Parippu Curry | Lentil Curry Recipe

Step by StepJump to Recipe

The South Indian cuisine has many preparations made with various types of lentils, legumes, beans or peas. From snacks, starters, salads to mains and even desserts or sweets, ‘paruppu/parippu’ or lentils are used in the preparation of many dishes. Just like this Parippu Curry, which is simply a Moong Lentil Curry. This is one of the popular ones that feature in the all-vegetarian festive feast called ‘Sadya,’ during Onam celebrations in Kerala. You must try this lovely, soulful and comforting dal-based dish as well.

parippu curry served in a ceramic bowl with tempering on top and text layovers.

About Parippu Curry

Parippu Curry is basically a Moong Lentil Curry, tempered in a typical South Indian style. It has a good dose of coconut, just like any other dish in this part of our country, and other spices.

Here, I have shared a recipe which I learnt from my mother. She has been making this Lentil Curry since a long time, with moong lentils (husked and split green gram) and even tur dal (pigeon pea lentils).

So, even you can make this Parippu Curry with either moong lentils or pigeon pea lentils. This specific post is with moong lentils. Other elements of this preparation include a fresh coconut paste with green chilies, cumin seeds, onion; and the typical whole spices for tempering.

Since it is traditionally a dish from South India, I suggest to use coconut oil for the tempering. Which also makes this Moong Dal Curry, a vegan one. It is also gluten-free.

However, if you can’t really imagine dishes cooked in coconut oil or are averse to its taste, then use ghee. Although I will reiterate, for an authentic flavor, follow the recipe without making any changes in it.

This Kerala style curry made with moong lentils makes for a super comforting meal, when served with steamed rice. You can also accompany it with a side vegetable Thoran, some pickle and/or pappadums. At home as well, dal-rice is an evergreen combination for us. So, whenever we are looking for a change, I prepare this Parippu Curry instead.

Easy to prepare, this Lentil Curry recipe can also be easily halved, doubled or tripled. Also, when having it with steamed rice, top it up with some ghee for that ultimate experience.  

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Parippu Curry

Pressure Cook Moong Lentils

1. Rinse ⅓ cup (70 grams) moong dal in water a couple of times. Then, add rinsed moong dal in a 2 liter stovetop pressure cooker. Also, add ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder (2 pinches) and 1 cup water.

You can even cook the moong lentils in a 6 quarts Instant Pot adding 1 cup water for 10 to 12 minutes on high pressure.

Alternatively, opt to cook them in a stovetop in a pot/pan adding water as needed. For quick cooking of the lentils, soak them in water for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

moong dal, turmeric powder and water added in a pressure cooker for making moong dal curry.

2. Pressure cook on medium to high heat for 5 to 6 whistles or for 8 to 9 minutes.

pressure cooking moong dal for making moong dal curry.

3. Once the pressure drops down naturally in the cooker, then only remove the lid and check the lentils. The moong dal should be softened and cooked thoroughly.

cooked moong dal for making moong dal curry.

4. Mash the cooked moong dal with a spoon or vegetable masher. Set aside.

mashing cooked moong dal with a spoon for making moong dal curry.

Make Coconut Paste

5. Take the following ingredients in a blender or grinder jar:

  • ⅓ cup fresh grated coconut
  • 1 chopped green chili (about ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped)
  • 1 sliced pearl onion (or 2 tablespoons sliced) 
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

For a spicy dal, you can add 2 green chilies. Use 2 tablespoons chopped onions or chopped shallots, if you do not have pearl onions. 

fresh grated coconut, chopped green chili, chopped pearl onion and cumin seeds added to a grinder jar.

6. Add ¼ cup water.

water added to the grinder jar.

7. Grind to a fine and smooth paste. Add more water, if required while grinding.

ingredients ground to a smooth paste.

Make Parippu Curry

8. Add this coconut paste to the mashed dal in the cooker.

prepared coconut paste added to the cooked, mashed moong dal in the pressure cooker.

9. Add ⅓ to ½ cup water. You can also rinse the grinder jar with this ⅓ or ½ cup water so that all the remaining coconut paste extracts stuck to the grinder jar gets mixed with the water.

