Sri Lankan recipe
How to make Parippu (dhal curry)
Parippu
The whole country
A mild, golden curry of red lentils cooked with turmeric, onion, green chilli and coconut milk, then finished with fried mustard seeds, curry leaves and onion. It is served with rice and curry, hoppers and bread, and is often the first curry children learn to love.
Ingredients
- 200 g split red lentils (masoor dal), rinsed
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 green chilli, slit lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the tempering: 1 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, a small handful of curry leaves, 1 small onion, sliced, 1 dried red chilli, broken
Method
- Put the lentils in a pan with the chopped onion, garlic, green chilli, turmeric and about 500 ml of water. Bring to the boil and skim off any foam.
- Simmer, half covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are soft and falling apart. Add a little more water if it gets too thick.
- Stir in the coconut milk and the salt and simmer gently for 5 more minutes. Do not let it boil hard.
- In a small pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the curry leaves, sliced onion and dried chilli and fry until the onion is golden.
- Pour the hot tempering over the lentils, stir and serve with rice or bread.
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