Name: Hyderabadi Khatti Dal or Pappu Charu recipe by Tanuja G at BetterButter
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup of toor dal; 1 lemon sized tamarind; 1 cup each of tomatoes carrots bottle gourd-diced(optional); 2-3 drumsticks - cut into 2 inches length - optional; A pinch of turmeric; Salt to taste; Water to dilute; Oil for seasoning; 1 teaspoon each of mustard and cumin seeds; 1/2 teaspoon methi seeds; A sprig of curry leaves; 3-4 green chillies; 1 teaspoon of grated jaggery; 2-3 whole dried red chillies; 2 teaspoons of red chilli powder; A pinch of hing

ABOUT Hyderabadi Khatti Dal or Pappu Charu RECIPE

Pappu charu is yet another tangy/sweet stew made in the Telangana region. Though toor dal is used as one of the main ingredients, it differs from regular dals, as the dal is completely mashed and the consistency is that of sambhar. Few vegetables like bottle gourd, bhindi, carrots, drumsticks also can be added to it. But since many would be aware of Sambhar, let me differentiate these two. Pappu charu is sambhar minus the sambhar powder. This is also known as Khatti dal in Hyderabad region. Since jowar rotis are staple food of Telangana region, rotis are dipped into pappu charu and eaten. Goes well with rice too, either for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients Serving: 4

1 cup of toor dal
1 lemon sized tamarind
1 cup each of tomatoes carrots bottle gourd-diced(optional)
2-3 drumsticks - cut into 2 inches length - optional
A pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
Water to dilute
Oil for seasoning
1 teaspoon each of mustard and cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon methi seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
3-4 green chillies
1 teaspoon of grated jaggery
2-3 whole dried red chillies
2 teaspoons of red chilli powder
A pinch of hing

Instructions

Soak the tamarind for half and hour and extract its juice. Also clean and wash the dal, then pressure cook it for one whistle. Let it cool. Mash it completely.
Add tamarind extract into this dal. Dilute it with water. (This dish should be like sambhar consistency.)
Take a deep pan, add this diluted extract. Add in 4-5 drops of oil, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and let it come to a boil. Then let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add the jaggery or sugar, salt and simmer for another 5 more minutes. In the meanwhile, boil the vegetables and add this to this pan. Stir well.
Cook for at least 10 minutes. Keep stirring frequently to ensure the dal doesn't stick to the bottom. Then turn off the flame.
Heat oil in a tadka pan. Add in the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add cumin seeds, methi seeds and fry for another 5 seconds.
Next add the green chillies, curry leaves, red chillies and fry for 10 seconds more. Add hing. Then add this tadka into the prepared pappu.
Onions, garlic are optional ingredients. All these needs to be sautéed well before adding to the boiled pappu charu.

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