Use a spoon or hold the jar from outside and gently shake and whirl the jar with your hands. Then, add this water in the cooker containing the mashed lentils.

water added in the cooker.

10. Season with salt as required.

adding salt to the cooker.

11. Mix well and keep the cooker on the stovetop on a low to medium heat.

coconut paste, water and salt mixed well with the mashed moong dal in the cooker.

12. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Keep stirring at intervals so that the dal does not stick to the bottom of the cooker.

After 7 to 8 minutes, switch off the heat, cover the cooker with a lid and keep aside. This is a slightly thick dal, so do not add too much water.

simmering moong dal curry while stirring at intervals.

Make Tempering

13. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee in a small frying pan or tadka pan. Keep the heat to a low.

heating coconut oil in a small pan.

14. Add ⅓ teaspoon mustard seeds.

mustard seeds added to melted coconut oil in the pan.

15. Let the mustard seeds crackle.

mustard seeds crackling in hot coconut oil.

16. Next, add 1 or 2 dried red chilies (broken and seeds removed) and 9 to 10 curry leaves.

broken and deseeded dried red chilies and curry leaves added to the crackling mustard seeds in hot coconut oil.

17. Immediately, add 2 to 3 thinly sliced pearl onions (about ¼ cup sliced). Add dried red chillies, curry leaves and onions together.

First, add dried red chilies and curry leaves followed by pearl onions. Use ¼ cup thinly sliced onions or shallots, if you do not have pearl onions.

thinly sliced pearl onions added to hot coconut oil.

18. Sauté the onions till golden. Stir often.

sautéing onions till golden.

19. Once the onions turn golden, switch off the heat.

onions turned golden.

20. Add the entire tempering mixture to the dal.

prepared tempering added to the parippu curry.

21. Mix thoroughly.

tempering mixed well in the parippu curry.

22. Serve Kerala style Parippu Curry with steamed rice. While serving, you can drizzle a bit of ghee on the lentil curry and rice.

parippu curry served in a ceramic bowl with tempering on top and text layovers.

Lentils in South Indian Cuisine

If you knew South India just by its rice consumption, you are highly mistaken. Because other than this grain, there is a variety of dals (lentils), legumes and the likes which is popularly used in the preparation of many common dishes across South Indian households. Lentils also are quite the staple food of the people here.

Regionally known as paruppu or parippu, lentils may be used in sprouted or fresh form and also dried forms like whole, split without husk and split with husk. Just like this Parippu Curry which basically uses split and husked yellow moong lentils.

Other South Indian dishes where lentils are a common ingredient are the batters for scrumptious snacks like dosa, vada, idli, sambar, some vegetable-dal preparations as well as decadent desserts like Kadalai Paruppu Payasam, Pasi Paruppu Payasam and more.

Expert Tips

  1. Lentils: You can make this curry with tur dal or pigeon pea lentils also, if you don’t have moong dal. The time taken to cook the lentils in the pressure cooker will depend on the quality of the lentils.
  2. Pearl Onions: If you have regular onions or even shallots in hand at home, you can use either of these in place of pearl onions. To make coconut paste, use 2 tablespoons chopped onions or shallots. For tempering, use ¼ cup thinly sliced onions or sliced shallots. If you want a spicier curry, add 2 green chilies.
  3. Coconut: If you do not have fresh coconut, use desiccated coconut instead. You can also use frozen coconut instead.
  4. Coconut oil: For a traditional flavor, use coconut oil. If you do not have it, then use ghee. If you don’t have either, then use any other neutral flavored oil.
  5. Satvik variation: To make no onion version of this curry, skip adding the onions.
  6. Cooking Lentils: While cooking the curry, keep stirring at intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom of the cooker. Typically, this dish is slightly thick. So, do not add too much water.
  7. Scaling: Double or triple the recipe without any hassle, to make for a greater number of people.

