Kadala Curry / Chana Curry

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and now energised for a great week ahead. Today's recipe is a Kadala or Chana curry which is a typical sidedish with Puttu (steamed rice flour). This combination is very popular in Kerala and makes an excellent breakfast. Another combo is Puttu and Cherupayar or Green gram curry which I have already explained here in the Oats Puttu recipe. Both the Kadala and Cherupayar curries are awesome combos with Puttu and we love them equally. This Kadala/Chana curry can also be served along with Chapathi or Dosas as well. The coconut is fried along with spices, then ground and added which gives a special flavour to this delicious curry. Usually black chana is used for this curry, but I have used Kabuli chana which is our family favourite.

What you need?

1.5 cup Chana/Kadala

1 Onion chopped

2 Tomatoes chopped

3/4 cup shredded Coconut

1 tsp Chilli powder

1.5 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Ginger garlic paste

5-6 Curry Leaves

2 tsp Oil

Salt

How to prepare?

Soak the chana or kadala overnight, pressure cook with sufficient water and keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Saute the coconut until light brown. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala, saute on a low flame until raw smell goes. Allow this mixture to cool. Grind this to a smooth thick paste in a blender by adding a little water.

Heat again a tsp of oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Saute onions, ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves until the onions turn pink. Now add the tomatoes and cook till tender. Add the cooked chana and add some water ( can also use water in which chana was cooked). Now add salt and let this boil. On a low flame, add the coconut mixture and combine everything well. Cook for a couple of minutes and garnish with coriander leaves if you desire. Serve hot as a sidedish ideally for Puttu or with rotis, poori or dosa.

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen event hosted by Fajeeda , original event announcement here.

and also to Healthy Cooking Challenge - Lunch event hosted by Kavi, initiated by Smitha