Kadala Curry Recipe Kerala Style Black Chickpeas Kari

on Aug 22, 2023, Updated Nov 15, 2023 Here are some more black chickpea recipes: Jaisalmeri Chana, Sookha Kala Chana, North Indian Style Kala Chana Curry, and Chana Chaat. Black chickpeas are a great source of vegetarian protein, and I frequently include them in my diet. This Kerala-style black chickpea curry is one of my favorites. I like the coconutty curry, which has robust spices and a slight bite from the chickpeas. This curry needs a little pre-planning as you must soak the chickpea overnight. Other than that, it’s very easy to make.

About Kadala Curry

Kadala Curry (Kerala Style Black Chickpeas Kari) is a spicy, flavorful, coconutty black chickpeas curry made in most Malayalee homes. This curry is best served for breakfast with puttu, dosa, appam, or idiyappam, or a hearty lunch with steamed matta rice, poori, paratha, or roti. Each household has its way of making kadala curry. Some make it semi-dry, and some with gravy. It can be made with or without coconut or even using coconut milk. I learned this Kerala-style kadala curry recipe from a houseboat owner on one of my trips to Kerala. I promise it’s delicious. Whole Spices – For warm flavors, add green cardamoms (hari elaichi), cinnamon (dalchini), and cloves (laung) to the curry. Fresh Coconut – To save time, Buy grated coconut. It is available in the freezer section of any Indian grocery store. Curry Leaves add a beautiful South Indian touch to the curry, so make sure you use fresh, aromatic ones. Coconut Oil – This curry is traditionally made using coconut oil, but you can replace it with any other oil or ghee if it’s unavailable. Spice Powders – To enhance the taste of the curry, you will need basic spices such as coriander powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, and garam masala spice mix. For a very authentic taste, use my Kerala style garam masala in this recipe. Others – You will also need shallots, salt, brown mustard seeds, fennel seeds (saunf), fenugreek seeds (methi dana), curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, onions, tomatoes, and green chilies. Adjust the green chilies as per your taste. For The Tempering – To temper the kadala curry, you will need coconut oil, brown mustard seeds, asafetida (hing), curry leaves, and whole dry red chilies. Tempering is optional, but it adds great flavor to the curry. Drain the water and wash the chickpeas once again. Add the soaked chana to an instant pot along with the following ingredients.

1 and ½ cups of water ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 2 teaspoon salt 2 green cardamoms 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick 3-4 cloves

Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer for 15 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, do a 10-minute natural pressure release. Then, release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid. Note – To cook the chickpeas in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker, cook for one whistle on high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid of the cooker. Add ¼ cup of peeled shallots and 10-12 curry leaves and roast until the coconut is nicely browned. This process gives a very robust flavor to this curry and a very nice color, too. Set the paste aside. Add the following ingredients once the oil is hot, and saute for 10-12 seconds.

½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon fennel seeds ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds 10-12 curry leaves 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

Add ½ cup chopped onions and cook until it turns translucent (3-4 minutes), stirring frequently. Add the following spice powders and cook for a minute.

1 teaspoon coriander powder ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder ½ teaspoon garam masala powder

Add some water if the masala is drying out. Add the cooked chana along with the water in which it was cooked to the pan. Cook the curry for 10-12 minutes. Mash a few chana with the back of the ladle to make the gravy creamier. Check for salt and add as needed. Once the oil is hot, add the following ingredients and fry for 4-5 seconds.

½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds ¼ teaspoon asafetida 10-12 curry leaves 2-3 whole dry red chilies

Pour the tempering over the curry and stir gently. Serve hot. You can cook the chickpeas and store them in the fridge a day before if you plan to cook in the morning. Finishing this step helps to make the curry in less time. You can adjust the consistency of curry by adding more or less water. If you like it thick, add less water, and vice versa. You can replace black chickpeas with white chickpeas for a taste change.