More Tasty Lentil Recipes To Try!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

parippu curry recipe, moong dal curry recipe

Parippu Curry | Lentil Curry

Parippu Curry is simply a Moong Lentil Curry that is delicious and comforting. This lentil curry is also one of the popular ones that feature in the all-vegetarian festive feast called ‘Sadya,’ during Onam celebrations in Kerala.
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Cuisine Kerala, South Indian
Course Main Course
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 3
Units

Ingredients

For pressure cooking lentils

  • cup moong dal 70 grams, (split & husked yellow mung lentils)
  • 1 cup water
  • teaspoon turmeric powder or 2 pinches (ground turmeric)

For coconut paste

  • cup fresh grated coconut
  • 1 green chili chopped or ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pearl onion – sliced or 2 tablespoons, sliced
  • ¼ cup water – for grinding

Other ingredients

  • ⅓ to ½ cup water – to be added later
  • salt as required

For tempering parippu curry

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
  • teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 or 2 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed
  • 9 to 10 curry leaves
  • 2 to 3 pearl onions – thinly sliced or ¼ cup sliced

Instructions
 

Pressure cooking moong lentils

  • Rinse moong dal in water a couple of times. Then add rinsed moong dal in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Also add turmeric powder and 1 cup water.
  • Pressure cook on medium to high heat for 5 to 6 whistles or for 8 to 9 minutes.
  • Once the pressure settles down, remove the lid and check the lentils. They should be softened and cooked thoroughly.
  • Mash the cooked moong dal with a spoon or masher. Keep aside.

Making coconut paste

  • Meanwhile, while the dal is cooking, take grated coconut, chopped green chillies, sliced pearl onion in a blender or grinder jar.
    For a spicy dal, you can add 2 green chilies or about 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped green chillies.
  • Add cumin seeds and ¼ cup water.
  • Grind to a smooth and fine paste. Add more water if required while grinding.

Making parippu curry

  • Add this coconut paste to the mashed dal in the pressure cooker.
  • Add ⅓ to ½ cup water. 
  • Season with salt as required.
  • Mix well and keep the cooker on the stove top on a low to medium heat.
  • Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Keep stirring at intervals so that the dal does not stick to the bottom of the cooker.
    After 7 to 8 minutes of simmering cover with a lid and set aside.

Tempering for lentil curry

  • Heat coconut oil or ghee in a small pan or tadka pan.
  • Add ⅓ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle. 
  • Then add dry red chilies (broken and seeds removed), curry leaves
 and pearl onions (thinly sliced).
  • Saute the onions stirring often till they turn golden.
  • Once the onions turn golden, switch off the heat.
  • Add the entire tempering mixture to the cooked lentils and mix well. 
  • Serve parippu curry with steamed rice.

Notes

  • Instead of pearl onions, you can use shallots or regular onions.
  • For coconut paste, add 2 tablespoons onions and for tempering, add ¼ cup thinly sliced onions
  • Tur dal (pigeon pea lentils) can also be used instead of moong dal.
  • Depending on the quality of moong dal, it can take less or more time for it cook in a pressure cooker.
  • Use ghee if you do not have coconut oil. If you do not have ghee as well as coconut oil, then use any neutral flavored oil. 
  • While serving, you can drizzle some ghee on the dal and rice. 
  • Desiccated coconut or frozen coconut can be substituted if you do not have fresh coconut. 
  • For a no onion version, just skip them and make the lentil curry. 
  • The recipe can be doubled or tripled. 

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Parippu Curry | Lentil Curry
Amount Per Serving
Calories 173 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Sodium 455mg20%
Potassium 95mg3%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 295IU6%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.03mg2%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.02mg1%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 35mg175%
Vitamin B6 0.04mg2%
Vitamin C 65mg79%
Vitamin E 0.1mg1%
Vitamin K 1µg1%
Calcium 38mg4%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 361µg90%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 11mg3%
Phosphorus 25mg3%
Zinc 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Like what you see?

Stay up to date with new recipes and ideas.

This Parippu Curry recipe post from the archives, first published in May 2017 has been republished and updated on November 2022.

Share This Recipe:

PinWhatsAppPrintShares251

Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

Get My Secrets to Great Indian Food
Sign up for my FREE Beginners Guide to Delicious Indian Cooking

Comments are closed.

2 Comments

  1. Hi
    I haven’t got a pressure cooker so will be cooking the dal in a pot. How much water do I add and how long do I cook it for ?

    Thank you i really like all your recipes.

    1. Welcome Michael. You can cook moong dal in a pot. for half cup dal you can add 2.5 cups water. if you soak the dal for couple of hours then cooking time will be less.