Gongura Pappu
A comforting sour dal made by cooking toor lentils together with tangy gongura leaves, finished with a garlic tempering.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 190 kcal
Equipment
- •Pressure cooker
- •Tempering pan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- fat
- 6 g
- carbs
- 24 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 11 g
- calories
- 190 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pressure cook the toor dal with turmeric and enough water until soft, for about 4 whistles.
- 2
Add the chopped gongura leaves (sorrel leaves) and green chillies to the dal. Simmer for 10 minutes until the leaves break down.
- 3
Mash lightly with a ladle. Stir in salt to taste.
- 4
Heat ghee (clarified butter) in a small pan. Fry mustard seeds, cumin, and dried red chillies until they pop.
- 5
Add the crushed garlic. Fry until it turns golden and smells fragrant.
- 6
Pour this spiced oil mixture over the simmering dal and mix well.
- 7
Simmer for 2 more minutes before serving hot.
Chef's tips
Add a pinch of jaggery (unrefined sugar) to soften the sourness if you like. Fresh garlic sizzled in ghee gives this dish its classic flavour.
Ingredient substitutions
- gongura leaves → tamarind pulp with spinach (less authentic but a workable substitute)
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of water if too thick.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding too much water, making the pappu (dal) thin and watery instead of thick.
- •Skipping the garlic when sizzling the spices, which loses vital flavour.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Gongura Pappu?
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