“bhOjanaM DEhi RAjendra
Ghruta soopa Samnavitam
mAhiSham Cha Sarachchandra
ChandrikA Dhavalam Dadhihi”
There is a story about two poets who attempted to impress King Bhojaraja. They composed half of a Sloka but could not complete it. Poet Kalidasa was passing and finished the last two lines. This verse requested the king to provide them with a meal consisting of Ghrutasoopa (ghee-mixed dal) and Mahishancha dadhi (buffalo curd, white), which looks like a whitish autumn moon. This story stresses the need for pulses in health management. Ghritasupam and mahisha dadhi are enough to make a wholesome meal.
Consuming pulses can help prevent protein deficiency, which leads to fatty liver, slow digestion, obesity, and diabetes. Pulses help to recover from Prostate Cancer and Breast Cancer. Pulses also offer medicinal benefits in watery diarrhoea, cholera, amoebiasis, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Our body needs 22 types of vital amino acids, and 9 of them are found only in pulses rather than meat. Lentils are rich in vitamins, Iron and other minerals and are easily absorbed by the body. They also have anti-cancer agents and beta-carotene. Consuming lentils provides more benefits to the body compared to eating only meat. Non-vegetarian dishes can lead to higher levels of bad cholesterol in the body compared to lentils.
Muddapappu:
vEDi mangalaMlO vEyinchi garagara visirina kandipappu
saripadda lavanambu sandhinchi vandina kanakambutO sari”
Softened Lentil by cooking is Muddapappu. If eaten it with ghee, is said to be equivalent to Gold. It reduces heat and vata in the body, increases sexual potentialities” wrote, Nadella Nrusimhakavi, who lived 100 years ago in Krishna District. Your food may or may not be perfect, but if it consists of Pappannam, (annam with muddapappu) it will satisfy your appetite and other nutritional needs. It is the food Culture of Indians to include one dish with a Lentil in our meals. It works as an immunity booster to prevent Viral and Bacterial attacks
Kalagoora pappu
Cooked dal mixed with vegetables or greens is called Kalagoora pappu. This kalagoora pappu has more nutritional value and dietary fibre than uttapappu (plain dal). The addition of vegetables or greens is the reason.
Kandisunni
The mixture powder of fried toor dal, pepper, chilly, and asafoetida is known as kandisunni. In the famous work ‘Intinti Pajyalu’, Arudra mentioned a saying about kandisunni: “If you don’t drown me in ghee, I will get you drowned.” It means one should eat kandisunni with ghee, as ghee aids digestion.
Pappu kattu:
Kattu is a lentil soup made with pepper powder, coriander powder, and pomegranate seeds, but not with tamarind. Either of the Kandi (toor) or Pesara (moong) kattu recipes are known for their rich flavour and delicious taste. It helps cure intestinal ulcers and jaundice, heart problems. It purifies blood, softens the body’s systems, and arrests bleeding and the best for those who underwent surgery.
Pesara Pulagam:
A cup of Rice, mixed with half a cup of pesara (moong dal), seasoned with cumin seeds, pepper, and asafoetida, cooked until it becomes soft, is Pesara Pulagam. This dish is a favourite offering to the Mother Goddess. If unable to offer Rice with lentils (Mahanivedana), soaked moong dal (vadapappu) is usually offered to God.
Instead of inquiring about marriage, people usually ask young bachelors when they will host a pappannam feast. Regular eating pappannam is considered a nityakalyanam feast in our household.
Pappannam Fosters respect between cultures, as toor and moong lentils are grown all over the world. Pappannam helps manage time in comparison with meat cooking. It is more eco-friendly and pocket-friendly.
– Dr GV
