Kadala Curry or Brown Chickpeas in Coconut Curry is a popular accompaniment in Kerala Cuisine usually served with Appam or Puttu.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 360 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 390 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

For Masala Paste:

  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)

Other Ingredients:

  • 1 cup kala chana/kadala/brown chickpeas (soaked overnight)
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 cups water
  • salt (to taste)

For Coconut Paste:

  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut ((fresh or frozen) or full fat coconut milk)
  • 1/2 cup water

For Tempering:

  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
  • 1 big pinch asafetida (hing)
  • 1 stalk curry leaves
  • 2 dry red chillies

Method

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Soak chana (black chickpeas) overnight or for at least 6 hours.
  2. Grind the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cloves, cardamom, and fennel seeds into a smooth paste—no need to add any water while grinding. Keep aside.
  3. Also, grind the fresh coconut with a half cup of water to a fine paste. Keep aside. **Note: You can also roast the coconut and then grind. If you don't have fresh coconut, you can also use ½ cup of full-fat coconut milk instead.
  4. Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add oil to the POT. Once POT is hot, add onions and saute until onions turn light brown for 3-4 minutes.
  5. Next, add the masala paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add the soaked kadala (chickpeas), spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, and water for cooking. Stir well.
  7. Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to "BEAN/CHILI" Mode and set the timer to 30 minutes.
  8. Do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE.
  9. Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, asafetida (hing) and sauté for 30 seconds and keep aside.
  10. Once the pressure has released naturally, add the ground coconut paste and press sauté to cook for 3-4 minutes. Adjust the consistency by adding water if required. Finally, add the tempering to the curry.
  11. Serve kadala curry with appam or puttu.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:

  1. Follow the same steps as above. Just cook the kadala aka chickpeas on stovetop pressure cooker for 2 whistles on heat heat and then 2-3 whistles on low heat or till they are tender and cooked through.

Stovetop Pot Method:

  1. Pressure cook the soaked kadala (chickpeas) on a stovetop pressure cooker for 2 whistles on high heat and then 2-3 whistles on low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
  2. Grind the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cloves, cardamom, and fennel seeds to a smooth paste. No need to add any water while grinding. Keep aside.
  3. Also, grind the fresh coconut with half a cup of water to a fine paste. Keep aside.
  4. Heat oil in a pot, once hot add onions, saute until onions turn light brown for 3-4 minutes.
  5. Next, add the masala paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of the spices goes away.
  6. Add the cooked chickpeas, coconut paste, spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, some water and close the lid and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilies, asafetida (hing) and sauté for 30 seconds and add it to the curry.
  8. Serve kadala curry with appam or puttu or steamed rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.