Kadala curry (black channa curry)
Hola. Yesterday was a crappy day for me cos I had a bad headache. When I have a headache, I don’t function well at all. As silly as that might sound, that’s the truth. Despite being in that state, I wanted to finish off my pending blog entries because I have realised that if I delay, I end up missing something (either the ingredient or the quantity of a certain ingredient). Since I note down the recipes on my phone when I make them (or watch my mil/ mom make), I am sorted in terms of putting up the recipe. However, the other part of my blog – the prelude only comes in a good flow of mind which I simply didn’t have. While I have had some people who ridicule me about the prelude, I have some good people (Yes of course they are good people because they like what I write :D) who have given very positive feedback about the prelude including my MIL which is a huge push for me. Yesterday, I had done 0 justice to the prelude bit on 3 blog entries and I feel bad about that today. I might end up redoing them soon. People who don’t care about them or don’t like it – you are obviously welcome to skip it :). Anywho, a bit of story on the kadala curry – this is my MILs version and I got to document it. She started making this a few years back when D requested for it. He is a big fan of kadala curry. MIL has perfected this recipe over the years now. Anytime she makes it, it’s a big hit. We all like spicy food at home and so, this curry is made super spicy. I am going to notch it down a bit in the recipe so that normal spicy eaters can enjoy this :). I am getting laughed at for saying this but honestly, this is a very simple recipe. Requires a bit of prior prep in terms of soaking the black channa but other than the prep part, the whole thing is a breeze and doesn’t take long to prepare :). Traditionally the kadala curry (being a typical mallu dish) is paired with Aappam, puttu, dosa (and it’s variants), idli. However, I like this even with plain rice. Mallus end up having this for breakfast. I would probably not move the whole day if I had this for breakfast :). Such a heavy and filling one this kadala curry is!
- 1.5 cups black channa/ konda kadala
- 2 nos onions finely cut
- 1.5 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 nos green chillies slit
- 1.5 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1.5 tsp garam masala powder
- 8-10 nos curry leaves
- a handful fresh coriander leaves for garnish
- 1.5 tbsp fresh cream optional
- 4 tsp oil refined/ coconut
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1-2 nos dried red chillies
- 2 tbsp grated/ shredded coconut
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Soak black channa for 6-8 hours and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles (till soft). Drain water and keep it aside. Do not chuck the water. We will use this water later.
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In a small pan, dry roast ingredients under 'To roast & grind' section. Once cooled, grind it to a smooth paste by adding 1/4 cup water. Set this aside.
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In a pan/ kadai, heat some oil. To this, add the green chillies followed by onions & curry leaves.
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Once the onions start to brown, add the tomato puree & saute for a few minutes.
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Now add all the dry spices - garam masala, coriander powder, red chilli powder & some salt. Saute till the raw smell weans off. Add a bit of water if needed at this stage.
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Now add the cooked black channa/ kadala & 1 cup water (you can use the reserve water now). Let this mixture cook for a few minutes.
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Now add the ground mixture & bring it to a boil. Adjust for water & salt at this stage.
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If you are adding cream, you can add it at this stage and mix well.
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Finally, before turning off the heat, toss in the chopped coriander leaves.
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Serve the kadala curry hot alongside some aappam/ puttu/ dosa/ rice.
Stepwise pictures
I had all these prepped and kept before starting with the process. So easy if you can get everything ready this way. What you see in the pic are already cooked black channa, chopped veggies & dry roasted some ingredients.
In a wide pan/ kadai, heat some oil & add green chillies. Saute for a few seconds.
Add the onions & saute till they start to brown.
Add the tomato puree/ paste at this stage and saute for a minute.
Add all the dry masalas – coriander powder, garam masala & red chilli powder. Add a bit of water & some salt. Let the masalas cook till the raw smell goes.
Add the cooked black channa & add some water. Let the mixture cook.
Meanwhile, grind all the dry roasted ingredients with some water to get this consistency.
Pour it into the mixture & mix well. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes.
check & adjust for salt/ water here. Finally, add some cream and bring to a boil.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves & curry leaves. Turn off the heat.
Serve hot along with some aappam, idiyappam or even rice. Yummmmm..
