Sundal Recipe | Channa Sundal | Chickpea Sundal
Traditionally a Tamil preparation, ‘Sundal’ is simple, yet soul stirringly sumptuous. Basically, it is a unique stir-fried dish made with different types of lentils, legumes and even grains. It is a popular dish during Navratri Fasting, Vinayaka Chaturthi and Janmashtami celebrations in South India. This Channa Sundal recipe has white chickpeas, spices, herbs and a good dose of freshly grated coconut. This chickpea dish is vegan and quite healthy too.
The Tradition of Sundal
Sundal is a Tamil Nadu specialty made with cooked legumes or lentils tossed in a light coconut oil tempering and finished with fresh coconut. It’s always prepared without onion and garlic, which makes it suitable for vrats and satvik meals.
During Navratri in South India, many homes prepare a different sundal every day. Each day is linked to a specific legume like chickpeas, chana dal, moong beans, horse gram, black-eyed peas, peanuts, or corn. This simple routine has become a cultural tradition that families follow year after year.
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Sundal is also shared as prasadam during Bommai Golu. Small bowls of warm sundal are offered to guests, symbolising sharing, simplicity, and nourishment.
The tempering with mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and dried red chillies gives the dish a familiar South Indian aroma, while the coconut brings everything together.
People enjoy sundal because it cooks quickly and feels wholesome. The combination of legumes, coconut, and minimal spices makes it filling and naturally nutritious. It works well as a festival dish and also as a light evening snack.
If you enjoy this Channa Sundal made with white chickpeas, you may also like:
- Kadalai Paruppu Sundal made with hulled and split Bengal gram (chana dal).
- Rajma Sundal made with red kidney beans (rajma)
- Sweet Corn Sundal made with sweet corn kernels (makai)
- Konda Kadalai Sundal made with black chickpeas (kala chana)
About Channa Sundal Recipe
This Channa Sundal is one of the easiest stir-fries ever. The only major time required is to soak the chickpeas overnight. Once that is done, you pressure cook the chickpeas till soft, the next day. Then, the dish gets made quickly.
The tempering ingredients required are mustard seeds, split skinned black gram (urad dal), asafoetida, dried red chilies or green chillies and curry leaves.
Traditionally instead of dry red chillies or fresh green chillies, black pepper was used to bring in a bit of heat and spice to the sundal. Feel free to add about ½ teaspoon of black pepper powder or according to taste instead of the chillies.
Basically, these ingredients are tempered and mixed with the cooked chickpeas, which is finally finished with some fresh grated coconut. Since this dish is also free of both onion and garlic, it is a perfect dish for naivedyam (prasad).
Note that using canned chickpeas brings the dish together very quickly. Prep the canned chickpeas by rinsing a few times in water. Make the tempering, add the canned chickpeas. Sauté for a few minutes and finish with coconut.
This Channa Sundal is awesome with the aroma and flavor of the ingredients that go in its tempering and the freshness of coconut adds a touch of earthiness in the cooked chickpeas. Because of this, you can even have this preparation on its own, without any accompaniments.
The quantities of this Chickpea Sundal recipe can be increased as per your personal requirements. Since this dish is super easy to make, it can be served as a side dish. It also qualifies as that perfect dish for a nutritious brunch or snack.
Dassana’s Recipe Notes
- You can make sundal with any cooked legume or lentil. Use this recipe as a base and swap in chickpeas, chana dal, moong beans, black-eyed peas, peanuts, or corn.
- If you’re using canned chickpeas, rinse them a few times and add them straight to the tempering. The dish comes together in minutes.
- You can use either dried red chillies or green chillies. For a more traditional taste, add crushed or ground black pepper instead.
- Coconut oil gives the most classic flavour, but sunflower oil, peanut oil, or any neutral oil also works well.
- Skip asafoetida if you need a gluten-free version.
- You can easily halve or double the recipe depending on how many people you’re serving.
Asked & Answered
Why is sundal made without onion and garlic?
Sundal is usually prepared for festivals and vrats, so it follows satvik cooking. That’s why onion and garlic are avoided.
Do I need to soak the legumes?
If you’re using dried chickpeas or other legumes, yes, soaking helps them cook evenly. Canned legumes don’t need soaking.
Can I use frozen coconut?
Yes. Thaw it first so it mixes well with the warm sundal. Fresh coconut tastes best, but frozen is fine.
Can I make sundal ahead of time?
You can cook the legumes in advance and refrigerate them for a couple of hours. Do the tempering and final mix just before serving for the best flavor.
Can I skip tempering?
Tempering gives sundal plenty of taste and flavor, so it’s better not to skip it. The flavors come from mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and the light frying.
Recipe
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Sundal Recipe | Channa Sundal | Chickpea Sundal
Ingredients
For cooking channa
- 1 cup dried white chickpeas (chole or safed chana)
- 3 to 4 cups water – for pressure cooking
More sundal ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (spilt skinned black gram)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 2 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed, can swap with 1 to 2 green chillies, chopped
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh grated coconut
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse and soak the chickpeas overnight in enough water.
- Drain the water from the soaked chickpeas and rinse a few times. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas with 1 teaspoon salt and 3 to 4 cups water till they are tender and softened. You can cook chickpeas in a stovetop pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot. For cooking in a stovetop pressure cooker, cook chickpeas for about 12 to 15 minutes on medium heat or more if needed until the chickpeas are tender and soft.
- Drain all the water from the cooked chickpeas and set them aside.
Making channa sundal
- Heat oil in a pan. add the mustard seeds and urad dal. Heat on a low flame stirring often.
- The mustard seeds will crackle and the urad dal will get browned.
- They almost take the same time to cook on a low heat.
- Immediately, add the curry leaves, red chilies and asafoetida. Fry for 10 to 15 seconds or until the curry leaves look crisp and the red chillies change color.
- Now add the cooked chickpeas and salt. Stir and saute for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium heat.
- Switch off the heat and add the coconut. Stir to combine well.
- Serve the Channa Sundal as prashad or naivedyam to the deities.
Notes
- A basic sundal recipe can be prepared with various legumes, lentils and grains. Using this recipe as a base you can choose to make sundal with your preferred lentils. Also do check more sundal recipes I have shared earlier in the post above.
- When using canned chickpeas the dish comes together very quickly. Rinse the canned chickpeas a few times in water and add to the tempering mixture. Sauté for a few minutes and lastly finish with the coconut.
- Instead of dry red chillies, you can use green chilies. Either slit them or add chopped. For a more traditional variation, you can choose to use crushed black pepper or ground black pepper instead of chillies.
- For the oil, feel free to use sunflower oil, peanut oil, coconut oil or any neutral flavored oil.
- For a gluten-free version of sundal, skip adding asafetida.
- Easily halve or double this channa sundal recipe.
Nutrition
Channa Sundal recipe from the archives first published on July 2013.
How many whistles?
time taken and number of whistles will depend on the quality of chana. so it can be 6 whistles to 12 whistles or more.
Great stuff! I never knew you have to mix the peanut crush with the Sabudanà, before cooking. One lives and learns!!
thanks and i think your comment refers to the sabudana khichdi recipe.
Lovely easy healthy recipes. Love your cooking style.
glad to know this and thankyou so much sumathi 🙂
Im a newbie to cooking..n ur recipies r a great help.. Thank u 🙂
welcome sandhya 🙂 and thankyou.
Good preparations . Please also add the recipe for sweet Sundal.
Thanks
V K Nayar
thanks v k nayar. i will add the recipe soon.
nice
nice recipe, I like it…
Guilt free snack…my fav anytime
I always like the chana recipe very much,this is a happy recipe
.
thanks umesh