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Make Andhra dappalam, a sweet, tangy and mildly spicy mixed vegetable stew with tamarind, jaggery and rice flour. Serve it hot with steamed rice.

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Andhra Mixed Vegetable Stew

I was drawn to this recipe partly because dappalam is such a fun name to say.What makes it special is the vegetable stew in a tamarind gravy that balances sour, sweet and heat.

This Andhra-style mixed vegetable stew is thickened with a little rice flour and sweetened with jaggery. It is a comforting side for hot steamed rice, and a handy way to use a mix of vegetables already in the kitchen. The original recipe also suggests saving any vegetable cooking water to use in the tamarind extract or another dish.

What is dappalam?

Dappalam is an Andhra-style vegetable stew made here with tamarind, green chillies and jaggery. This version contains no dal; a rice-flour slurry gives the gravy its body. The result is a thick, tangy-sweet pulusu with enough chilli heat to balance the jaggery.

The vegetables can vary. This version uses drumstick, carrot, potato, snake gourd, ash gourd, brinjal and raw plantain.

Ingredients for Andhra dappalam

• Mixed vegetables: 2 cups. The recipe uses drumstick, carrot, potato, snake gourd, ash gourd, brinjal and raw plantain.
• Tamarind: 1 small lime-sized piece, soaked and squeezed to make about 2-3 cups of extract, as needed.
• Flavor: green chillies for the spice, adjust the amount to suit your heat preference. Jaggery to balance the heat in the gravy.
• Other: Rice flour to thicken the gravy, Salt to taste.
• For the tempering, Usual tempering ingredients like mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric powder and asafoetida with oil.

A few dappalam tips

• Use the vegetables you have. The recipe is flexible; it uses a mix of vegetables rather than relying on just one.
• Mix the rice flour before adding it. Making a smooth slurry first helps it blend into the gravy without lumps.
• Balance the sweet and sour to your taste. Tamarind strength varies, so taste the stew after it simmers and adjust the jaggery gradually.
• Save extra gravy. I once used leftover dappalam gravy to make tangy poha the next day, and it worked well.

How to make dappalam

• Steam the vegetables. Cut the vegetables into pieces and steam them until tender.
• Prepare the tamarind extract. Soak the tamarind in warm water, squeeze out the pulp and strain it.
• Make the tempering. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin and hing. Add curry leaves here if using them. Stir in the slit green chillies and cook briefly.
• Simmer the vegetables. Add the cooked vegetables and tamarind extract to the pan. Stir in the turmeric and salt.

• Thicken the stew. In a small bowl, mix the rice flour with a few tablespoons of water or tamarind extract until smooth. Add the jaggery and let the stew simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then
• . Finish with chopped coriander if using. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Similar Tangy Gravies

What to serve with dappalam

Dappalam is sweet, tangy and spicy all at once, so I like to keep everything around it calm and simple.

Hot steamed rice with a spoonful of ghee is the classic way to eat it, with a mild dry curry on the side, maybe a plain potato or raw plantain fry, and a crisp appalam to crush over the top, which feels only right given the name.

Because the stew leans tangy, something cooling from the yogurt family balances it well. A bowl of beetroot raita brings a little sweetness, boondi raita adds soft crunch, and the nellikaai thenghai thayir pachadi with amla and coconut keeps the whole meal light.

On days when plain rice feels a bit boring, I make a pot of coconut carrot and peas rice and ladle the dappalam right over it. It soaks in beautifully. And if there's any stew left the next day, don't let it sit in the fridge. Toss some poha into it for breakfast. I did this once without planning it, and it turned out so tangy and slightly sweet that I now cook extra on purpose.

Andhra Dappalam Recipe | Mixed Vegetable Stew

 Make Andhra dappalam, a sweet, tangy and mildly spicy mixed vegetable stew with tamarind. Serve it hot with steamed rice.

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Course: Breakfast, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Andhra, Indian

Keyword: Andhra style tamarind gravy, Easy tangy gravy, How to make tangy tamarind stew, Vegetable tamarind stew

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 servings

Calories: 133kcal

Ingredients

• 2 Cups mixed vegetables I used drumstick, carrot, potato, snake-gourd, ash-gourd, brinjal, raw plantain
• 25 grams tamarind soaked in water and juice extracted (about 2-3 cups)
• 6 green chilies
• 2 tablespoon rice flour
• 3 tablespoon jaggery depends upon taste
• ¼ teaspoon tumeric
• salt to taste

Tempering | Tadka

• 2 teaspoon oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon hing/asafoetida

Instructions

• Steam the cook the vegetables separately. If cooking with water/boiling the veggies in water, then drain the excess liquid anduse them in soup or for soaking the tamarind for the extract. Do not waste the liquid.
• Extract juice from the water-soaked tamarind. In a pan, heat oil for the tempering, splutter mustard seeds, crackle cumin, add hing and curry leaves.
• Once the tadka is done, add slit green chilies and saute for 30 seconds. Next add stream cooked vegetables and the tamarind extract.
• In a small bowl, mix the rice flour with a few tablespoons of water or tamarind extract until smooth. Stir this slurry into the pan so it does not form lumps.
• Add the jaggery and let the stew simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Now let the stew simmer and reach a thick consistency. It should taste sweet, spicy and tangy at the same time.
• Once it reaches a thick soupy consistency, take it off the heat, garnish with chopped coriander and serve it along with rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 681mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3701IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

Disclaimer

I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.

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