Veg Recipes

Black Chickpeas Curry/Kadala Curry

 

Black Chickpeas Curry/Kadala Curry

Black Chickpeas Curry or Kadala Curry is a very popular breakfast recipe from Kerala. The whole Bengal gram or chana ( as known in Hindi) is called Kadala in Malayalam and so the dish is called Kadala Curry. The Black Chickpeas is known to be wholesome, nutritious with many health benefits.
This versatile Black Chickpeas curry can be served with Puttu, Upma or Appams for breakfast.
The Black Chickpeas curry with Puttu (Steamed ground rice or ragi cylinders with coconut shavings) is one of my favourite combinations for breakfast. It is not only delicious but also a healthy breakfast option.
Almost every state in India has its own version of chana curry. The Kerala Kadala Curry is prepared with a few spices and ground coconut.
The leftover curry can also be enjoyed with rice, chapati or pooris. I use my leftover curry for lunch or dinner. The curry is mildly spiced but it can be made a bit more spicy by adding some more black pepper.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Kerala Cuisine
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker
  • 1 Grinder
  • 1 Deep Pan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Black Chickpeas (overnight)
  • 4 cups Water for soaking
  • ½ cup Shallots (chopped)
  • 3 nos. Green chillies
  • 1 inch Ginger root
  • 5-7 nos. Curry leaves
  • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp Turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp Chilli powder
  • 2 tsps Coconut pieces (thinly sliced)
  • 1 tsp Salt (or as per required)
  • 2 tbsp Coconut oil
  • 2 cups Boiling water for cooking
  • 2 tbsps Coriander leaves

For Grinding

  • ½ cup Freshly grated coconut
  • 2 tsps Whole coriander seeds
  • 2 tsps Black whole pepper
  • 1 no. Shallot

For Garam Masala powder

  • ½ tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 inch Cinnamon
  • 4 nos. Cloves
  • ¼ tsp Nutmeg powder

Instructions
 

Method of preparation

  • Rinse and wash chickpeas and soak in water for 8 to 9 hours (overnight).
  • Next morning, discard water and put it in the cooker. Add 2 cups of fresh water and salt. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Keep aside.
  • In a grinder, add grated coconut, coriander seeds, black pepper and shallot and grind to a fine paste by adding some water.
  • Dry roast fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg on low flame for a minute. Grind to a fine powder. You can skip this step by using 1 tbsp of any store bought garam masala or meat masala.
  • In a deep pan, heat coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.. Throw in the curry leaves. Add chopped shallots and stir. Add ginger and green chillies and sauté until the shallots turn translucent.
     Next, add chopped coconut pieces and fry for a minute. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, and garam masala and mix well.
    Next, add the ground coconut mixture and let it cook for 5 minutes on low flame. Make sure the mixture doesn’t get stuck at the bottom of the pan.
    Now, add the cooked chickpeas and 2 cups of boiling water. Mix well. Check if salt is sufficient.
  • Cook the curry on low flame until the flavours blend well and the kadala curry stock reduces a bit. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot with puttu, appams or upma.
  • For the Puttu recipe, go to my Ragi Puttu page

Notes

Notes & Tips
The curry of the kadala can be increased or reduced as per your choice or necessity.
This curry can be converted into a side dish by reducing the amount of water or make ir semi-dry.
If you don’t have fresh coconut, you can also use dry desiccated coconut or frozen coconut.
There are many store-bought garam masalas. (I use Shakti or Eastern masala. Meat masala or mutton masala adds more flavour to the curry.)
The leftover curry can also be turned into a yummy starter by dry roasting the curry on low-flame for 20 minutes.
Keyword black pepper, coconut, coriander leaves, coriander powder, curry leaves, delicious, garam masala, ginger juliennes, ground spices, mildly spiced