This Instant Pot Dosakaya Pappu or Yellow Cucumber Dal is a flavorful lentil curry prepared with split pigeon peas and yellow cucumber - so comforting!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, sides
Cuisine: South Indian, Telugu
Keyword: Dosakaya Pappu, Instant Pot, yellow cucumber dal
Wash the toor dal and soak it until you chop the veggies. Then drain the water and set aside.
Wash and chop the onion, tomatoes, cilantro and yellow cucumber (peel the skin) into small pieces.
Slit the green chili into two.
If using ginger, cut them into small pieces.
Mix ½ tsp of tamarind paste in 1 cup of water and set aside.
Steps
Instant Pot Method
Set your IP in the saute mode and add oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing.
As the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and chopped ginger.
Saute for a minute and then add the onion.
Cook until the onions turn translucent.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and yellow cucumber. Mix them all.
At this stage add the toor dal. Then add the turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder. Mix them all again.
Then add the tamarind water, plus two more cups of water. Stir all the ingredients and set the IP in manual mode and cook for 12 minutes.
Let the pressure release normally and once the pressure is dropped carefully open the lid.
Set the IP back in saute mode and now add the chopped cilantro. Let it simmer for two more minutes, and that's it.
Dosakaya pappu is ready. Serve hot with rice and any dry curry.
Pressure Cooker Method
Pressure cook the toor dal along with dosakaya, tomatoes, and turmeric powder by adding 2 cups of water for three whistles.
Let the pressure drop and mash the ingredients and set aside.
Heat the kadai and add oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and hing.
As the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and chopped ginger.
Saute for a minute and then add the onion.
Cook until the onions turn translucent.
At this stage add the cooked dal, tamarind water, salt, red chili powder and mix them all.
Let this pappu mix simmer for 5 minutes and then add the cilantro and bring it to a boil. That's it. Dosakaya Pappu is ready.
Notes
If you don't want the cucumber mushy, cook the dal separately either in the pressure cooker or instant pot. Once the onion turns translucent, you can add the cucumber along with tamarind water, and salt. Let it cook until the cucumber is tender. Then add the cooked dal and other spices.
If using instant pot, after adding cucumber either you can use steam mode or manual mode with quick pressure release for cooking the cucumber.
Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
I did not add any garlic. But you can add two to three cloves.