Mamidikaya Koyagura Pappu | Raw Mango Dal with Leafy Greens

Recipe for Telugu Andhra style Mamidikaya Koyagura Pappu | Raw Mango Dal with Leafy Greens. Recipe with step by step pictures. Everyday lentil dish made with toor dal, raw mangoes and green amaranth leaves.

This is a very delicious everyday lentil recipe made with toor dal, green amaranth leaves and raw mango. This recipe is from my friend Sreedevi. Sreedevi’s husband Sreekanth and I are best friends from college. Sree and Sree are high school sweet hearts. During college days, all Sreekanth would speak non-stop was about his then girl friend. Those days are still so vivid in my memory. They were living in different cities at that time and they both were madly in love for each other. They are now married and have a beautiful son. Sreekanth now runs a very popular blog about personal finance. Do check it out. Here is a picture of me and Sreedevi (tummy full happy faces) taken in the 2000’s after a full meals dinner at Jayanagar Nagarjuna. Do try this Andhra style dal. I am sure you will like it. I have slightly adapted the recipe to suit my family.

Here is how to do Mamidikaya Koyagura Pappu | Raw Mango Dal with Leafy amaranth Greens
Green amaranth leaves are called as Thotakura or Koyagura. It just means garden leaf in Telugu. They also come in a version with red tinged leaves. I have made this dal with those red amaranth and it tastes good too. You can use whatever leafy green you have in your fridge. Wash the greens well, chop into small pieces. Set aside.

Here is a small tip while cleaning leafy greens. Getting rid of sand and dust from the greens is very important.

Peel and chop the raw mango. Rough chop is fine.

Wash the toor dal in water and add it to a bowl. Add in the raw mangoes and two cups of water. Add little water in a pressure cooker and place the bowl inside. Close the cooker and cook for 4 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle. Set aside.
Tip: I always faced the problem of the water spewing out of the cooker whenever I cooked dal or rice. I easily overcame the problem by using the pot in pot method. In this method, pour little water in the cooker and then place a bowl inside the cooker with the dal and water in it. By cooking in this method, the problem of water spewing out of the whistle and making a whole mess of the stove area can be easily avoided. Do give it a try. This helps in keeping the work area very clean.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the onions. Saute the onions till soft. Add in the tomatoes and the green chillies. Saute for a couple of minutes. In many households, the onions and tomatoes are boiled along with the dal. Its fine. If you are rushed for time, do that. I find that sauteing the onions in oil adds a bit more flavour.

Add in the chopped green leaves. Saute until the leaves are wilted.

Add in the salt and a small piece of jaggery. The jaggery is optional. But the little sweetness balances the sour mangoes. I love to add jaggery in my sour curries.

Mash the cooked dal and add it to the pan. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Tempering:
Heat ghee in a kadai / small pan and add in the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and garlic. Let the flame be on low as the garlic takes time to roast. If the garlic is big, chop into two to three pieces so it can get nicely roasted in ghee.

Once the mustard crackles and the garlic is roasted, add in the curry leaves and dried red chillies.

Switch off the flame and add in the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Wet them in oil and immediately add it to the dal. You do not want the spice powders to change colour or burn. So be quick after adding the spice powders.

Fantastic lip-smacking Mamidikaya Koyagura Pappu | Raw Mango Dal with Leafy Greens is ready. Serve with rice and a good dollop of ghee. Dont forget a small nap after that as its customary after a good dal-rice lunch. Its comfort food for us South Indians.