Kadala Curry for Puttu / Idiyappam / Appam ..

Kadala curry for Puttu / Idiyappam / Appam…

A very tasty chick peas curry (black chickpeas), made of dry roasted coconut paste and onion seasoning. Goes well with Puttu / Idiyappam / Appam… Puttu is a traditional breakfast dish in Kerala. Baisc recipe adapted from Femina & Chef Purushottam Naidu, The Leela, Mumbai.

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For coconut paste:

1 teaspoon oil (or up to 3 tablespoon)

½ coconut, grated

20 g coriander seeds (4 teaspoons)

5 red chillies (big size 5 or 7 small size)

4 green cardamom

3 stick cinnamon (1 – inch insize)

5 cloves

2 teaspoon peppercorns

Method

In an iron kadai / pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil on a medium heat. Dry roast grated coconut, coriander seeds, red chillies, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cloves and peppercorns until fragrant / light brown and crisp. Stir continuously on a medium to low heat. Approximate roasting time 15 – 18 minutes. Keep aside to cool for half an hour and make a smooth paste in a mixer. Sprinkle very little water if required (1 – 2 tablespoons).

For kadala (chickpeas):

Please use same measuring cup to measure kadala & water.

1 cup (100 g) kadala

2 cups water

Extra 2 cups water

1 tomato, chopped

1 onion, chopped

½ inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise (1 big size or 2 small size)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 st stage:

Wash and soak kadala in 2 cups of water for 6 – 7 hours or overnight. Drain out water.

2 nd stage:

In a pressure cooker, add drained kadala, fresh 2 cups of water, chopped tomato, onion, ginger, green chilli, turmeric powder and salt and pressure cook for 20 – 22 minutes until done and soft (reduce the heat on high after 3 rd whistle and cook on medium heat for 15 – 18 minutes. Switch off the heat. Allow the cooker to cool naturally).

Open the lid. Add coconut masala paste into cooked kadala. Add salt to taste if required. Adjust the masala with extra ½ cup (75 - 100 ml, not more than 100 ml) water if required. It won’t be tasty if the gravy is too thin. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 – 12 minutes or until the masala starts separate from the oil (also brown in color / fragrant / gravy thickens). Switch off the heat.

Final stage:

For onion seasoning:

1 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

10 shallots (small onion / chuvannulli), finely sliced

6 – 10 curry leaves (dark green)

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add sliced onions and fry on a medium to low heat until golden color and crisp. Add curry leaves and fry till crisp and fragrant. Pour the seasoning over kadala curry and serve with Puttu / Idiyappam / Appam ..