Kadala curry or black chickpea curry from Kerala cuisine.
A very flavourful and spicy curry. Freshly ground Kerala garam masala and coconut made the curry lip-smacking.
Beautiful state Kerala known as ‘God’s own Country’ or land of spices.
According to Wikipedia The cuisine of Kerala, a state in the south of India, is linked to its history, geography, demography and culture. Kerala cuisine offers a multitude of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared using fish, poultry and red meat with rice a typical accompaniment. Chillies, curry leaves, coconut, mustard seeds, turmeric, tamarind, and asafoetida are all frequently used.
Kerala is known as the “Land of Spices” because it traded spices with Europe as well as with many ancient civilizations with the oldest historical records of the Sumerians from 3000 BCE.
I have shared two more black chickpea recipes here.
This month in Shhhhh cooking secretly challenge
facebook group we are sharing different dishes from Kerala cuisine. In this group members are paired up every month. And the pairs give each other two secret ingredients. This month my partner is Sujitha Ruban who blog at
http://sujithaeasycooking.com.
Sujitha Ruban gave me two flavourful ingredients Mace and fennel seeds and I gave her banana and ginger powder. Check out her blog for the recipe she shared with these ingredients.
I made this kadala curry or black chickpea curry from Kerala cuisine with those aromatic ingredients.
Black chickpeas, also known as Bengal grams, Garbanzo beans or ‘kala chana’ belong to the ‘desi’ variety and have a much higher fiber content and lower glycemic index. Being an extremely versatile legume, it is widely used in a variety of Middle Eastern and Indian dishes like falafels, hummus and curries as well as salads, soups and stews or even as a quick snack. In addition to their delicious nut like taste and buttery texture, black chickpeas are extremely beneficial for health.
Being low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals, black chickpeas can indeed be a healthy addition to your diet. Two to three tablespoons of these legumes are equivalent to one portion of the daily recommended five portions of fruits and vegetables. The health benefits of black chickpeas are as follows.
Aids in Weight Loss: …
Cardiovascular Benefits: …
Lowers Cholesterol: …
Stabilizes Blood Sugar and Low Glycemic Index (GI): …
Prevention of Diabetes: …
Great Source of Iron: …
Good Source of Protein for Vegetarians: …
Beneficial for Women:
Source
Now coming to the recipe. You will love this flavourful curry. And all the flavour comes from aromatic Kerala garam masala. If you have Kerala garam masala ready in your pantry then you can use 1 teaspoon of it. I have used kashmiri red chilli powder to bring some colour in the curry.
Recipe
Kala chana or black chickpeas – 1 cup
Water – 2 & 1/2 cup
Onion – 2, chopped
Green chilli – 1-2 finely chopped
Curry leaves – 12 – 13
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Tomato – 2 small
Coconut – 1/2 cup heaped, grated or finely chopped
Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Coconut oil – 2 – 3 tablespoon
Water – 1 cup
Fennel seeds or sounf – 1/2 teaspoon
Mace – 2 blades
Cloves – 2 – 3
Green cardamom – 2
Star anise – a small piece
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Nutmeg – a pinch
Method
1. Wash and soak the kala chana or black chickpeas in sufficient water overnight.
2. Boil the soaked chickpeas with 2 & 1/2 cup water in pressure cooker for 7 – 8 whistle or till chickpeas becomes soft.
3. Lightly dry roast fennel seeds or sounf, mace, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, cinnamon and grated nutmeg. Roast lightly till fragrant. Don’t overdo.
4. Let the spices cool down. And grind into fine powder.
5. Grind the coconut. Add water as require to make a smooth paste.
6. Grind tomato and ginger. You can use chopped tomato and grated ginger. But I like smooth paste so ground altogether.
7. Heat oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds or rai and let them splutter.
8. Now add curry leaves, chopped onion and green chilli.
9. Fry till onions becomes light brown.
Add tomato and ginger paste or grated ginger and chopped tomato.
Saute till the tomatoes becomes mushy.
10. Add coconut paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli, black pepper powder and dry roasted and ground fennel seeds, mace, cloves, green cardamom, star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg.
11. Saute till everything dried up.
Add boiled black chickpea or kala chana and salt. Mix well. Saute for a minute.
12. Add 1 cup water. Or you can add 1/2 cup more water if you want more gravy.
13. Let it boil. Now cook on simmer for 12 – 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
14. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat.
15. Take out 3 – 4 tablespoon chickpeas and mash well with a spoon and add in the gravy if you want your gravy thick.
16. Garnish with grated coconut and serve hot.
Note
If you want you can also add garlic to the curry. Grind garlic cloves with tomato and ginger.
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I always like your recipes! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot Jennifer. Glad you liked it 😍
You are most welcome
Nice recipe
Thank you 😊
Love your recipe Sujata. It is different from the one I follow so interesting for a new try. thanks
Thank you so much Seema. Do try taste is different and more tasty than usual one 😊
Lovely recipe Sujata. I always love the use of coconut in recipes. When kala chana is paired with coconut, I am sure the taste buds would be singing.
