Arisiyum paruppu / Dhal Rice / Lentils Rice

Often pronounced as ' arisiym paruppu' with a subtle 'y' sound, this dish screams the name 'kongu nadu' with a very very simple ingredients list and an amazing taste. This is a simple Dhal rice or Lentil rice. I happened to taste this dish for the first time during my hostel days.

Specially prepared for our 'tvz' gang, my friend's mom would bring a bucket full of this dish from tirupur during a weekend visit to our hostel in coimbatore. We would fight like cats and dogs sitting around that bucket in our hostel room, rushing to feast on that 'dhevamirdham'. She prepares an amazing puli thanni for this dish and I cannot imagine a better 'made for each other' food and accompaniment. For the past many many years, every time I prepare this dish, I only wish I had my frnds next to me to share this dish... And the hot, too little maggie noodles that we used to prepare using the tiny electric kettle, that we were not supposed to posses in our hostel... Nostalgic moments and unforgettable people....

Preparing the food for a batch of 10 hostelites and travelling for 2 -3 hours with it and seeing us all eat it... We had moms from erode, tirupur and coimbatore who loved us all so much.. :)

Yummy Yummy! Tasty Mummy!

Okay.. Having dealt with all the emotions and flashback stories, let’s go ahead to the dish.. As I said before the ingredients list is very simple.

Ingredients:

 Rice 1 cup

Toor dal 1/2 cup

Pearl onions 1/2 cup chopped

Tomatoes 2 medium chopped

Garlic 6-7 pods

Green chillies 4-5

Sambhar powder 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Salt 1-2 tsp

To temper:

Coconut oil/ghee 1 tsp

Cooking oil 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Curry leaves 2-3 sprigs

Preparation:

1. Soak the rice for 10 minutes and toor dal for 20 minutes.
2. In a cooker add cooking oil and add mustard seeds. Once it sputters add the items to temper.
3. Add onion, garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add chillies and tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes.
5. Add the spice powders and salt.
6. After about 2 minutes add the dal and rice. Check for salt and karam and close the lid.
7. Let the dish cook for 3 whistles. Open the lid as soon as the pressure releases and add the coconut oil or ghee on top. Yummy dish is ready to serve.

Tips:

Some batches of dal take more time to cook than other batches. This happens when u buy different brands. If you know that your dal will not be cooked in 3 whistles, you can let the dal boil for 5 minutes and then add rice and cook for 3whistles.

Use the same amount of water as you use for 1 and a half cup of rice.

Opening the cooker lid immediately after the pressure release and adding ghee/coconut oil on top helps the rice grains to separate.

Arisi  parupu sadham has to be grainy. Soggy version of this dish will be an ultimate spoilsport.


I am submitting this recipe to Light Dinners event in A bowl of Curry