Andhra Telagapindi Curry

Thelaga pindi kura is a nutritious and delicious Andhra curry made with telagapindi and lentils. This is a traditional side dish that is great to serve with rice, ghee and pulusu.

Telagapindi is a by-product of sesame oil manufacture. It has many health benefits and is a very versatile ingredient. This recipe is from my mom that I make quite frequently for my family.

What is Thelagapindi?

Thelaga pindi is a traditional ingredient in Andhra cuisine. It is a by-product of sesame oil production. Raw sesame seeds are pressed and processed to extract sesame oil. The leftover pulp from this process is then ground to a powder to make telaga pindi.

So, it is nothing but powder of sesame seeds residue or defatted sesame flour. It has the nutrients traditionally present in sesame seeds but without the fat content.

This nutritious ingredient is high in protein, minerals, dietary fiber, iron, and calcium. It is especially good for lactating mothers for milk flow due to its rich source of lignans. According to my mom, this thelaga pindi kura is made on the 11th day after delivery for the new mom.

I usually bring a bag of telagapindi from India. I did not see it in Indian grocery stores here in the US. This is a great ingredient to have on hand. You can use it instead of sesame seed powder in most stir fry recipes.

My mom makes this curry with lentils but you can also make it with vegetables. This is an easy to make and tasty side dish recipe to serve with any Andhra meal.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

Here are the ingredients you need to make telagapindi kura:

• Thelagapindi - as I mentioned above, this is an ingredient I usually get from India. I haven't seen it in Indian grocery stores in the US. If you are in India, look for defatted sesame oil cake powder on Amazon India.
• Lentils - either red lentils (masoor dal) or split pigeon peas (toor dal) are great in this recipe.
• Tempering - Chana dal, urad dal, mustard & cumin seeds, dry red chilies
• Green chilies, curry leaves
• Turmeric and salt

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Recipe to make thelaga pindi curry is quite straight forward. Lentils and defatted sesame seed powder are cooked separately, then they are sautéed together to make the curry. Here is how to make this dish:

First cook the lentils: If using toor dal, then soak them in water for about 30 minutes. This will reduce the cooking time significantly. There is no need to soak, if using red lentils.

In a medium size saucepan, combine water and the dal. Bring to a boil on medium heat, lower the heat and simmer till the lentils are tender, but not mushy. Takes about 15~20 minutes for masoor dal and 25~30 minutes for soaked toor dal. Drain and set the cooked lentils aside until ready to use.

Cook telagapindi: In the same medium size saucepan, bring the remaining 1 cup of water to a boil. Add salt to taste. Slowly stir in thelaga pindi and mix well until cooked through. It takes about 3~4 minutes to absorb all the water and get thick. Take the saucepan off the heat and keep aside.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat, add chana dal, urad dal, cumin & mustard seeds and dry red chilies. Once the seeds start to splutter, add green chilies and curry leaves, cook for 1 minute.

Then add the cooked lentils and thelaga pindi mixture. Mix well and season with salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture dries up and cooked through. Serve with steamed rice.

Expert Tips

• If using toor dal, then soak it in water for at least 30 minutes to expedite the cooking process. You can skip the soaking step for masoor dal since it cooks much faster.
• Reserve the lentil cooking water to use as stock in soups or pulusu.
• You can skip the lentils and make this recipe with vegetables. Carrot, cabbage, bottle gourd, amaranth greens (thotakura) all taste great with telagapindi.
• Though this thelaga pindi kura is best served warm, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

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