Kadala curry | Black chickpea curry

Kadala Curry or Kerala Style Chickpea Curry is a popular dish in every Malayalee household. This dish is best served with puttu, appam, and dosa and also eaten with idiyappam or string hoppers, for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 cup black chickpeas
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 cup thick coconut milk (optional)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 strand curry leaves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• salt to taste

Method

• Wash chickpeas, soak in water for about 6 -8 hours.
• Drain the water, add the soaked chickpeas to a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water. Pressure cook until chana is nicely cooked. (Cook it for one whistle on high heat and then 15 minutes on low heat).
• Remove the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid of the cooker once the pressure is released.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, sauté onion until translucent. Add salt, ginger garlic paste and curry leaves sauté for 2 minutes.
• Next add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and garam masala, fry again for 2 – 3 minutes.
• Further add finely chopped tomatoes, stir. Add in the cooked chickpeas. Mix well. Again cover and cook on a low flame for 5 minutes.
• Finally pour 1/4 cup of thick coconut milk. When it begins to boil, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and turn off the flame.
• Serve hot with appam, puttu, idiyappam or dosa.