Most dishes can be eaten as they are. However, a few dishes require side dishes. In India, rice and wheat are the staple food. Rice is cooked in a lot of varieties but the most common one is just boiled or pressure-cooked rice. There is nothing to it. The curries and dal (lentil) are cooked separately. At times there is more the one combination. Especially during the auspicious day, if you ever see a traditional Indian style of cooking, you will find at least ten items on the plate served to you with love. Indians do give priority to home cooked food. Tamil Nadu is famous for its chutneys. Paruppu Thogayal, a type of chutney, is one of the best side dishes with dal rice or rasam rice. Paruppu, also known as toor dal in Hindi, Pigeon pea in English and is the most common form of lentil used throughout India.
Health benefits
Pigeon peas help in maintaining a healthy heart and contain high levels of protein and essential amino acids. Apart from that it has anti-inflammatory properties, helps in weight loss, boosts energy and also strengthens the immune system.
According to Healthline, tamarind has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They can protect your body against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The seeds help in lowering blood sugar and the pulp helps in losing body weight and reverse fatty liver disease.
Ingredients
½ cup toor dal
1 marble size tamarind
3 byadagi chilies
2 guntur chilies
⅓ cup fresh shredded coconut
¼ teaspoon salt
5 cloves garlic
How To Make Paruppu Thogayal / Thuvaiyal
- Insert the tamarind in a skewer and char it in a fire on a gas stove for 15-20 seconds.
- The outer skin would turn black. Remove and set aside to cool down.
- Heat oil in a heavy skillet and add in the toor dal and dry red chilies.
- Slowly roast the lentils on a low flame till the lentils are light brown in color. Set aside on a plate to cool.
- Dry roast fresh shredded coconut on a low flame till it slightly changes color. Do not roast the coconut for long. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate to cool down.
- Grind all the prepared ingredients, salt, raw garlic in a heavy-duty mixer jar with very little water (¼th cup water) to a thick paste.
- Serve hot with rice.
Trivia
In a few places, such as the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama and Hawaii, pigeon peas are cultivated for canning and consumption.