Beerakaya Gatti Pappu is a thick dal with toor dal, ridge gourd, and garlic tempering. You can serve as a side dish or can be mixed with rice. A traditional Andhra dal, this is a very delicious one to enjoy.
Today is our final day of the Mega BM themed on Thalis and Platters. We had decided on different themes for the five weeks in September. Each theme was to feature a new thali, that may have a recipe already featured in the blog. However, for all the 26 days, it had to be a new one. So deciding on 26 different thalis meeting the clauses on both the blog was a huge task for me.
I made sure I explore as much as possible and the number of hours I must have spent on researching this theme must have been more than the time I spent cooking the dishes. Though we had finalized the theme by Feb 2019, I started my cooking only during Nov 2019. I managed to complete my platters cooking nonstop almost for a week. However, by December I was not keeping well, and almost until march, I just couldn't do anything.
Planning and making the Thalis!
I started my cooking again by Feb and I wasn't sure if I could manage it. Even small regular cooking was a task. Somehow, by March I managed the week 1 dishes and knew I will have to cook through April as well when we start. With the pandemic, we decided to postpone and I got extra time to complete the remaining. However, with ingredients being difficult to source, I completed my final post the day before we had to start.
Amma knew about the thali theme and planned it along with me for many of the regional themes. Suddenly during July, Amma remembered the Beerakaya Gatti Pappu that her Mom used to make. With great enthusiasm and animation, Amma recollected how delicious was the dal. I guess like everybody else, Amma always gets so excited and animated when she talks about her Mom.
Amma has learned all her Andhra dishes from her mom and many dishes we continue to cook albeit with some changes that suit our taste now. However, she always has a twinkle when she talks about her mom. A strong-willed woman who raised eight children with a limited resource at her disposal. She always remembers how her mom used to manage things so well that nobody felt the need for anything despite the nonstop guests they used to get.
The final Special post!
Beerakaya Pappu is always one dal that reminds her so much of her Mom. Just now when I went back to reading the other version that Amma makes, I see that I have mentioned the same! She always used to say that she never gets it as how her mom used to make. And there was this occasion when they were posted in Kolkata and Amma made this dal with ridge gourd and it turned out just like how she remembers her mom's dal.
So she suddenly remembered this gatti pappu she used to make and said she was going to make this for lunch and I will have to share this for the Mega BM. She said this pappu surely deserves a post of its own. This gatti pappu is almost the same as the other dal except for a couple of ingredients. Today's recipe is different in the texture and the dal consistency.
I wanted to keep this post for the final day as it is a special one. On C4AS, it's another special dish from Amma.
In this series of Thalis and Platters, all the regional thalis, simple thalis are what I have seen and learnt from Amma. These are the simple meals that I have eaten growing up and continue making even now. I hope this endeavor will help my children.
Thalis & Platters
Week 1 - Platters for Kids
Pyjama Party for Day 1
Sandwich Platter for Day 2
Fusion Platter for Day 3
Pizza Party for Day 4
Week 2 - Thalis featuring Regional Cuisines - Veg Thalis
Dussehra Festival Thali for Day 1
Summer Special South Indian Vegetarian Menu for Day 2
Vegetarian Thali Menu List for Day 3
Gummadikaya Pulusu ~ Vegetarian Lunch Thali for Day 4
Varalakshmi Vratham Festival Thali for Day 5
Weekend Party Vegetarian Thali Menu for Day 6
Week 3 - Thalis featuring Indian Flatbreads
Bajra Methi ki Poori aur Sabji Thali for Day 1
Punjabi Bedmi Puri Nasta Thali for Day 2
Besan Ki Poori aur Sabzi Nasta Thali for Day 3
Rajasthani Bhedawi Puri aur Sabzi Thali for Day 4
Bhujia Paratha Menu for Day 5
Bikaneri Papad Ka Paratha Menu for Day 6
Week 4 - Thalis featuring Street Food of India
Banarasi Street food for Day 1
Delhi Street Food for Day 2
Haridwar Street Food for Day 3
Kolkata Street Food for Day 4
Mumbai Street Food for Day 5
Surati Street Food for Day 6
Week 5 - Simple every day assembled mini thalis
Alasandalu Vada for Day 1
Baby Potato Masala Gravy for Day 2
Vankaya Mamidikaya Pulusu for Day 3
PIN This for Later!
Ingredients Used to make Beerakaya Gatti Pappu
This is a thick dal without much water in the final dish. So, if there is still water after tempering, you can cook it more for the water to evaporate.
We make this dal with green chilis, finally tempering with garlic and curry leaves.
The peels can be used to make Beerakaya pachadi
Beerakaya Gatti Pappu
Ingredients
For the Dal
- 2 cups Ridge Gourd / Beerakaya
- 3/4 cup Toor Dal
- 2 medium Tomatoes
- 5 to 6 nos Green Chilies
- 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Tamarind
- A Pinch Turmeric powder
- Handful Coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
For Tempering:
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 tsp Cooking Oil
- Handful Curry leaves
- 2 nos Dry Red Chilies
- 4 to 5 Garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp Coconut grated
Instructions
- Wash and peel the outer skin of the Ridge Gourd and chop the vegetables into small pieces. You can use the peels to make chutney.
- In a pressure cooker, take the dal and wash well. Next, add the chopped vegetables along with chopped tomatoes, green chilies, tamarind pulp, turmeric powder, add enough water and pressure cook till the dal is tender.
- Once the pressure falls down, add salt and mash well.
- Heat a pan with oil, temper with the seasoning ingredients and pour the dal into the pan and bring to boil.
- Cook till you get the required consistency!
- Important factor to remember is, the dal is very thick, hence you must only very little water and cook till it all evaporates if it has excess water.
- The final texture is a thick dal.
- Garnish with freshly grated coconut and serve as a side dish with Pappu Charu and Steamed Rice.
For more party menu ideas, check out the Thalis and Platters that would appeal to Elders, and Thalis & Platters that Kids would love!
Suma Gandlur says
Grand mothers are their cooking are always special, right? Glad that you could save the special dish for the final post. We make theeya pappus when it comes to ridge gourd, bottle gourd and snake gourd and they are simple dals. We don't add any sweetener even though they are called so and are made without tamarind. I love ridge gourd too and your's seems to be a good variation.
Harini Rupanagudi says
Wow! Love to hear such stories where the dishes have been handed down from previous generation.This variation sounds yumm. I don't add onion but rest is the same. Glad you were able to record this heirloom recipe full of memories.
Rajani says
It’s nice to read about the preparation process and the changes that happened because of the pandemic playing an unseen role. I know that it’s not an easy task at all, yet you successfully managed to cook really interesting thalis for both sites. I am glad you had your mother giving you company wherever she could in something you both enjoy!
vaishalisabnani says
This dish is new for me , we make ridge gourd with channa dal , onions and tomatoes . This is a interesting recipe where tamarind too is used , will try it for sure . Its a special recipe and specially from your grand mother, which means a heritage recipe !
Cooking such spreads is not easy , but Covid gave you bonus months to make these , you are lucky 🥰
Wonderful marathon with delicious food , well thought of Thalis is the result of your research !
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
It's indeed a special post for the last day. So good and I love thick dals. I will definitely try it and I am sure we will be talking about our moms the same way in the future. I hope our kids talk about us too. 🙂 Loved reading about your grandmom.
Renu says
We have something similar with ridge gourd but not that thick. This would go perfect with simple roti.
NARMADHA says
Though we try different dishes, simple dish like this only we make often and this will take so long to make it to the blog. It is always extra special when amma makes it. We also make similar kootu with ridge gourd.