Name: Easy Kadala Curry Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4-6
Cuisine: Kerala
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked black chana (kadala); Salt to taste; 1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen, thawed); 3 tbsp coriander powder; 3-4 shallots, peeled and sliced; 2 flakes of garlic, sliced; A small piece of ginger; A few curry leaves; 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste); 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp cumin powder; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1/2 cup sliced onions; 1/2 tsp mustard seeds; A few curry leaves

Description

An easy kadala curry recipe made Kerala-style.

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked black chana (kadala)
Salt to taste

For the spice paste:

1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen, thawed)
3 tbsp coriander powder
3–4 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 flakes of garlic, sliced
A small piece of ginger
A few curry leaves
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder

For tempering:

2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
A few curry leaves

Instructions

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water.
Pressure cook for 15 minutes or 4-5 whistles with little salt. Set aside.
Dry roast the coconut until a very dark brown. T
Then add the coriander powder and continue to roast well for another 6-8 minutes
Now add the shallots, garlic, curry leaves, and ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes until they wilt a bit
Finally add the turmeric, chilli powder, and cumin powder. Turn off flame and mix well in the remaining heat. This is to ensure that the red chilli powder doesn’t burn
Cool and grind to a fine paste with enough water
Heat oil for tempering and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the sliced onions and curry leaves
Roast until golden brown
Then add the ground paste and mix well
Top up with the chickpeas and the water it cooked in
Mix well, adjust salt, and bring to a boil
If the curry is too watery, boil a while longer until it reaches the desired consistency. If too thick, just add more water slowly and boil
Serve this easy kadala curry with appam, puttu, etc

Notes

The usual mistake most people make in this easy kadala curry recipe is not frying the coconut and coriander enough. Make sure you take about 8-10 mins in a low flame and continuously roast the coconut without burning
You can add a few drops of oil when roasting the coconut-coriander mixture if you feel it’s too dry and starting to burn
The curry leaves are important, try not to skip them
You can also use white chickpeas in this easy kadala curry recipe
A pinch of sugar will enhance the flavour so add some if you’d like to try that tip 🙂