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.
If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
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