Mamidikaya Pappu (Andhra Style Raw Mango Dal)

Bonus Dish for Week 3:

Theme: A-Z  Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: M for Mamikidikaya Pappu (Raw Mango Dal)

This pappu for my first pick for the Letter 'M', but it fell off the regular A-Z Vegetarian dishes from A.P. truck because of various reasons. One reason was that I made 'Nuvvulu-Mamidikaya pachadi' for N and I didn't want the same ingredient (mango) to be used in the dishes that I was posting on consecutive days. So for M I posted Menthikura pappu.

Mamidikaya pappu screams summer for me, even though we get good quality raw mangoes in the Indian store almost all year long. It is one of the dishes that is made on special occasions, festivals, when guests are visiting etc. If your mango is not sour enough, then feel free to add some tamarind paste.

This recipe is from "Cooking with Pedatha" cookbook. I loved the addition of jaggery at the very end, gives a ymmy twist to regular dal.  

Ingredients:
Raw Mango - 1 small, peeled, seeded and diced
Toor Dal - ½cup
Green chilies - 2
Curry leaves - 8-10
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Fenugreeks seeds (Menthulu/ methi seeds) - ½tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) - ¼tsp
Turmeric - ½tsp
Dry red chili - 1
Jaggery - 1tsp (optional)
Salt - to taste

Method:

• Pressure cook dal with turmeric powder to a soft consistency. 
• In a saucepan, heat 1tbsp oil for tempering. Add the mustard seeds and once they start popping, add fenugreek seeds. Lower the flame and when the fenugreek start browning, add the red chilies. As they turn bright red, stir in the curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Next add the mango pieces; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. 
• Add 1 cup of water, salt and cooked dal and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add jaggery in the end.

Serve over steamed rice with some fried sundried crisps or vadiyalu for a filling meal.