Spicy Lentil Soup (Pappu Chaaru)

Occasionally, we get lunch and dinner invitations which are seldom easy to forget. I mean, its not about the FOOD always! Its about the people, their hospitality, warmth, finally the company which is what matters the most. They'll cook and present the most simple dishes you can find on the face of earth; yet you feel the love all around. This also compels me to think that any simple dish cooked with love is far more tasty than a banquet dished out in a grumpy mood. I recall this amazing lunch we had at one of our office friend's place in India.

My friend makes the most amazing Chekkalu, Pacchadi, Pappu, Poriyal's and Biryani's. She made this simple spicy lentil soup which is popularly known as Pappu Chaaru in Andhra Pradesh state of India and is a quite a staple recipe in many a Andhra homes. A very simple soupy textured broth with a healthy seasoning of garlic and augmented with lot of tangy flavour of Tamarind juice. This broth is neither too thin nor too thick. Some versions of Chaaru are also made with vegetables of choice primarily Okra, Baby Onions, Tomatoes, etc; I prefer this simple plain one for the simplicity. I was in love with the Chaaru flavour and asked her for the recipe. The compliments surely made her day! I have made this countless times and love the taste. Every time I slurp the soup, it reminds me of the wonderful time we had at her place.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Toor Dal (cooked) - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Tamarind extract broth (concentrated) - 1/3 cup

Jaggery or Sugar - 1 teaspoon

For Seasoning -

Red Chillies (Byadgi) - 2-3

Garlic - 3-4 pods

Oil/Ghee

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 3-4

Garnish: Chopped Coriander leaves and hot melted Ghee.

Method:

Pressure cook Toor Dal and keep aside. In a vessel, cook the boiled Toor Dal with water in 1/2: 4 proportion. Which means, for half cup of cooked Toor Dal, add 4 cups of water. Dilute the Dal entirely in water and bring to boil. Add Turmeric powder and Red Chilli powder. Soak Tamarind pulp in warm water for 10 minutes. Squish it with your hands and add the juice in the cooking broth. Add Jaggery or Sugar now. Give a gentle stir. Adjust salt and water consistency as per choice. The broth will be brown in color now. Bring to boil and simmer on low flame for 10 minutes and turn off the flame.

In a separate pan, heat few spoons of oil/ghee. Add mustard seeds and once they begin to pop, add curry leaves and crushed Garlic. Let the garlic brown and char a little. Pour this piping hot seasoning over the Chaaru. Cover and close with a lid. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves if desired. Mix while serving and enjoy with hot steam cooked white rice. Top it up with some hot Tuppa or Ghee.

Cumin Spiced Lentils ~ Goan Style - Varan & Plagiarism

A simple comfort meal - Varan Bhaat. Sampling morsels of food and taking in portions of this pliable dish transports me to a different planet. There are many versions available of this dish. The Marathi version of Varan does not have coconut added hence very subtle flavours. The Goan version of Varan, also known as Varna in Goa, has a liberal helping of coconut and spice paste added. If a lunch menu is on the cards specially for a bright summer afternoon, then Varan Bhaat takes a default presence on the menu. I love the yellow, creamy texture of the lentils. My preference is scoops of cooked white rice, ladle full of Varan, some freshly squeezed lime juice and a spoon of ghee to finish the serve. No wonder its a complete comfort meal for many a foodie's around the globe.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 3/4 cup

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Green Chillies - 2

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida - 2-3 pinches

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon

Lime Juice

Oil/Ghee

Salt

Method:

Pressure cook Toor Dal with Turmeric powder and Asafoetida. Allow to cool. Mash the mushy paste and keep aside. Grind grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds (1 tsp) to a fine paste with little water. Add this paste to the cooked Daal and bring to boil. For seasoning, heat ghee in a separate pan, and heat a teaspoon of ghee, add cumin seeds and once they pop, pour this seasoning on the Daal. Serve hot with warm rice, some lime juice and ghee (optional).

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PLAGIARISM

A friend of mine sent me a link of a fellow blogger who has picked a picture from my blog for one of the recipes posted on the concerned website. I have e-mailed the concerned individual involved. It is a disappointing event when pictures, text are copied word to word from your blog and posted elsewhere without a note of credit or gratitude. All this certainly saps off the fun of blogging. I hope the concerned individual makes a note of it and takes off the picture from the blog site. I for one, take plagiarism seriously especially when its your hard work which is being used without passing through appropriate channels of permission.