Jeera Pepper Daal – VarNa – Konkani Curry
A unique daal using jeera and pepper as main ingredients. It is also called as VarNa in Konkani.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- Split green gram lentils(moong)- 1/4 cup
- Fresh grated coconut- 1/2 cup
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Black pepper- 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
- Tamarind- Small bite sized
- Uncooked rice- 2 tsp
- Green chillies- 2 nos.
- Salt- 1.5 tsp
- Lemon juice- 2 tsp
To temper
- Cooking oil- 2 tsp
- Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
- Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
- Red chilly- 1 no.
- Curry leaves- Few
Instructions
Preparation
- Take the lentils in a bowl, rinse thoroughly with enough water. Adding 1/2 cup of water, pressure cook it for 3 whistles, then in simmer 5 minutes.
Method
- In a tempering pan, add a tsp of oil, cumin seeds and pepper corn. Roast them for few seconds till the cumin turns color.
- In a mixer jar, add grated coconut, roasted pepper and cumin, turmeric powder, tamarind and rice.
- Grind them together to fine puree adding required water.
- Next, mash the cooked lentils and add it to the cooking vessel. Throw in slit green chillies. Let it cook for few minutes. Then include the ground coconut puree from above step.
- Adjust consistency by including some water. Add salt and bring it to nice boil. Switch off and squeeze lemon.
- Heat a tsp of oil in a tempering pan, add cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard crackle pour it over the daal. Very delicious Jeera-pepper curry (varNa), a Konkani rice side is ready to serve.
Notes
- The lentils should be cooked till mushy.
- Balance the tangy-ness using both tamarind and lemon juice appropriately.
- You can increase green chillies for more spice level.