South Indian Lunch Recipes - Lunch Menu # 7

Today is another very very simple yet delicious South Indian lunch recipe. I have shared here a Tamilnadu style dal tadka or dal fry recipe. We call this as Paruppu kadayal. Today's menu is a simple Tamilnadu Lunch recipe - simple dal recipe, rasam, Cabbage poriyal (stir fry ), Curd rice.

Lunch Menu #7

• White Rice
• Paruppu Kadayal
• Rasam
• Curd Rice
• Cabbage Stir-fry

Have a look at other South Indian Lunch Recipes 👉 here

Paruppu Kadayal | Dal Fry | Dal Tadka
Ingredients

• 1 small cup of Split Pigeon Peas / Toor Dal
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 Onion, medium-sized, finely chopped
• 1 large Tomato, finely chopped ( optional )
• 2 Green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 Dry red chilly
• 4 Garlic cloves, mashed
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Oil

Preparation:

• Soak the toor dal for 15 minutes in a bowl. Transfer the dal to the pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water. Add ¼ tsp turmeric powder and few drops of castor oil and mix well. Pressure cook for 3 whistles or till it becomes mushy. Keep aside.

Method:

• Heat oil in kadai/ wok. When hot, add cumin seeds and allow it to crackle. Add dry chilies to it and fry.

• Immediately add the onions, green chilies, garlic, curry leaves to it and cook till the onions become translucent.

• Add the tomatoes and cook till it becomes mushy and cooked.

• Then add the pressured cooked dal, salt and 1 cup of water and cook for 10 minutes. Add water as needed to your desired thickness.

• Serve this with hot rice and dollop of ghee.

Paruppu Rasam | Dal Rasam | Lentil Rasam

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Dal water ( water from pressure cooked toor dhal or any lentil like green gram, horse gram, etc.. )
• 1 large Tomato
• Tamarind
• 1 tp Mustard seeds
• 1/8th tsp of Asafoetida
• 3 Dry Red Chillies
• 1 tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• Few Coriander Leaves
• Salt as required
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation

• How to make Dal water for rasam - Pressure cook 1 cup of toor dhal( split pigeon peas  ) along with 2 cups of water.  When the pressure is released from the cooker, add 1 more cup of water an bring it to boil. Mix well and take out the water leaving the dal. reserve this water in a bowl. Use the remaining dal for making sambar.

• Tamarind extract: Soak the tamarind in warm water for 20 minutes. After soaking time, squeeze and extract the pulp Strain the mixture and reserve the tamarind water.

• Rasam Powder: Take cumin seeds and pepper, coarsely ground together with the help of ammikallu or mortar pestle. Mash the garlic too and keep aside.

Method:

• Heat oil in a chatti or saucepan or small kadai/ wok. When hot add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

• Add dry red chillies and asafoetida.

• Immediately add the prepared tamarind water/ extract, next add the tomato, here lightly mash the tomato in hand and smashed garlic cloves, cumin pepper grounded. Mix well.

• Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes so that the raw smell goes off.

• Add the dal water, salt, and mix well.

• Once the water starts to boil, switch off the flame immediately.

• Finally add some coriander leaves, transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with white rice.

Curd Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Cooked Rice
• 1/4 liter Curd
• 1 tbsp of Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Channa Dal / Bengal Gram
• Few Cashew Nuts
• 1 Dry red Chilly
• Few Curry Leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Place the cooked rice in a large bowl. Add curd, salt and 2 tbsp of water. Mix well and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a wok, when hot add bengal gram and mustard seeds. Wait till the mustard seeds splutter.

• Add cashew nuts, curry leaves, dry chili, and fry. Do not burn.

• Add this tempering / tadka to the rice and mix well.

Cabbage Poriyal:

Ingredients:

• 1 large cup of shredded cabbage
• 1 tsp Channa dal
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• few Curry Leaves
• 3 Dry Red Chili
• 1 tbsp Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in kadai / wok. When hot add in channa dal and mustard seeds. Allow it to crackle.

• Next add curry leaves, dry red chili, and fry. Do not burn.

• Add the shredded cabbage, turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Cover and Cook for 15 minutes in low flame. Cook till it is wilted and completely cooked.