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.
You might also like
Here are a few recipes using sesame seeds that you might like:
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Thelaga Pindi Kura
Ingredients
- 3 cups Water, divided
- ½ cup Toor Dal or Masoor dal
- 1 cup Thelagapindi/ defatted sesame seed cake powder
- To taste Salt
For Tempering:
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- 1 teaspoon Chana dal
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 2 Dry red chili
- 2~3 Green chilies, finely chopped
- 8~10 Curry leaves
Instructions
- 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 2 cups of water and the dal. Bring to a boil on medium heat, lower the heat and simmer till the lentils are tender, but not mushy. Take about 15~20 minutes for masoor dal and 25~30 minutes for toor dal. Drain and set the cooked lentils aside until ready to use. Reserve the cooking liquid to use as stock in soups or pulusu.
- 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.
Notes
- You can cook the dal in the pressure cooker, may be one whistle in the pressure cooker. Make sure that the lentils hold shape and do not get mushy.
- 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.
vaishali sabnani
The dish looks pleasing. .never heard about this though..where can one get this from?
nayana
an interesting recipe, had never heard of it before.... Today's post : http://nayanas-kitchen-kreations.blogspot.in/2013/09/idly-for-tamizhar.html
Priya Suresh
My grandma own as oil factory and i have tasted this thelaga there, but never thought that we can make this delicious kura with it..Fantastic dish.
Sandhya Karandikar
Wonderful traditional dish. Our older generations had all the right ideas about food and health. This looks very appetising.
Nivedhanams Sowmya
simple and elegant one!! love the pot in which you have served it.. looks so yummy!!Sowmya
Sapana Behl
I like the flavor of sesame seeds . This thelaga pindi sounds delicious !!
Lubna Karim
I too came across this thelaga pindi in eenadu magazine recipe corner....and was wondering what it is...after seeing the title of the post...i came rushing out to find what it is like...thank u for sharing....kura looks yum...love the styling too...
Srivalli
And I am hearing this today for the first time..:)..the dal looks more like usili right..does it taste similar as well?
Manjula Bharath
This one looks super inviting and new dish to me 🙂 Thengal pindi kura looks super delicious and wonderfully clicked 🙂
Janani
wow so yumm pavani learned a lot from u loving it.
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
what an interesting dish!
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
what an interesting dish!
The Pumpkin Farm
never knew about this, this looks typical mother made recipe, beautiful
Pallavi Purani
Such a hearty and rustic dish this one is. Lovely
PJ
Hearing this for the first time and loved to note that it is a traditional dish.Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes Pavani...
Rajani S
Never heard of this before...learning so much through blogging and BM!
Harini-Jaya Rupanagudi
I have heard so much about telaga pindi but never had access or opportunity to use/taste this..I also have a recipe written down in my book but no telga pindi :(..Koora choodadanike super ga undhi! Thanks for sharing!
preeti garg
Lovely click... super tasty.
veena krishnakumar
interesting recipe...looks very nice
Archana Potdar
Never had heard about thsi sounds very delicious.