Parippu curry or dhal curry (dal curry) is a lentil and coconut milk curry from Sri Lankan cuisine.
What is parippu curry?
Parippu curry should probably be one of Sri Lanka‘s favorite dishes, served at just about every meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Parippu means lentils in Sinhalese and Tamil, and it is pronounced “pah-rip-poo”.
Despite the cuisine of Sri Lanka‘s strong links with that of South Indian cuisine, it distinguishes itself by the delicacy and lightness of its flavors, as well as an intense but balanced use of coconut milk.
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The culture of Sri Lankan food is well represented by its wide range of curries where each flavor is well balanced, the ingredients always fresh and the spices very fragrant. And today’s lentils are divinely scented with coconut milk and deliciously spiced up.
An old Sanskrit aphorism says: “There are as many dhal recipes as there are stars in the sky”.
What is dhal?
For Sri Lankans and most other South Asians, dhal means lentils.
The word dhal also known as daal, dahl or dal, is derived from the Sanskrit word “dal” which means “to crack”, “to split” or “to open”. It encompasses a great deal varieties of split peas, lentils, beans and other legumes.
Indeed, legumes are often shelled to be transformed into flour, cake or puree. Incidentally, in Bangladesh, the same word is used to define a soup, or a thick and spicy stew, prepared from dhal.
Paripu or dhal curry is a staple Sri Lankan dish and it is most often prepared with masoor dhal, otherwise known as red lentils, which are bright orange in color and turn dark yellow when cooked.
What is the origin of lentils (masoor dhal)?
They can be found under different names and spellings such as masal dal, masal daal, masur dal, masur dhal, masoor dhal, or masura dal. In Mysore, India, they are also known as Mysore paruppu.
Consumed since prehistory, you can find its first traces in China, India and Asia Minor. Experts even assume that they were already the main source of power for the builders of the pyramids in Egypt. They were introduced in Europe by the Romans.
Masoor dhal have an undeniable advantage compared to their green, yellow and brown cousins: they cook more quickly. About fifteen minutes vs. almost an hour with brown lentils and about 40 minutes for yellow and green.
Masoor dhal, like most lentils, is an incredible source of protein, containing more than 25%, and therefore making it a fantastic option for vegetarians or people on a diet.
Similar to other legumes, they are also high in fiber and low in fat and offer many health benefits, including blood sugar control, hypertension control, cholesterol reduction, and the prevention of anemia.
Like all lentils, and unlike many other legumes, masoor dhal does not require soaking before cooking.
Lentil is one of the first vegetables to have been cultivated by men, since prehistory in Asia. Its cultivation might even go back to much ancient times since it was known to be a staple in ancient Egypt, and we even read in the Bible that Esau gave his birthright in exchange for a full plate of lentils. Lentils are even quoted many times in the Bible.
Lentils are available in several colors forming a real rainbow: red, yellow, brown, green.
What are the different varieties of dhal?
In India and many Asian countries, there are more than 50 varieties of legumes. The most famous dhal are:
- Toor dal or tur dal, a small split yellow lentil.
- Chana dal, often incorrectly translated to “chickpea”. It is an Indian variety of “small” chickpeas. The taste is different from chickpea.
- Kala sanga, a kind of brown-skinned chickpea.
- Mung dal or moong dal, very popular, green or yellow mung beans.
- Urad dal, white and very small, split and flattened
- Rajma dal, red bean (kidney shaped, hence the name kidney bean in English), appreciated in Latin America and the Caribbean.
How to make parippu curry
For the preparation of our parippu curry, and in general, every time masoor dhal are cooked, whatever the recipe, the lentils change color after cooking. Their red color turns to yellow during cooking.
To keep their original reddish color, some people add pieces of beetroot to the cooking water. And, on the contrary, to intensify the orange hues, you will need to use a few pinches of turmeric.
They also tend to melt. Taste them throughout the cooking until reaching the desired texture. The cooking time will be longer or shorter depending on the recipe.
For example, for a purée or velvety consistency, the red lentils will need to cook longer so that they open up completely. On the contrary, for a salad, just like the parippu curry, it will be better to cook them for 15 minutes maximum.
This dal curry recipe is validated by our expert in Sri Lankan cuisine, Chef Niza. Chef Niza is the chef-owner of the restaurant Apey Kade in the Los Angeles area.
Parippu Curry
Ingredients
- 8 oz. red lentils (masoor dal)
- 2 cloves garlic , chopped
- 2 onions , chopped
- 4 curry leaves , thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon saffron powder
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ lime
- 1 green hot pepper
- Salt
Instructions
- Wash the lentils well by changing the water at least three times.
