City Food – Julia Child Makes Tomato Pappu in Dwarka Food Julia Child's Delhi by The Delhi Walla - March 17, 2013March 17, 20132 The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Dwarka, an expansive settlement of residential apartments, bleak-looking malls and many many metro stations. In her 30s, Ruchira Hoon lives with her husband, Snehesh Philip, at a book-lined house in Sector 7 — most books are on food. “I bond with food. Deeply. Emotionally. I like to chop, stir, cook and bake. And then I like to share… If you can’t share what you enjoy the most, well then you’re just a stingy-poo. I ain’t one. I like to feed people,” writes Ms Hoon in her food blog Cookaroo. She started it in February 2012 at a time “when I was depressed and didn’t know where my life was heading.” Here is the recipe of Ms Hoon’s ‘Tomato Pappu’. Tomato Pappu is my earliest recollection of my mother’s cooking. I have to admit, however, that Mom is not one of the world’s best cooks. (She compensates that liability by being a professionally trained Bharatnatayam dancer). Pappu is a one-pot meal dish from Andhra Pradesh but I make it in the style of Tamil Nadu’s Aiyengar Brahmins. You see my mother is a Tamil Brahmin from Mysore and my papa is an Arya Samaji Punjabi from Lahore. The Andhra-style pappu is very hot but ours is a little sweet. We eat it with rice. Tomato Pappu (for three) 1 cup arahar/tuvar daal 4 tomatoes 3 green chilies 1 small piece tamarind 1 small piece jaggery 1/2 tsp turmeric salt water (For tempering) 1 tblsp oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1 stalk curry leaves pinch of asofetida (For dry powder) 1 tsp coriander seeds 2 red chilli dry 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds Soak the arhar daal in water for a few minutes and then boil it in a pressure cooker. Meanwhile dry roast the coriander, dry red chilli and the methi seeds in a pan. Keep it aside. Cut the tomatoes into cubes. Soak tamarind in warm water. Heat oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, followed by curry leaves and asofetida seeds. Add tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes. Add green chilies, turmeric powder and salt. Add the tamarind water, a little jaggery and the dry powder that you had kept aside. Cook till tomatoes are pulpy – about 15 minutes. Add the boiled arhar daal and adjust the seasoning. Serve with white rice, ghee and green chillies. The making of tomato pappu 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. FacebookX Related Related posts: City Food – Julia Child Makes Badaam Pasanda in I.P. Extension Julia Child in Delhi – Surinder Kumar Makes UP’s Matar ki Daal, Safdarjung Enclave City Food – Julia Child Makes Chana Dal Gosht in Civil Lines City Food – Julia Child Makes Aloo Salaan in Nizamuddin East City Food – Julia Child Makes Esü in Hauz Khas Village