Kerala Kadala Curry | Chickpeas Curry with Coconut

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I’m here again with a delicious dish from God’s Own Country. It is the most popular Kerala Kadala Curry/ Chickpeas Curry with Coconut.

Kerala Kadala Curry

For those who are not aware, Kerala is a South Indian state. It is rich in natural beauty, and you can see lots of backwaters.The state is also famous for its authentic cuisine, which uses coconut in all its forms: coconut oil, coconut milk, and coconut as such.

Coming to the recipe, when I say ‘most popular’ I mean it because you can’t see any person visiting Kerala or any restaurants having Kerala cuisine can avoid this Kadala Curry. This curry is usually served along with Puttu/ Steamed rice cake. I’m from Kerala and I get nostalgic when I write this.

How to make Kadala curry

The only time-consuming part of this dish is the soaking of chickpeas and coconut roasting. We roast the coconut to a golden brown color to give it the color of this dish. Once it is done, grind the coconut to a smooth paste along with spices. Pressure cook the chickpeas with all the other ingredients. The delicious Kerala kadala curry is ready to serve.

Let’s discuss Ingredients

• Black Chickpeas – Yes, we use black chickpeas for this dish specifically for the earthy flavor. If you don’t have access to black chickpeas, you can also use white chickpeas or green peas. ( I have used white chickpeas and green peas when I run out of black chickpeas.
• Coconut – Yes, coconut is another main ingredient we use. If you can have fresh grated coconut, it is the best. Being in the U.S., I use frozen coconut as I don’t like the taste of fresh coconut here.
• Shallots – We will need 4 or 5 shallots to roast along with coconut.
• Coconut Oil –  Do try to use coconut oil to get the authentic flavor.
• Fennel seeds – Fennel seeds gives an unique flavor to the dish.

What pairs well with Kadala Curry/chickpea curry

This Kadala curry goes well with puttu, Appam as I said earlier. It also pairs well with Sweet potato roti, Dosa, Aloo Paratha and many more.

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Kerala Kadala curry recipe

Ingredients

Black Chickpeas – 1 cup

Onion – 1/2 Cup chopped

Tomato – 1 medium-sized chopped

Curry leaves – few

Coconut Oil – 1 Tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 Tsp

Red Chili Powder – 1 Tsp

Coriander Powder – 1 1/2 Tsp

Garam Masala – 1/2 Tsp

Salt – As required

To roast & grind

Coconut – 1/2 Cup grated

Fennel seeds – 1 tsp

Jeera /Cumin seeds – 1/2 Tsp

Shallots – 4 or 5

Garlic – 2 pods

Curry leaves – few

Coconut Oil – 1 Tsp

Method

• Soak Black chickpeas overnight or at least for 6 hrs.
• Heat pan and add oil.
• When the oil is hot, roast all the ingredients under ‘ To roast and grind’ till the coconut turns golden brown.
• Grind it to a smooth paste with the required water.
• Take soaked chickpeas, onion, and tomato in a pressure cooker with the required water.
• Add spice powders except garam masala and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
• Once done, after the pressure is released open the lid and mash onions and tomatoes with ladle roughly.
• Add the ground coconut, garam masala, and salt.
• Let it boil for a few minutes.
• Switch off and serve.

Notes

1. You can roast the coconut one or two days before and store it in the refrigerator. When you need it, grind it and use it.

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