Gongura Pappu with Rice
The signature dal of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: toor dal cooked with sour gongura (sorrel) leaves and a garlicky red-chilli tempering.
- Region
- Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
- Status
- Traditional
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Everyday lunch
- Tags
- Good source · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · No added sugar · Meal-prep friendly
- Allergens
- Milk (curd)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 465 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 75 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Headline values are for the full plate.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pappu only (about 250 ml) | 225 | 12 g | 32 g | 5 g | 1 g | 6 g | 3 g | 5.5 g |
| Full plate: pappu, 50 g raw rice, 100 g curd | 465 | 20 g | 75 g | 8 g | 3 g | 8 g | 7 g | 4.0 g |
Good source (plate); the dish alone is High protein. IFCT 2017 has no gongura entry; spinach values are used as the nearest leafy green. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 150 g toor dal · 100 g gongura leaves, picked (about 2 packed cups)
- 60 g onion, sliced · 3 green chillies · ¼ tsp turmeric · 5 g salt
- Tempering: 12 g groundnut oil · ½ tsp mustard seeds · ½ tsp cumin · 3 dry red chillies · 6 garlic cloves, crushed · 8 curry leaves · pinch of hing
- Plate: 150 g raw rice (50 g each) · 300 g curd (100 g each)
Method
- Pressure-cook toor dal with turmeric and 450 ml water for 4 whistles. Mash.
- Cook gongura, onion and green chillies in a pan with 2 tbsp water for 6–8 minutes, until the leaves collapse into a dark green mass.
- Add the dal, salt and 200 ml water. Simmer 5 minutes, whisking so the gongura blends through.
- Heat oil; add mustard, cumin, red chillies, garlic, curry leaves and hing. Fry until the garlic turns golden.
- Pour the tempering over the dal. Serve with rice and curd.
Protein optimisation
- Toor dal supplies 11 g per serving, rice 3.5 g, curd 3.5 g.
- Boost: increase toor to 180 g (+2 g protein, +35 kcal per serving), and/or serve 150 g curd rather than 100 g.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: Telangana style — add 1 tsp tamarind and a little more garlic; or use spinach for palakura pappu.
- Substitution: if gongura is unavailable, use 100 g spinach plus 2 tsp tamarind pulp for sourness.
- Storage: 2 days refrigerated.
- Food safety: reheat until boiling.
- Meal prep: good.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com