Horsegram lentil curry/kollu pappu quintessentially belongs to the Kongunad region of Tamilnadu. Its a staple in everybody’s home. Its called horsegram as its a staple fodder for the horses. There is a saying in tamil இளைத்தவனுக்கு எள்ளு, கொழுத்தவனுக்கு கொள்ளு which means sesame seed for the lean guys and horsegram for the fat guys. Horse gram aids in weight reduction. Horsegram lentil has a lot of medicinal properties. Its been used extensively in Indian alternative medicine.
First, we need to boil the lentils. Horsegram/kollu needs to be cleaned first. It almost always has some small stones and sand particles. Just take half a cup of lentils and spread it on a plate and slowly remove the stones and sand. Wash thoroughly for 2-3 times in running water. Pressure cook half a cup of lentils in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes. About 10-12 whistles. While pressure cooking, if you face the problem of water from inside the cooker leaking out of the whistle opening, check this post to know how you can avoid it. Cook the lentils and drain off the excess water. Reserve the water for later use. We will use some of the water for grinding the lentils. The rest of the lentil water can be used for making kollu rasam.
Its a fairly simple recipe. The lentils are boiled and tempered with a dry roasted spice powder. A teaspoon each of cumin, pepper and coriander seeds are dry roasted with 2 sprigs of curry leaves, 1 dried red chilli (optional) and ground to a smooth powder. Dry roast these spices on a low flame until one can smell the aroma of the seeds and the curry leaves are dry. Allow it to cool in the pan before grinding. Grind the spices and set aside.
Now, take a pan and add a teaspoon of sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add in a chopped onion, 5 cloves garlic and saute briefly for a minute until the onions are soft. Add in the salt and tomatoes and saute for a minute more. If you do not like garlic, omit it or just add a clove.
Add in the ground masala and saute to combine. Add in the lentils and half a cup of reserved water. Remove off heat and let the mixture cool a bit. Grind the lentils to a coarse paste.
Serve the lentils hot with rice. If you are feeling fancy, add a tempering to the lentils. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add a couple of dry red chillies and curry leaves and fry till the curry leaves are crisp. Just pour the tempered mixture on top of the lentils. Serve hot with rice.
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 dried red chilli (optional)
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup horsegram lentil cooked in 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 2 dried red chilli
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- For the Dry Roast Masala Powder - Dry roast the spices on a low flame until one can smell the aroma of the seeds and the curry leaves have become dry. Allow it to cool in the pan before grinding. Grind the spices and set aside.
- Clean the lentils and wash them thoroughly. Pressure cook the lentils for 15 minutes or 10-12 whistles. Drain the water. Set aside.
- Take a pan and add a teaspoon of sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add in a chopped onion, 5 cloves garlic and saute briefly for a minute until the onions are soft. Add in the salt and tomatoes and saute for a minute more. If you do not like garlic, omit it or just add a clove.
- Add in the ground masala and saute to combine. Add in the lentils and half a cup of reserved water. Remove off heat and let the mixture cool a bit. Grind the lentils to a coarse paste.
- Add a tempering to the lentils - Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add a couple of dry red chillies and curry leaves and fry till the curry leaves are crisp. Just pour the tempered mixture on top of the lentils.
- Serve hot with rice.