- Boil them in the water with the saffron, chili powder, turmeric, curry leaves and cloves.
- After about 15 minutes, when the color of the lentils changes from red to yellow, remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl.
- Heat the oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard, fenugreek, and cumin seeds and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the onion and garlic and mix well for 20 seconds.
- Add the boiled lentils and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, curry powder and salt to taste. Cook until the curry begins to boil.
- Remove from heat and add the lime juice.
- Add the raw or fried green hot pepper on top (optional).
- Serve hot with rice or bread.
Vera is the “expert” of the 196 flavors’ duo. With over 30 years of experience in the kitchen, she is now sharing her skills as a private chef and cooking instructor.
In love with this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
In the ingredients, cumin is listed. In the instructions you mention caraway. Which is it?
Hey Heidi, it is cumin indeed. I just made the edit. Thanks for catching the typo. Enjoy!
When do you add the hot green chili? At the end or in the actual cooking process? Directions don’t specify….
Sorry Leigh. I just edited the recipe. The green hot chili pepper is really just used (raw or slightly fried) to decorate and add spice to people who are looking for a kick to the dish. Enjoy!
Ok, that’s how I made it. I noticed it sitting on top when we ate it in Sri Lanka, maybe just cut in half. Perfect, thank you. Recipe is delicious!
Thanks so much Leigh! Glad it reminded you of Sri Lanka too 😉
Hi, Mike,
great page, reminds me on great weeks I spent in Sti Lanka, thank you.
May I ask you how to get a proper saffron powder?
Saffron is usually sold whole and is really expensive,
We brought a saffron powder from Sri Lanka back home and it was really cheap. And the disjes taste properly. It can’t be pure saffron. Do you know is that a mixture?
Hey Gaber, thanks for the compliments. I live in Los Angeles, and we have quite a few Persian markets that sell great saffron at affordable prices. You can also purchase saffron online. I used saffron.com a few times and their saffron is good and affordable. Good luck!
That’s great, many thanks.
So I know, paripu is always with cinnamon.
Hi,
Thanks for the great recipe! Just a small correction in the intro: it says दल् is “dhal in Sri Lankan” but actually that is neither Sinhalalese nor Tamil script. I think it might be Hindi, which is spoken in India, not Sri Lanka.
Thanks so much for keeping us honest, Dilhan 😉 I will make the necessary edit right now.
Hi you recipe is great however the pronunciation of the dish is slightly wrong it’s not Pah roo poo it’s actually pronounced in Sinhalese just like you read the actual word Pah rip poo. Just wanted to point that out as many Sri Lankans would be reading this.
Hi your recipe is great however the pronunciation of the dish is slightly wrong it’s not Pah roo poo it’s actually pronounced in Sinhalese just like you read the actual word Pah rip poo. Just wanted to point that out as many Sri Lankans would be reading this.
Sorry about that, Sachini. I just corrected it. Thanks a lot for letting us know!
I made this tonight. Luckily I watched it carefully because it would have burned if I had not added more water. It tasted great though! Even my 18 month old neice who eats only American food loved it.
So delicious!! My in laws are Sri Lankan so it was a bit nerve wracking making this for them but they rated it 10/10! Super easy to make & beautiful delicate flavours.
We’re so glad that you all enjoyed it, Kirsten. Thanks so much for letting us know!
Hello there!
This recipe sounds amazing! I will prepare it next Sunday for my foodie friends
Just a question… When I need to add the boiled lentils, should I add them with the liquid all together or just the lentils by themselves? Thanks so much in advance!
I think there must be some typos in this recipe. Instructions in the recipe card never mention the curry leaves. Also the recipe says to only cook the onions for 20 seconds, but even though I gave mine 5 minutes I found it to be undercooked. Also 2 onions seems like a lot for a dal recipe. Having said this I am not Sri Lankan and have not made nor had parippu before. I am only concerned that the recipe card seems to need edits.
Hello Adam, thank you very much for your comment. Recipe has been corrected. Enjoy!
Hi 196 Flavors: This has been a great, crowd-pleasing recipe for me. Is the volume of water correct in the recipe? Using 1 1/4 cup of water, it’s typically boiled down within 5 minutes and I have to vigorously stir for 10 minutes or else it burns. I’ve been doubling the water amount instead. That’s worked well, but it made me realize I might be diluting the flavor. Help?
Hello Pat! Thanks for your comment. The quantities in this recipe are precise. Have you been using the mentioned temperature to avoid burning? Let us know!
I don’t see any mention of temperature in the recipe. It simply says “boil”. Am I missing the the temperature somewhere in the recipe?