Our version of 'pappucharu' (పప్పుచారు)

This is a version of pappucharu that Jhansi tried in Bombay in the seventies. Her cousins from home came to visit her and liked it and called it 'Bombay pappucharu'. Since then, we have been making it.

1) First cook tur dal (two or three fistfuls) in a pressure cooker; otherwise it takes too long. Then mash it, if there is no suitable laddle you can do it by hand after it cools and keep it aside.
2) Cut vegetables and keep them aside; two or three onions and then any you like. I usually use cauliflower, carrots, capsicum (used eggplant and other vegetables too). Cut four or five tomatos too.
3) The main cooking starts with 'taalimpu' common to many curries. First heat up some cooking oil (2-6 spoons depending on your taste),then put two or three dried chillies (cut in to littlle pieces), split (with husk removed) black grams, cumin and mustard seeds in that order. Lower the heat and add curry leaves. This takes 1-2 minutes.
3) Now start adding the cut vegetables starting with onions, then caulifllower, carrots, capsicum. After 3-4 minutes add tomato pieces. Wait until it becomes a bit syrupy. (Normally tamarind is used instead of tomatoes. It is soaked in water for an hour or so, then added after removing the seeds.) The one with tomatos is less sour; many prefer tamarind.
4)Then add cooked tur dal with some water and allow it to to boil.
5) At the end add chilli powder AND/ OR add sambar powder (available in groceries) for different flavour. It thickens the stuff. You can add coriander leaves after it cools a bit.

The whole process takes 30-40 minutes. You can vary the quantities of ingredients depending on your taste and outcomes.

I have been making this for more than 10 years and generally it is consumed by the family with son-in-law Gavin being the main consumer.