Today’s recipe is a very simple and yet really delicious accompaniment to hot rice, Andhra special Moong Dal Chutney – Pesara Pappu Pachadi/Pesara Pachadi. As most of you know, I was born in Andhra but brought up in Chennai. I grew up eating regular Telugu food, albeit a little customized. If we made Pappu (dal) and Koora (andhra style stirfry) one day, it was Sambar (lentil tamarind stew) and Poriyal (tamil style stirfry) the next day. We made fresh batch of Andhra pickles – Avakaya, Maagayi, Gongura, Pandu mirchi kaaram & Chinthakaya every summer and that lasted for over a year for us. As kids, we were not allowed to have pickles and that was the one thing we always demanded. In typical Andhra homes like my uncles’ and aunts’, Andhra special fresh pickles and chutneys are made every day.
Growing up far away from my roots, I don’t relate to the most authentic style of Andhra cooking. Although I have posted a few fresh chutneys and pickles like Dondakaya Pachadi, Mamidi Allam Pachadi, Allam Pachadi & Tomato Pachadi, I haven’t tried a lot more. This lockdown, I am exploring a lot more of our authentic cooking with the help of my parents and aunt, so this Pesara Pachadi is the first one many such simple recipes that are to come here.
It all started with a simple conversation with my brother and what had my aunt made for lunch one fine day. The moment I heard about Pesara Pappu Pachadi/Pesara Pachadi, I wanted to try it. Luckily, we all have access to our loved ones 24x7 these days, so I quickly checked about the recipe with both my Amma and Pedammagaru (aunt) For someone who has only heard about this, I wanted to make it immediately. Guess what, you can’t take Telugu out of someone. No matter what, we do go back to our roots. Most of the Telugu Pachadi recipes are traditionally hand ground in Rubbu Rolu or mortar pestle. In city life, we succumb to some quick shortcuts, so I used my mixer to make this. We enjoyed this with hot rice and homemade ghee – it was too good.
📖 Recipe
Soak moong dal in enough water for 30-45 mins.
As the moong dal is completed soaked and is soft, drain off the water. Set aside.
Meanwhile heat ½ teaspoon of oil in a pan and roast the dried red chillies until they are fragrant and are crisp.
Add Fried Red Chillies along with salt to blender jar. Grind into a smooth powder.
Next add soaked moong dal and cumin seeds.
Grind into a smooth paste.
Remove it onto a bowl and add fresh squeezed lemon juice. Mix well.
In the pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilli cut into smaller pieces. As the cumin and mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida. After a few seconds, remove from heat.
Add it over the prepared chutney. Mix well.
Serve with hot rice and some ghee with sides of any Andhra vepudu/koora or pappu.
Add enough dried red chillies and lemon juice, otherwise the chutney tastes very bland. There is no cooking of the moong dal, this chutney is best served immediately and consumed within the same day. If you store it in an airtight container, can keep it in fridge for a day. If you have fresh raw mangoes, instead of using lemon juice you can grind raw mango along with moong dal to make Mamidi Pesara Pachadi.
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