli and dosa, I would recommend adding more.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Pesaru Pappu Charu | Munakkaya Pesaru Pappu Charu
Ingredients
- 1 cup Moong Dal
- 2 cups Tomato - chopped - or 1 cup
- 1 cup Chopped Onion
- 1 Green Chili
- ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Tamarind Paste
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 3 cups Water
- 5 Drumsticks - 1 or 5 to 6 pieces chopped
- ½ tsp Sugar
- Cilantro - a handful
- Curry leaves - a few
For Tempering
- 2 tsps Oil
- ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 Red Chili
Instructions
Prep - Work
- Chop the onion, tomatoes, and drumstick and set aside.
- Wash the moong dal and drain the water and set aside.
- Slit the green chili into two.
Steps
Instant Pot Method
- Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, drumstick, moong dal, red chili powder, coriander powder, tamarind paste, salt, slit green chili and sugar directly into the instant pot.
- Add three cups of water and mix them well.
- Now set the IP in manual mode for 6minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
- Carefully open the lid and mash the dal nicely.
- Set the IP in saute mode and add the chopped cilantro and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate tadka pan heat oil and once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic, red chili and curry leaves.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add this tempering to the charu and mix it. Turn off the IP and set it to either warm mode or serve hot with your favorite tiffin.
Pressure Cooker Method
- Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, drumstick, moong dal, red chili powder, coriander powder, tamarind paste, salt, slit green chili and sugar directly into the pressure pan or cooker.
- Add three cups of water and mix them well.
- Let it pressure cook for up to two whistles. Let the pressure subside.
- Carefully open the lid and mash the dal nicely.
- Add the chopped cilantro and let the dal simmer over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a separate tadka pan heat oil and once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic, red chili and curry leaves.
- When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add this tempering to the charu and mix it. Turn the heat off and serve hot with your favorite tiffin.
Notes
- I did not add turmeric powder and also hing. But both can be included in this recipe.
- Sugar is optional. Please adjust the red chili powder, green chili as per your preference. You can increase the quantity of either one or both as per your taste preference. Same for salt too.
- I just went with one big garlic clove while tempering. You can add 5 to 6 small cloves for this measure.
- As I mentioned above, my drumsticks became mushy as I mashed them all together. You can skip mashing the dal with the potato masher, or you can add the drumsticks after the dal is cooked and you can simmer the dal until the drumsticks are soft and tender. In that case, add ½ more cup of water.
- Also, adjust the water as per your consistency preference. For upma, Pongal, dosa this measure would work. For idli and dosa, I would recommend adding more.
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.
Enjoying Instant Instant Pot Pesaru Pappu Charu? You will love these, too:
- Rajasthani Dal Dhokli in Instant Pot
- Dhaba Style Dal Fry in Instant Pot
- Red Lentils with Broccoli in Instant Pot
- Black Lentils Curry | Kali Dal in Instant Pot
- Mixed Dal Tadka with Beet Greens in Instant Pot
This dish looks absolutely delicious!
sounds very similar to the tiffin sambar recipe. Nice clicks.
Yes, Ruchi. Thanks
Sounds almost like the tiffin sambar,it must be a wonderful combination with pongal.
Yup this is more like tiffin sambar pa.
lovely clicks ! andhra comes alive in this dish :-) yummy ven pongal (am eyeing that more :p)
:-) :-) Thanks much Kalyani.
Awesome presentation srividhya. Your charu has come out so well. Thanks for the mention. Lol on the state name confusion. Except for the politician general public don’t think they are separated ? btw sorry you didn’t get Arunachala Pradesh, will check it out. I remember having one.
Very true. Oh plz don’t be sorry. I know how busy you are. Thanks for the help and yeah share the recipe leisurely. Thanks a lot Valli.
Omg, that plate of pongal with pesaru pappu charu, a real torture Vidhya.. ANd its raining here, cant stop myself drooling over that plate.
Thanks a lot. :-) :-)
Before dals used to be the normal way I cook, Gujarati style. I’m so tired of having the same style that now I tend to vary the flavors and cook it either South Indian style or the Punjabi style etc. India is full of different versions of dals. All 30 days of the month we’d probably be able to make a variety of dals.
:-) oh yeah very true.
Now to tell you the truth I still get confused by these names ! I must do my HW well?. But from what I read , the recipe sounds like a delicious daal , I have tried something similar for a Andhra meal .
Yeah, the word charu is quite misleading. It is not the saaru/rasam. Initially I got confused too.
This is our regular tiffin sambar except the tamarind part. Must be tangy i suppose. The Moong Dal sure taste good with Ven pongal.
Oh yeah very true. Thanks Anlet.
This is new to me. I love the colours and the masala in it. Looks yum.
Thanks a lot.
I am just drooling over that pongal plate with the charu. It looks so divine.
Thanks a lot Gayathri.
I always cook the dal for a much longer time in IP. About 15 minutes I think. Never tried changing the time before. Will reduce it to 6 minutes now onwards. Thanks! Also the recipe is similar to the sambar I make. IP does make it much simpler :-)
Yeah, it is more like our tiffin sambar dan. Very true, IP makes everything simpler.
Pongal and pappu charu sounds like a wonderful combination. Your dish looks very inviting. Am having this for breakfast in the morning!
:-) Thanks Sowmya
I started making something similar a few years back after amma made it as a part of pathiya samayal, using moong instead of toor dal . Since then my tiffin sambar is with moong dal only! Lovely idea to use pair it with Ven Pongal!
Yeah true. For pathiya samayal, moong dal is the best. Thanks a lot PJ
I remember tasting pappu charu at a friend’s house who is Kannad but her husband loves Andhra cuisine and especially this charu. We were blown away with the flavors and I immediately noted the recipe from her. I did tried it once but frankly speaking could not get the taste like hers. You got this recipe from Valli, bookmarking to try it soon. Btw nice idea of serving it with ven pongal.
Thanks a lot Sapana. :-) Yes, I did get this from Valli. Check out the other toor dal pappu charu too.
Even i prepare Tiffen Sambar the similar way except the vegetables added. So i cant just image how it would have tasted with Pongal !! I will share my version in the coming week :)
Sure da. Waiting for yours :-)