I am a great fan of green vegetables and they are used extensively in my home. One of my favourite green vegetables is Bachali Kura. We make loads of dishes with it and today I am writing about Bachali Kura Pappu or a dal made with it.
Bachali Kura Pappu
Bachali Kura grows in abundance and very quickly even in small pots. All you need to do is plant a stem or two in the pot and water it occasionally. As a result, we used to grow a lot of this green vegetable at home and so almost always had it on hand.
Bachali Kura is called Malabar Spinach or Ceylon Spinach in English, Mayalu in Marathi, Pui Shaak in Bengali.
Also try my recipes for Bachali Kura Pulusu and Kanda Bachali Kura.
Bachali Kura Pappu is a very healthy dish because it combines a great deal of greens with lentils. Also, it needs very little by way of spices and so is not overpowering in taste; this makes it suitable for all palates and age groups.
How to Make Bachali Kura Pappu | Andhra Style Malabar Spinach Dal
Bachali Kura Pappu | Andhra Malabar Spinach Dal
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Finely Chopped Bachali Kura Leaves
- 3/4 Cup Kandi Pappu, Tuvar Dal
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 2.5 Cups Water
- Salt to Taste
- 2 tsp Ghee Oil for Vegans
- 1 tsp Minapa Pappu, Udad Dal
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 2 to 3 Red Chillies
- 2 Large Pinches Asafoetida, Hing, Inguva
Instructions
- Wash the chopped bachali kura well.
- Add the washed Bachali Kura and 1.5 Cups water to a vessel.
- Wash the dal well.
- Add the washed dal and 1.5 Cups water to another vessel.
- Pressure cook the greens and dal in two separate vessels for 4 whistles.
- Let the pressure cooker cool before opening.
- Using a heavy ladle mash the dal well.
- Add the cooked bachali kura to the mashed dal.
- Add the turmeric, red chilli powder, and salt.
- Mix well.
- Add a little water, if required, to make the dal of pouring consistency.
- In a ladle, heat the ghee.
- Add the udad dal and stir-fry till light golden brown.
- Add the mustard seeds and wait till they splutter.
- Add split red chillies and stir-fry for a few seconds.
- Turn off the heat.
- Add the hing.
- Add the tempering to the Bachali Kura Pappu.
- Mix well.
- Heat the Bachali Kura Pappu till it starts to simmer.
- Turn off the heat.
- Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with steamed rice and ghee.
Malabar Spinach | Mayalu Dal
Love the name Aruna, Andhra Malabar spinach combining two states. Also the dal looks tempting 🙂
True that, about the name 🙂 Bachali or Malabar Spinach is an Andhra favourite.
I love Malabar Spinach and grow it almost every year.
I love it too; and fortunately for me, it grows all round the year here!
Aruna I have never heard of Malabar spinach before. I guess I am missing out. I need to rectify that soon. And this dal recipe looks very tempting!
Dal is my comfort food.. easy and yummy
The bachali dal was bitter and smelt of DDT!
Any remedies to fix this problem?
The dal should be mellow and not bitter at all. Unfortunately, you seem to have got a bad batch of bacchali. If it smells of DDT, I would not eat it.