This is an authentic curry from Kerala, served with steamed rice cakes(called puttu) and usually served for breakfast. The thick slightly spicy gravy can be also eaten with chappathis. The aromatic spices are ground with roasted coconut to make this nutritious dish.
Ingredients:
For curry
Kadala/black chick peas – 1 cup (soaked overnight)
Tomato – 1 medium
Onion – 1 small
Coconut pieces- 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Salt as needed
Water – 3-4 cups or as needed
For roasting and grinding
Coconut Grated – 1 1/4 cup
Fennel seeds/Saunf – 1/2 tsp
Garlic – 2 cloves
Small onions/shallots – 3
Pepper corns – 3
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
Curry leaf – 3 to 4 leaves
Green chillie – 1
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Chillie powder – 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 1/4 tsp
Preparation:
Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. The next day, cook the chickpeas in cooker adding about 3-4 cups of water with enough salt, for about 6 whistles on a medium flame. Put off the flame and let it cool.
Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp of coconut oil. When it becomes hot, add the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, green chillie, chopped shallots, grated coconut and saute it well. Make sure to keep the flame on low to medium. The coconut should be sauteed for about 10 – 12 minutes until it becomes brown in colour. Now reduce the flame to low and add the red chillie powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and saute it and do not let it burn. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool. When it cools down, tranfer it to a mixie and grind it to a fine paste.
In a pan, heat oil. When the oil becomes hot, add the chopped onions and chopped tomato. Saute it well until it becomes mushy. Add this to the cooker alongwith the chick peas and the ground paste and let it boil with an open lid for 5 to 8 minutes on medium heat.
In the same pan, add a tsp of oil and fry the coconut bits until they are golden brown. Add these fried coconut pieces to the cooker while it is boiling. After the coconut pieces are removed from the pan, add mustard, whole red chillie, curry leaf and add these also to the cooker. Keep it closed for some time.
Serve with puttu or rice.
Meal Haven 