Parippu Moloshyam / Simple Dal Curry

Moloshyam or moleshyam or mulakashyam/mulakushyam is a simple dal curry prepared in most of the keralite homes, especially when there are no fish or veggies, or vegetarians cook this much in many days of the month since it is a simple perparation.The method of cooking varies in each region, some add tamarind, others add only tomato.. Any way the the curry would be little running / thin and is usually taken with hot rice!
I have some sweet memories attached with this, my father cooked this often for us when we were school going children , especially when mom went home, to take care of her sick father.His style curry was white, without adding chilly powder and used only green chillies for spiciness.He poured coconut oil into the ladle / kayil and showed it directly to the flames and did all the seasoning in that!! Now I would wonder, thinking of the way he did all his cooking.. :) He did all simply recalling the youth spent in Army.{I haven't told you yet,my kids are very much proud to tell that their both grandfathers are ex-soldiers from Indian Army! :)}



Parippu Moloshyam ingredients
dal / parippu 1 cup
shallots 3
garlic 2 cloves optional
onion 1
tomatoes 2
green chilly 2
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
chilly powder 2 tsp
tamarind 1 goose berry size / as per taste
curry leaves few
mustard seeds
dry red chillies 2
coconut oil
salt



How do we make this
Soak dal / tuara parippu in water for 1 hour.
Wash it.
Chop onion, tomatoes and green chillies.
Soak tamarind in water and take the extract.
Pour water enough to cook dal in a pan / pressure cooker.
Add dal along with onion, tomato, greenchillies, tamarind extract and the powders.
Add salt and cook until the dal is done.
Crush garlic, shallots and break redchillies into pieces.
Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry curry leaves and crushed ingredients and dry chillies.
Saute until the shallots are little brown, pour this seaoning over the curry.
Serve with rice.