Pindi Miriyam Recipe | Andhra Style Vegetable Stew

Pindi miriyam is a spicy Andhra style vegetable stew that is made with freshly ground spice paste, which adds a nice kick to the recipe. Serve with rice!!

My entire family loves sambar. So, I try to make a different recipe every week. Today’s recipe is Andhra version of South Indian sambar. This is a very traditional dish that has been around from many generations.

It is a hearty and comforting stew that reminds me of my grandmother. She used to make something similar and of course, the recipe was never written anywhere. So, I did the next best thing and used the recipe from ‘Cooking with Pedatha‘ cookbook. This is one of those forgotten recipes that is sure to please a crowd with its humble presence.

Andhra Style Sambar

Sambar is a South Indian stew that is spicy, tangy and delicious. It is generally made with a combination of lentils, vegetables, tamarind and a spice powder or paste. Each state in South India has its own version of sambar.

This Andhra style sambar uses a freshly ground spice paste that is flavored with peppercorns and other spices. 'Miriyam' means peppercorns in Telugu, so this sambar has a nice kick from them.

This is a No tomato sambar recipe. The tanginess comes from the tamarind paste and the thickness from the ground spice paste.

Ingredients:

There are 3 components for this stew:

• Spice paste:
  • peppercorns (miriyalu)
  • split black lentils (urad dal/ minapappu)
  • cumin seeds (jeelakarra)
  • coriander seeds (dhaniyalu)
  • dry red chilies (endu mirapakayalu)
  • grated coconut - I always have frozen grated coconut on hand to use in recipes.
• Lentils/ Dal & Vegetables:
  • toor dal - traditionally toor dal is used, but I have made this recipe with masoor dal aka red lentils and it works beautifully.
  • vegetables - any combination of the below veggies can be used in the recipe:
  • drumsticks
  • eggplant
  • bottle gourd
  • raw banana
  • green beans
  • cluster beans
• Other flavoring ingredients:
  • tamarind paste
  • tempering ingredients - mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafetida
  • fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

Start the recipe by making the spice paste:

• Roast the lentils and spices in oil until golden, and aromatic. Add the coconut and cook until its browned. Let this mixture cool and grind to a smooth paste, adding just a little water.

Next step is to cook dal/ lentils:

• Pressure cooker/ Instant pot is the fastest way to cook lentils. For ½ cup of lentils, add 1½ cups of water and pressure cook for 3-5 whistles. Or on high pressure/ manual for 8 minutes.
• If cooking on the stove top, combine lentils with 2½ cups of water in a heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook till the lentils are very soft, about 30-40 minutes.

Prep the vegetables:

• Combine the vegetables with enough water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer till the veggies are tender. Remove the veggies into a bowl along with the cooking liquid.
• Alternately veggies can be cooked in a microwave or steamed until tender.

Make Pindi miriyam:

• Once you have all the above components ready, it is time to put the dish together. In the same saucepan, that you cooked the veggies in, heat oil and add tempering ingredients. As soon as the seeds stop spluttering, add the spice paste and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Next add the cooked vegetables, tamarind paste, cilantro and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Finally add the cooked dal and simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve hot with rice and a vegetable curry.

Pindi Miriyam | Andhra Style Vegetable Stew

Pindi miriyam is a spicy Andhra style vegetable stew that is made with freshly ground spice paste, which adds a nice kick to the recipe. Serve with rice!!

Author: Pavani

Print Pin Rate

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: andhra

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

1x2x3x

For the Spice Paste:

• 2 tsp Oil
• 2 tsp Urad dal
• 1½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1½ tsp Peppercorns
• 3 - 4 Dry Red chilies
• ½ cup Coconut, grated

For Pindi Miriyam:

• ½ cup Toor dal
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp Asafetida/ hing
• 10 - 12 Curry leaves
• ½ cup Drum sticks, cut into 2" pieces
• 1 Small Potato, diced
• ¼ cup Cluster beans, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 tbsp Tamarind paste
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• ¼ cup Cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• To taste Salt

Instructions

Make Spice Paste:

• Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal. As the dal turns golden, lower the heat and add the remaining ingredients for the paste except for the coconut. Roast for 2-3 minutes. Finally add the coconut and cook for a minute. Cool slightly and grind to a smooth paste, using very little water.

To make Pindi Miriyam:

• Pressure cook toor dal until very soft and mushy. Churn well and set aside.*
• Combine all the vegetables in a large saucepan along with 1 cup of water and turmeric. Boil the vegetables until tender. Set aside along with the water.
• In the same saucepan, heat oil tempering. Add mustard seeds and once they start to splutter, add cumin seeds. Lower the heat and add curry leaves and asafetida.
• Add the prepared paste and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the boiled vegetables, tamarind paste, cilantro leaves and salt. Simmer for 3~5 minutes.
• Finally stir in the cooked dal and simmer for 4~5 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes

• Toor dal can be substituted with masoor dal aka red lentils. Cook until tender and use in the recipe.
• Pressure cooker/ Instant pot is the fastest way to cook lentils. For ½ cup of lentils, add 1½ cups of water and pressure cook for 3-5 whistles. Or on high pressure/ manual for 8 minutes.
• If cooking on the stove top, combine lentils with 2½ cups of water in a heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook till the lentils are very soft, about 30-40 minutes.
• Other vegetables that can be used in this recipe: eggplant, green beans, cluster beans etc.
• Instead of boiling the veggies, they can be microwaved or steamed until tender. 
• For an extra layer of deliciousness, stir in 2 tablespoons of ghee into the stew just before turning off the heat.

Tried this recipe?Mention @cooks_hideout or tag #cookshideout!

Serving Suggestions:

For an extra layer of deliciousness, stir in 2 tablespoons of ghee into the stew just before turning off the heat. Pindi Miriyam tastes best when served warm with steamed rice and a dry side dish like potato or okra or arbi fry. My family will be over the moon if I fry some papad with this meal, so if you have those fry some up.

Leftovers taste even better the next day. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Warm before serving.

Other South Indian Sambars to try

• Roasted Pumpkin Sambar
• Instant Sambar for Idli/ Dosa
• Peanut Sambar