Chick grams – 1 cup
Coconut   –  3 – 4 table spoon
Onion  –  4 Small Onions (ulli) or Big Onion (Savola) – 2 Medium
Ginger  –  1 (1 inch) piece
Garlic  –  4 single cloves
Curry leaves  –  10 – 15 leaves
Turmeric powder  –  ¼ teaspoon
Chili powder  – 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder  –  2 table spoons
Cardamom  –  2
Cloves  –  2
Cinnamon  –  1 inch piece
Big Jeera (Saunf/Perum Jeerakam)  –  1 teaspoon
Green Chilly  –  2 nos
Black Pepper – 5 nos
Coconut Oil – 2 table spoon + ½ teaspoon
Mustard Seeds – ½ teaspoon
Salt – To Taste

Soak chick grams (Kadala/channa) for 5 to 6 hours minimum. Wash it well;

Add 1 teaspoon salt and water, 1 inch above the gram. Pressure cook (5 -8 whistles) or till it is soft. Keep aside to cool.

 

Heat  ½ teaspoon coconut oil, saute 1 table spoon chopped onion (small onion tastes better) for 2 minutes, add coconut and roast till its slightly golden then add ginger, garlic, curry leaves, Cinnamon, Big Jeera, Cloves, Cardamom, Black Pepper, turmeric powder, coriander powder and saute for 1 minute, add chili powder and Turmeric powder, saute it for 1 minute and remove from the fire; leave it to cool. Ingredients should be added in the above order for roasting otherwise it is likely to get burned; should be very careful not to burn it or else the total taste will change.

Grind all the ingredients into a paste adding very little water. Add the masala paste in a pan with 1 teaspoon oil and saute it until the masala leaves the sides of the pan and oil shows over.

Add the cooked gram along with the water; boil it until the gravy thickens. In case water is not sufficient in the cooked gram, you can add a little more water.  Those who need gravy can remove from fire if the curry is fully boiled.  Those who like thick gravy can boil it longer until the gravy thickens.

Heat balance oil & add mustard seeds, once all the seeds splutter, add chopped onion and saute until golden brown, add curry leaves and green chilly cut into 2 or 3 pieces. Sought it well, pour it into the curry. If some small pieces of coconut is fried and added to the curry, it will taste awesome. Enjoy it with Puttu or Appam.

My grandma used to do the grinding of this masala on the grinding stone without using water, so the oil from the roasted coconut would come out and the taste of the curry was simply yummy.

Kadala curry

Nutrition Facts –Serving Size: 1 (100g)