Pepper Dal

Recipe for pepper dal. Moong dal tempered with freshly ground black pepper and spices. Very comforting for cold and flu. Recipe with step by step pictures.

Its the falling sick season here in Bangalore and my husband has been down with a severe sore throat. I made this dal and he thoroughly enjoyed it. The dal loaded with pepper and turmeric is so comforting to eat with rice or idli. The little addition of fennel seeds adds a nice flavor to the curry. I served the dal with soft uttappams. Add extra pepper to the dal just before serving. Here is how to do pepper dal.

Boil the moong dal with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles. Let the pressure from the pressure cooker settle on its own. Set aside to cool. Grind fresh black pepper. Set aside.

Heat sesame oil (Indian gingely oil) in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and saute for couple of minutes.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, salt and finely chopped curry leaves. I like to chop the curry leaves and add it to the curry so folks at home will eat it. If added whole, it always goes to the side of the plate. Saute for five minutes. Add in the freshly ground black pepper, turmeric and coriander powder. Saute for a minute.

Add in 1.5 cups of water and simmer the curry for 10 minutes on a low flame.

Add in the cooked dal and simmer for a minute more.

You can serve this dal with idli or dosa. It even tasted good with rice. The warm pepper in the dal is so comforting for the cold.

• 1/4 cup moong dal
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil (Indian gingely oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped (roughly about 1/2 cup )
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh black pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder

1. Boil the moong dal with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles. Let the pressure from the pressure cooker settle on its own.
2. Heat sesame oil (Indian gingely oil) in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and saute for couple of minutes.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes, salt and finely chopped curry leaves. Saute for five minutes.
4. Add in the freshly ground black pepper, turmeric and coriander powder. Saute for a minute.
5. Add in 1.5 cups of water and simmer the curry for 10 minutes on a low flame.
6. Add in the cooked dal and simmer for a minute more.
7. Serve hot!

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: side dish
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

• 1/4 cup moong dal
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil (Indian gingely oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped (roughly about 1/2 cup )
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh black pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder

1. Boil the moong dal with 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles. Let the pressure from the pressure cooker settle on its own.
2. Heat sesame oil (Indian gingely oil) in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the onions and saute for couple of minutes.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes, salt and finely chopped curry leaves. Saute for five minutes.
4. Add in the freshly ground black pepper, turmeric and coriander powder. Saute for a minute.
5. Add in 1.5 cups of water and simmer the curry for 10 minutes on a low flame.
6. Add in the cooked dal and simmer for a minute more.
7. Serve hot!

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: side dish
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/pepper-dal/

Spicy egg curry Nanjil style. Perfect egg curry recipe to be served with rice. Tamilnadu style egg curry recipe. With step by step pictures.

This recipe again is from my mom’s newspaper cuttings dating many years back. She likes to save recipes from magazines / papers that she finds interesting and keeps it for me. This is one such gem. She takes a lot of joy in sharing these things with me. This recipe for nanjil egg curry goes so well along with rice. I have adapted the recipe making minimal changes to suit my family. Nanjil country represents the southern part of Tamilnadu.

Here is how to do spicy egg curry for rice.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the bay leaves, curry leaves, kal pasi (stone flower) and cumin seeds. Saute for a minute on low flame.

Once the spices are sauteed and aromatic, add in the sliced onions.

When the onions are getting brown, lets make a spice masala paste.

Grind all the ingredients with quarter cup of water to a fine paste. Add in the spice masala paste.

Add in the salt. Adding salt will help in cooking faster and the masala paste will not stick to the pan. Fry well for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and saute for a minute.

Add in the turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder and saute for 2-3 minutes till the masala is well fried and almost dry.

Now, we will make another paste.

Grind the fresh shredded coconut, cashew-nut and fried gram with quarter cup of water to a smooth paste.

Add the paste along with two cups of water.

Add in the boiled eggs to the curry. Let the curry simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and add in the coriander leaves and the lemon juice.

Spicy curry for rice is ready!!!! Serve the curry with red rice.

Tempering Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (Indian gingely oil)
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 bay leaves, broken
• 1 teaspoon kalpasi
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Other ingredients

• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped
• juice of half a lime / lemon
• 5 eggs, boiled and peeled

For the spice masala paste

• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 inch piece ginger
• 3 green chillies
• 1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick
• 1 cardamom
• 1 clove
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Coconut Masala paste

• 1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut
• 5 cashewnut
• 2 teaspoon fried gram dal (pottukadalai)

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the bay leaves, curry leaves, kal pasi (stone flower) and cumin seeds. Saute for a minute on low flame.
2. Once the spices are sauteed and aromatic, add in the sliced onions and saute till the onions are slightly brown..
3. Add in the spice masala paste. Add in the salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the chopped tomatoes and saute for a minute.
5. Add in the turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder and saute for 2-3 minutes till the masala is well fried and almost dry.
6. Add the coconut masala paste along with two cups of water.
7. Add in the boiled eggs to the curry. Let the curry simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from heat and add in the coriander leaves and the lemon juice.
9. Serve the curry with red rice.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Category: side dish
• Cuisine: tamilnadu