kadala curry | kadala kari

Kadala curry recipe with step by step photos – spicy and tasty black chickpeas curry from the Kerala cuisine.

The combo of kadala curry with puttu or appams is too good. Kadala kari and puttu is one of my favorite breakfast. Occasionally on some days, I make kadala curry with puttu. I have a puttu maker from Kerala, gifted by my mom.

For breakfast I prepare puttu to go along with the kadala curry. For lunch, I serve the spicy & aromatic curry with rice or chapatis or pooris.

If you are wondering what is puttu, then these are steamed rice & coconut cakes. A traditional as well as popular breakfast in Kerala. And kadala means chickpeas. Also known as kala chana, whole bengal gram and desi chana.

This recipe calls for the Kerala garam masala or spice blend. This is a spice blend that is added to curries. Since this blend is not easily available everywhere, in this recipe I have Made a very small amount of the spice blend just for the curry. till now I have been using a recipe from a cookbook as well as my mom’s fusion recipe for the kadala curry. Not yet tried other versions.

The kadala curry as well as the Kerala garam masala recipe has been loosely adapted from the ‘essential Kerala cookbook’ by vijayan kannampilly. There are many variations of preparing this curry ranging from a gravy to a semi dry version. Some variations use coconut milk, some make without coconut and some use fresh or roasted coconut.

Black chickpeas being a good source of proteins, this curry is nutritious and healthy. Like many South Indian curries and gravies, this one too is vegan and gluten free.

The spicy kadala curry can be served with puttu, appams, idiyappam or with steamed rice, chapatis or pooris.

How to make kadala curry

1. first rinse and then soak the black chickpeas in 2 cups water for 8 to 9 hours or overnight. Here’s a pic of the soaked black chickpeas. You can also use white chickpeas instead of black chickpeas.

2. take the black chickpeas in the pressure cooker. Add ½ tsp salt.

3. add 2.5 cups of fresh water or overall 2.5 cups of the soaked water + fresh water. I usually do not throw away the soaked water of black chickpeas. add water.

4. stir and pressure cook the chickpeas for 9 to 10 whistles or more till they are tender and cooked through. Reserve the stock and keep aside.

5. meanwhile when the chickpeas are cooking, take ½ cup tightly packed grated coconut in a grinder jar.

6. add ¼ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Add more water if required while grinding. Keep the ground coconut paste aside.

7. in a small pan, dry roast the following five spices till aromatic – ½ tsp fennel seeds, 2 to 3 single strands of mace, 1 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves & 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder. Just a light roasting. Don’t over do.

8. in a small grinder or coffee grinder or a mortar pestle, grind or pound these five spices to a semi fine or fine powder. Keep aside.

Making kadala curry

9. heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pan.

10. add ½ tsp mustard seeds and let them crackle.

11. add ⅓ cup chopped pearl onions or shallots. Stir and saute for a minute.

12. then add 1 tsp chopped ginger, 1 tsp chopped green chilies, 10 to 12 curry leaves and saute till the shallots turn translucent or to a light golden.

13. then add 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, ¼ tsp black pepper powder and the ground Kerala garam masala. If you already have Kerala garam masala, then just add 1 tsp of it. 1 tsp of red chili powder, makes this curry spicy. So reduce to ½ tsp for a less spicy version. Tomatoes are not added in this recipe. But if you want, you can add 1 medium tomato.

14. stir the masalas very well on a low flame and saute for a minute.

15. then add the ground coconut paste.

16. stir very well.

17. saute for about 4 to 5 minutes on a low flame.

18. add the cooked black chana or kadala.

19. stir very well.

Cooking kadala curry

20. then add 1 to 1.25 cups water or the chana stock or both. Stir.

21. season with the required amount of salt and stir the curry again. Do add less salt as we have added some salt while cooking the chickpeas.

22. let the curry come to a boil.

23. Simmer the curry till all the flavors and the chickpeas are well blended. You will also see some oil specks floating on the top in the kadala curry.

23. Serve kadala curry hot with puttu or appams or idiyappam or steamed rice or rotis or pooris.

Few more chickpeas recipes for you!