Thanks a lot Lata. I also love coconut in curry. And this curry is so flavourful 😊
Delicious black chickpea curry. Perfect combination of spices… I can feel the aroma right from here 😊 and the addition of coconut paste must have elevated the taste. Superb share !!!
Thanks a lot Geetanjali 😊
Never tried kala chana curry with coconut, I am sure it would taste yum will pair good with Pooris or rice i think.
Thank you so much Soma. Please do try I am sure you will love the taste and aroma 😍
Heavenly tasty & soulful. Keep sharing this types of yummy posts more. I hope you will back follow my blog borntoguide.com which is about food travel & technology.
Thank you so much. Yes sure I will 😊
Always Welcome.
Nice blog. Didn’t find follow button. But subscribed.
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Kala chana is very nutritious and versatile. I make it in many forms too, The Kerala style must be so flavourful with the addition of coconut. It goes well with puttu.
Thank you so much Shobha. I think its more delicious and flavourful than normal one 😊
I’ve never tried kala chana in kerala style, I msut try as we love it. such a nutritious and delicious looking dish.
Thank you so much Jagruti. Yes its taste really great. We loved the taste and aroma 😍
superb. Looks great this kadala curry from Kerala cuisine. I recently made amti using coconut. a great curry with rice or chapati. by now you are an expert for this challenge.
Thank you so much Bhawana 😍
I have had the pleasure of having some gorgeous kadala curry in Kerala with appam and puttu. I have never tried making it at home, though. Your version looks so lovely – absolutely droolworthy! 🙂
Thanks a lot Priya. We also loved the taste and aroma 😍
I have one more recipe of kala chana to make, keep making it as it more healthier. This looks tasty.
Thanks a lot Jayashree. It was the best kala chana recipe I had ever made. Superbly delicious and flavourful. Please do try and let me know how it turns out 😊
The Kerala style kala chana curry looks so flavourful di !! The addition of coconut is a wow factor here 🙂
Thank you so much Sasmita. Yes dear it was flavourful and superbly delicious 😊
The Kala chana curry with coconut sounds so flavorful di..thanks for the share. Now I have one more variety of chickpea curry to try out.
Thank you so much Poonam. It was the best kala chana recipe I had ever tasted. So delicious and flavourful. Please do try and let me know how it turns out 😊
Awesome curry. Healthy and nutrious.
Thank you so much 😊
Delicious black chickpeas curry. I usually make with white chaana ,never tried with black chickpeas. After seeing the recipe I think I should give a try.
Thanks a lot Pavani 😊
I love Kadala curry, especially the Kerala style one with Rice puttu. It’s a nutritious and delicious one. Coconut topping is lovely, its delectable. Great share!
Thanks a lot Malini. We also loved this flavourful curry 😊
Lovely recipe. I love a good kadala curry. It has all the flavourful spices and whenever we cook the house smells delicious. 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much Nisha 😊
Delicious kala chana curry, the combination of spices with coconut must be scintillating!! Would love to pair it with some rice/roti’s😊
Thanks a lot Priya 😊
Kadala curry and puttu means life is sorted for a Keralite like me. My Kerala trip is incomplete without this breakfast combo. The curry looks delicious and I hope you enjoyed eating this.
Thank you so much Vidya. Yes we loved it. Next time I will make with white chickpeas. Taste and flavour both awesome 😊
Excellent. Such a great way to consume protein right?
full of proteing and delicious
Thanks Priya 😊
Kadala curry is made atleast once in a week at our home and it always pairs with puttu. Your curry looks delicious. Adding freshly ground garam masala brings in more flavor to the curry than using garam masala powder.
Thank you so much Anu 😍
Such a protein rich nutritious Kadala curry, they are just prefect to enjoy with some rice or else simply with Kerala puttu, drooling here already.
Thanks a lot Priya 😊
A different way of preparing this curry. Looks delicious and yum.
Kadala curry looks delicious and yummy
Wasn’t this curry so delicious? Loved it. I too made it with the ingredients I got form my partner. It is so different from the Gujarati style I make.
You are absolutely right. This curry is superbly delicious. We both loved it. Thank you so much 😊
Wisely used both the ingredients Sujataji, I was wondering about your recipe.. came out perfectly well..
Thanks a lot Sujitha. Glad you liked it 😍
Isn’t it the best kind of hearty stew/curry that you can have with Kala Chana?
Thanks. Yes you are right Aruna 😊
I love the flavors of coconut in curries and black chickpea is my son’s favourite..so I would try this recipe soon and share my feedback with you . Thank you for the flavorful share di !
Thanks a lot Poonam. We both loved the taste. Waiting for your feedback 😊
The kadala curry sounds delicious with so many spices, and with the touch of coconut at the end. Using freshly roasted and ground spices must bring a great aroma to the curry!
Thanks a lot Sujata Shukla 😊
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