CAPSICUM MATWADI PALYA/MATODI PALYA/PARAPPU USALI

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Matwadi palya is a very authentic Mysore region main course dish. Methi greens or cluster beans, gori kayi is stir fried with soaked ground chick pea lentils and seasoned with spices. This is a wholesome dish, has lentils, veggies and herbs.
My mother never prepared Matodi /matwadi palya for reasons best known to her. I first tasted this delicious dish at my sister's place after her wedding. Her mother in law, a great cook, had prepared this and she would call it pudi palya. I would hear about matodi palya during our lunch time conversations with colleagues in college where I taught Biotechnology. Curiosity lead me to old timers from whom I gathered the recipe for this palya. Now I know that matodi palya and pudi palya are the same and the recipe has undergone modifications to lessen the oil load and make it healthier.
I prepared this dish using capsicum (bell pepper) - my favorite veggie that is available easily, adds colour to food and is loaded many health benefiting biochemicals.

Now let us see how this palya is prepared
  • Ease - Elaborate but easy 
  • Preparation time - 15 minutes 
  • Cooking time- 10 minutes 
Ingredients
  • Capsicum - 3 medium sized 
  • Chick pea lentil/channa dal - 1 cup 
  • Coconut (Grated) - 1 cup 
  • Asafoetida - 2 generous pinches 
  • Turmeric - 1 pinch 
  • Ginger 0 2 inches 
  • Green chillies - 4 
  • Red chillies - 1 
  • Coriander - 4 sprigs 
  • Curry leaves - 2 sprigs 
  • Mustard seeds - 3/4 spoon 
  • Lemon - 1 
  • Salt - to taste 
  • Ground nut oil - 3 -4 spoons 

Method
  • Soak channa dal in water for 2 hours 
  • Cut capsicum as shown - 1 inch pieces 
  • Drain water from the soaked dal and grind coarsely without water 
  • Steam the ground dal in a cooker ( do not pressure cook) for 10 minute 
  • In the meanwhile - heat 1 spoon oil in a heavy bottomed wok/kadai, add mustard, let it splutter, add curry leaves and broken red chillies, fry till crisp, remove and keep aside. 
  • Add rest of the oil to the kadai and stir fry capsicum 
  • Add turmeric, finely chopped green chillies and ginger to capsicum. 
  • When capsicum is half cooked, add steamed dal, add salt, asafoetida and coconut. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes- add a spoon of oil if required and stir if required to avoid sticking and burning 
  • Squeeze in lemon juice, garnish with chopped coriander and mustard seasoning 
Serve with chapathis and hot rice with ghee.
I savor it as a snack

 
 

                        

                

Notes
  • Traditionally matodi palya is prepared by stir frying dal and vegetables in oil. Oil is absorbed very quickly by the dal paste, so a lot of oil would go into the dish to avoid burning and sticking. 
  • Steaming renders the dal mix partially cooked and avoids addition of too much oil 
  • Make matodi more colorful - add yellow and red peppers 

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