• Kala chana
• Pindi chole
• Chana masala
• Dry kala chana

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Kadala Curry

4.85 from 33 votes

By Dassana Amit

Kadala curry is a spicy black chickpeas curry from the Kerala cuisine. Gluten-free and vegan.

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Prep Time 8 hrs 30 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 8 hrs 55 mins

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Cuisine Kerala

Course: Main Course

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Servings 4

Units

Ingredients

for cooking the chickpeas

• ¾ cup black chickpeas (kala chana or desi chana or whole bengal gram or kadala)¾ cup black chickpeas (kala chana or desi chana or whole bengal gram or kadala)
• 2 cups water for soaking black chickpeas2 cups water for soaking black chickpeas
• 2.5 cups water or the soaked water+fresh water for pressure cooking2.5 cups water or the soaked water+fresh water for pressure cooking

for kerala garam masala

• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 to 3 strands of mace2 to 3 strands of mace
• 1 inch cinnamon1 inch cinnamon
• 3 cloves3 cloves
• 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder

for coconut paste

• ½ cup grated coconut, tightly packed½ cup grated coconut, tightly packed
• ¼ to 1/3 cup water for grinding coconut¼ to 1/3 cup water for grinding coconut

other ingredients for kadala curry

• 1/3 cup chopped shallots or pearl onions (sambar onions)1/3 cup chopped shallots or pearl onions (sambar onions)
• ½ inch ginger chopped, about 1 teaspoon chopped ginger½ inch ginger chopped, about 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 or 2 green chilies chopped, about 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies1 or 2 green chilies chopped, about 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
• 10 to 12 curry leaves10 to 12 curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)1 teaspoon coriander powder

  (ground coriander)

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 to 1.25 cups of water or stock1 to 1.25 cups of water or stock
• salt as requiredsalt as required

Instructions

pressure cooking chickpeas: (check notes on cooking chickpeas in a pot/pan)

• First rinse and then soak the black chickpeas in 2 cups water for 8 to 9 hours or overnight. Here's a pic of the soaked black chickpeas. You can also use white chickpeas instead of black chickpeas.
• Take the black chickpeas in the pressure cooker. Add 2.5 cups of fresh water or overall 2.5 cups of the soaked water + fresh water. I usually do not throw away the soaked water of black chickpeas. Add 1/2 tsp salt.
• Stir and pressure cook the chickpeas for 10 to 12 whistles till they are tender and cooked through.

preparing coconut paste

• Meanwhile when the chickpeas are cooking, take 1/2 cup tightly packed grated coconut in a grinder jar. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup water and grind to a smooth paste.
• Keep the ground coconut paste aside.

preparing kerala garam masala

• In a small pan, dry roast the following spices till aromatic - 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 2 to 3 strands of mace, 1 inch cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder. Just a light roasting. Don't over do.
• In a small grinder or coffee grinder or a mortar pestle, grind or pound these five spices to a semi fine or fine powder. Keep aside.

making kadala curry

• Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pan.
• Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and let them crackle.
• Add 1/3 cup chopped shallots. Stir and saute for a minute.
• Then add 1 tsp chopped ginger, 1 tsp chopped green chilies, 10 to 12 curry leaves and saute till the shallots turn translucent or a light brown.
• Then add 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper powder and the ground kerala garam masala. If you already have kerala garam masala, then just add 1 tsp of it. 1 tsp of red chili powder, makes this curry spicy. So reduce to 1/2 for a less spicy version.
• Stir the masalas very well and saute for a minute on low flame.
• Then add the ground coconut paste.
• Stir very well.
• Saute for 4 to 5 minutes on a low flame.
• Then add the cooked black chana or kadala. Stir very well.
• Then add 1 to 1.25 cups water and stir.
• Season with the required amount of salt and stir kadala curry again.
• Let the curry come to a boil and the gravy reduces a bit. The flavors and chickpeas should also be well blended.
• Serve kadala curry hot with puttu or appams or steamed rice.

Notes

For cooking chickpeas in a pot. add the soaked chickpeas and 2.5 to 3 cups water in a pot with the salt. Cover and bring the water to a boil. Later on a medium to high flame, cook the chickpeas till they are tender.

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