Recipe for thotakura pappu / green amaranthus dal made with greens and toor dal. An everyday South Indian dal recipe that’s served for lunch with rice.
A simple everyday dal made with green amaranthus and toor dal. Serve with hot rice and ghee.
Country tomatoes (Naati variety) are preferred for this recipe as it adds a slight tangy taste to the dal. Adjust the green chillies in the recipe according to your spice levels.
Try to remove the mature stems of the green amaranthus and use only the leaves and the small stems while making this pappu. This dal can be made with other greens also.
Here is the video of how to make Thotakura Pappu
Cooking the dal and veggies
1/2 cup toor dal 1/2 cup onion 2 small country tomatoes 2 green chillies 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon groundnut oil 2 cups water
Tempering the dal
2 teaspoon groundnut oil 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 dried red chilli 1 sprig of curry leaves 5 cloves garlic, chopped 3 cups green amaranth leaves, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
Take a pressure cooker and add the washed toor dal to the cooker. Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder, little oil and water. Cook for 12 minutes / 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure settle in the cooker before opening it. Once the pressure settles, open the cooker and mash the dal mixture with a potato masher. Set aside.
Tempering the dal – Take a pan/kadhai and add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilli, curry leaves and garlic. Saute for a minute. Let the mustard seeds crackle and the garlic roast a bit. Add the washed and chopped greens to the pan. Saute for five minutes for the greens to wilt. Once the greens are wilted, add the salt and asafoetida. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Add the cooked dal mixture and simmer for a couple of more minutes.
Our thotakura pappu is ready. Serve with hot rice and ghee.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
Cooking the dal and veggies
1/2 cup toor dal 1/2 cup onion 2 small country tomatoes 2 green chillies 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon groundnut oil 2 cups water
Tempering the dal
2 teaspoon groundnut oil 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 dried red chilli 1 sprig of curry leaves 5 cloves garlic, chopped 3 cups green amaranth leaves, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
Take a pressure cooker and add the washed toor dal to the cooker. Add the chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder, little oil and water. Cook for 12 minutes / 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure settle in the cooker before opening it. Once the pressure settles, open the cooker and mash the dal mixture with a potato masher. Set aside.
Tempering the dal – Take a pan/kadhai and add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilli, curry leaves and garlic. Saute for a minute. Let the mustard seeds crackle and the garlic roast a bit. Add the washed and chopped greens to the pan. Saute for five minutes for the greens to wilt. Once the greens are wilted, add the salt and asafoetida. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Add the cooked dal mixture and simmer for a couple of more minutes.
Our thotakura pappu is ready. Serve with hot rice and ghee.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/thotakura-pappu/
Recipe for chicken rice, a popular street side special where the fried chicken, eggs and veggies are tossed in rice and spices.
In Tamilnadu, one of the very famous street side specials for dinner has to be chicken rice. It’s a variety of fried rice where fried chicken is added along with other spices and veggies and tossed in a wok with rice. This can be easily replicated at home and here is my version of chicken rice.
For the fried chicken, we need boneless meat. As we are using boneless chicken, chicken thighs are preferred as they stay moist and juicy after deep frying.
Here are the things you can buy online for making this recipe Carbon Steel Wok Pan https://amzn.to/3s6NuSr Kikkoman All Purpose Soy Sauce https://amzn.to/3wBqPBe Green Chilli Sauce https://amzn.to/3ZjeUDG Aged Basmati Rice https://amzn.to/3s2Vjsp
Here is the video of how to make Chicken Rice | Tamilnadu Street Side Special Spicy Chicken Rice Recipe | Fried Chicken Rice
For Frying The Chicken
250 grams of boneless chicken thighs 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1.5 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon lime juice 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 1 egg white 1 tablespoon maida 1 tablespoon corn flour **Vegetable oil to deep fry
For Cooking Rice (drain method)
1 cup basmati rice 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 litres water
For Scrambled Eggs
2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder 1 teaspoon oil
Making The Fried Rice
2 tablespoon oil (oil used for deep frying) 3 stalks spring onion (bottom part) 2 green chillies 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped 1 cup cabbage, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder 1 tablespoon green chilli sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup capsicum, finely chopped 3 stalks spring onion (leaf part)
Frying The Chicken
Make sure to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. To the chicken, Add the spice powders, salt, ginger garlic paste, lime juice, egg white, maida, and corn flour. Mix well. Let it marinate for 10-15 minutes. Deep fry the chicken in hot oil for about 3-4 minutes till crispy. If the pieces are big, it will take more time to cook. Make sure not to crowd the kadai and cook in batches. Remove the fried chicken and drain on paper towels. Set aside on a plate to cool. Cut the fried chicken into small pieces so every bite of fried rice has a small piece of chicken in it.
For Cooking Rice (drain method)
Wash and soak Basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Add the soaked and drained rice to the hot water. Add a little salt and cook for a few minutes till the rice is cooked tender but firm. Drain on a colander and set aside.
For Scrambled Eggs
Take a small bowl and add the eggs and the yolk. Add the black pepper, and salt and whisk well to combine. Heat a wok and add a little oil. I have used the oil that was used for deep frying as it is very flavourful. Add the egg mixture and cook till the eggs are scrambled. Remove the eggs from the wok and set aside on a bowl.
Making The Fried Rice
In the same wok, add oil. Add the spring onion (bottom part), green chillies, onions, and ginger garlic paste. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the veggies and cook for 5 minutes. Add the red chilli powder, black pepper powder, green chilli sauce, soy sauce and salt. Go easy on the salt as the sauces are already seasoned. Cook for a minute. Add the cooked rice. Add the chopped capsicum, scrambled eggs and fried chicken. Mix well. Finally, finish with a generous sprinkling of spring onions. Serve hot.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 30m
