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Sri Lankan

Parippu

Vegetarian

පරිප්පු · parippu

Red lentils simmered with turmeric and finished with coconut milk, then tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, onion and dried chilli in coconut oil. Mild, creamy and part of almost every Sri Lankan rice and curry spread.

Parippu is a Sri Lankan curry, ready in about 35 minutes and made with red lentils and coconut milk. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Parippu: creamy coconut-milk lentil curry with tempered spices in a black pot
Photo: Varghesepunnamada / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
362

Ingredients

4 servings

For tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the lentils, water, turmeric (opens in a new tab), half the onion (opens in a new tab), the garlic (opens in a new tab) and green chillies in a saucepan (opens in a new tab). Bring to the boil and simmer until the lentils are soft.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the coconut milk (opens in a new tab) and salt and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until creamy. Do not boil hard.

    • 4 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Heat the coconut oil (opens in a new tab) in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and, when they pop, the cumin (opens in a new tab), curry leaves (opens in a new tab), dried chillies and remaining onion (opens in a new tab). Fry until the onion is golden.

    Food safety: Curry leaves spit fiercely in hot oil — stand back.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Pour the tempering over the dhal, stir and serve.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Sri Lanka · Well documentedMore food from Sri Lanka
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Breakfast · Curries · Side dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Pan-fried
Taste
creamy, mild, aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Red lentils · Coconut milk · Turmeric · Onion · Garlic · Green chilli
Techniques
Pan-frying · Boiling · Simmering · Tadka (tempering)

Allergens

  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

362 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 293 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 15%
  • Carbohydrate 40%
  • Fat 45%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy362 kcal123 kcal
Protein13.9 g4.7 g
Carbohydrate37.9 g12.9 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat18.7 g6.4 g
Saturated fat15.1 g5.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium598 mg204 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
547 mg
Calcium
66 mg
Iron
6 mg
Magnesium
65 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
14 µg
Vitamin C
12 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
117 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A small piece of cinnamon or pandan leaf in the simmering lentils adds a typically Sri Lankan aroma.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling hard after the coconut milk goes in — it splits.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, pol sambol and a vegetable curry, or with roti or string hoppers for breakfast.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a little water; it thickens as it cools.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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