Pachai Payaru Kadayal | Green Moong Dal Mash

Pachai Payaru Kadayal – Recipe for everyday dal made with green moong lentil. A traditional recipe from the Kongunadu region. Recipe with video.

Pachai Payaru is whole green moong and kadayal means mash. I have already shared a simple version of green moong mash here.
https://www.kannammacooks.com/pachai-payaru-masiyal-moong-dal-green-gram-curry-recipe/

This is another version that’s made with the addition of tomatoes. Pachai Payaru / Green Moong is very popular and a regular lentil that is used for cooking everyday in the Kongunadu region. Green Moong along with Cowpea and Horsegram is a mainstay.

Country Tomatoes are preferred for this recipe as it’s slightly tangier than the regular tomatoes. If you can’t get hold of country tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes work very well. Regular ripe tomatoes can also be used.

During my childhood days, a little drop of Castor Oil was added while cooking hard lentils like horse gram, green gram and cowpea. Castor oil kind of tenderizes the lentils. But these days, the lentils cook well as they are usually made in the pressure cooker. So I do not add any castor oil while cooking lentils.

Green chillies are the only spice used in this recipe. We do add a little bit of black pepper but that is very little. So adjust the green chillies according to your taste.

To finish the dal, traditionally, the milk cream (paal eadu) was mixed at the end. If you do not have paal eadu, you can finish it with a small piece of butter. I prefer butter to paal eadu. It’s a personal preference. You can use whatever you have on hand.

Here are some of the things you can buy online to make this recipe

3 Liter Stainless Steel Cooker https://amzn.to/3Gh6jIl
Stainless Kadhai https://amzn.to/3qeabEl
Tri Ply Saute Pan https://amzn.to/3qgeaQZ
Heavy Duty Indian Mixie https://amzn.to/3eZUdYo
Indian Sesame Oil https://amzn.to/33dpSTd
Wooden Chopping Board https://amzn.to/31Ad

Here is the video of how to do Pachai Payaru Kadayal Recipe

Pachai Payaru Kadayal | Green Moong Dal Mash

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Pachai Payaru Kadayal – Recipe for everyday dal made with green moong lentil. A traditional recipe from the Kongunadu region. Recipe with video.

• Total Time: 30m
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

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For cooking the lentil

1/2 cup green moong lentil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon Indian sesame oil
2 cups water

For the Green moong dal masala

2 teaspoon Indian sesame oil
1/2 cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorn
1 green chilli
2 sprig curry leaves
5 cloves garlic
10 Indian small onion (shallots), chopped
2 country tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt

For tempering the dal

1 teaspoon Indian sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1 cup water
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

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Instructions

For cooking the lentil

Wash and soak the green moong for about 15 minutes. Add it to a pressure cooker along with the turmeric powder, the oil and the water. Cook for 15 minutes on low flame. Ignore the number of whistles. After the said time, allow the pressure from the cooker to release naturally. Open the cooker and mash the dal with a potato masher. Set aside.

For the Green moong dal masala

Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a pan and add in the cumin, coriander, black pepper, green chilli, curry leaves and the garlic. Saute for a minute. Add in the chopped Indian small onions and saute for a couple of minutes more. Add in the tomatoes and the salt. Mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for five minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Remove the pan from heat. Let it cool a bit. Grind this mixture to a smooth paste. Set aside.

For tempering the dal

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute on a low flame for a minute. Add in the ground masala to the pan. Wash the mixie with a cup of water and add it back to the pan. Mix well. Add in the cooked and mashed green moong dal. Mix well to combine. If the dal is very thick, use a potato masher to mash. Also add little hot water if the dal looks very thick.

Taste and add more salt if necessary. Add in a teaspoon of butter and the coriander leaves. Let the dal simmer for a minute.
Green moong mash / pachai payaru kadayal is ready. Serve with hot rice and a dollop of ghee (the ghee is mandatory 🙂 )

• Author: Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 10m
• Cook Time: 20m

Keywords: Pachai Payaru Kadayal