Dosakaya Pappu
Yellow cucumber dal — small, round, pale-yellow dosakaya (Indian yellow cucumber or lemon cucumber) peeled, diced, and cooked together with toor dal, water, tomato, green chilli, and turmeric until the dal and cucumber both mash to a thick, unified consistency, then tempered with mustard seeds, dried red chilli, garlic, and curry leaves in sesame oil. The dosakaya has a crisp, slightly sour flavour when raw; it breaks down during cooking and adds a gentle fruity acidity to the dal without the sharpness of tamarind. Distinctly Telangana and Andhra: the dosakaya is rarely used as a cooking vegetable outside this region. The pappu's characteristic quality is the blend of the cucumber's natural sourness with the toor dal's nuttiness; no tamarind or lemon is needed. Eaten mixed into rice with ghee and papad.
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Recipe
Ingredients
| 1/2 cup | toor dal (pigeon peas) |
| 1 medium | dosakaya (yellow cucumber), peeled and diced |
| 1 | medium onion, finely chopped |
| 2 | green chilies, slit |
| 1 | tomato, chopped |
| 1/4 teaspoon | turmeric powder |
| — | salt to taste |
| 2 cups | water |
| 1 tablespoon | oil |
| 1/2 teaspoon | mustard seeds |
| 1/2 teaspoon | cumin seeds |
| 1 | dry red chili |
| 1 pinch | asafoetida (hing) |
| 1 sprig | curry leaves |
| — | fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnish |
Instructions
- 1 Wash the toor dal thoroughly and soak it in water for about 15 minutes.
- 2 In a pressure cooker, add the soaked dal, dosakaya pieces, chopped onion, green chilies, chopped tomato, turmeric powder, and 2 cups of water.
- 3 Pressure cook the mixture for 3-4 whistles until the dal and dosakaya are cooked well.
- 4 Once the pressure releases, open the cooker and mash the dal mixture slightly.
- 5 Add salt to taste and mix well.
- 6 In a small pan, heat oil over medium heat.
- 7 Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- 8 Add cumin seeds, dry red chili, asafoetida, and curry leaves, and sauté for a few seconds.
- 9 Pour this tempering over the cooked dal mixture and mix well.
- 10 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves before serving.
Tips
Adjust the number of green chilies to suit your spice preference. Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.