Kadala Curry Recipe (Kerala Style)
User Reviews
5
88 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
8 hrs 30 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Total Time
8 hrs 55 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
327 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Indian
Kadala Curry Recipe (Kerala Style)
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Kadala Curry is a Kerala-style black chickpea curry cooked with a homemade coconut paste and a fragrant garam masala blend. The dish combines black chickpeas pressure-cooked to tenderness with spices like turmeric, coriander, chili powder, and mustard seeds, finished with curry leaves and coconut oil. The coconut paste adds creaminess and body, balancing the mildly spiced curry. This vegetarian curry offers a rich texture and robust flavor.
Description
This traditional Kerala Kadala Curry begins with soaking and pressure cooking black chickpeas until tender. A freshly ground garam masala of fennel seeds, mace, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg lends aromatic complexity. A coconut paste made from fresh grated coconut and water is blended until smooth, imparting creaminess to the curry.
The cooked chickpeas simmer with shallots, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric, chili and coriander powders, and black pepper. Coconut oil is the cooking medium, adding a characteristic flavor unique to Kerala cuisine. The combination results in a thick, hearty curry with a balance of warmth from spices and mellow richness from coconut.
This curry is typically served with steamed rice or appam and can be adjusted in consistency by varying water levels. Substitutions include white chickpeas or other beans. Adding tomato imparts slight tanginess if desired. The recipe's flexible scale fits small or large portions, while the use of pressure cooking reduces traditional cooking times.
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Ingredients
For cooking chickpeas
- 1 cup (172 grams) black chickpeas (kala chana or desi chana or whole bengal gram or kadala)
- 2 cups water - for soaking black chickpeas
- 2.5 cups water - for pressure cooking
For kerala garam masala
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 to 3 thin strands of mace
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 3 pinches nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder, grated
For coconut paste
- ½ cup coconut tightly packed, fresh grated
- ¼ to ⅓ cup water - for grinding or blending coconut
Other ingredients
- ⅓ cup shallot chopped, can use pearl onions (sambar onions
- 1 inch ginger - chopped, about 1 teaspoon chopped
- 1 or 2 green chilies - chopped, about 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano pepper
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder - for less spicy taste add ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground black pepper, powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 to 1.25 cups water or stock in which the black chickpeas are cooked
- salt as required
Instructions
Pressure cooking chickpeas: (Check notes below 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. You can also use white chickpeas instead of black chickpeas.
- Take the black chickpeas in a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add fresh water and salt.
- Stir and pressure cook the chickpeas for 9 to 10 whistles or till they are tender and cooked through on medium heat.
Preparing coconut paste
- Meanwhile when the chickpeas are cooking, take the grated coconut in a grinder or blender jar. Add water and grind or blend 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 - fennel seeds, mace strands, cinnamon, cloves and 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 coconut oil in a pan.
- Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Add chopped shallots. Stir and saute for a minute.
- Then add ginger, chopped green chilies, curry leaves and saute till the shallots turn translucent or a light brown.
- Then add red chili powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and the ground kerala garam masala. If you already have kerala garam masala, then just add 1 teaspoon of it. Note that 1 teaspoon of red chili powder, makes this curry spicy. So reduce to ½ teaspoon for a less spicy curry.
- Stir the ground spices very well and saute for a minute on low heat.
- Then add the ground coconut paste.
- Stir and mix very well.
- Saute for 4 to 5 minutes on a low heat.
- Then add the cooked black chickpeas or kadala. Stir very well.
- Then add 1 to 1.25 cups water or according to the consistency you prefer. Again stir and mix very well.
- Season with the required amount of salt and stir kadala curry again.
- Let the curry come to a boil on medium heat and the gravy reduces a bit. The flavors and chickpeas should also be well blended. When the curry is done and cooked well, you will see some oil specks on the top layer of the curry.
- Serve Kadala Curry hot with puttu or appams or steamed rice. While serving, you can garnish with some chopped coriander leaves if you like.
Notes
- White chickpeas, black-eyed peas, or kidney beans can substitute black chickpeas; use fresh water when cooking.
- Frozen or desiccated unsweetened coconut can replace fresh coconut for the paste.
- Adding a chopped tomato provides a tangy note to the curry if preferred.
- Coconut oil may be substituted with neutral oil if its flavor is not desired.
- Adjust curry thickness by varying added water or stock according to preference.
- The recipe scales easily for different batch sizes.
- Black chickpeas can be cooked conventionally in a pot, covered and boiled until tender.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
327kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
37g
(12%)
Protein
9g
(18%)
Fat
17g
(26%)
Saturated Fat
12g
(60%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Sodium
743mg
(31%)
Potassium
514mg
(11%)
Fiber
6g
(24%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
391IU
(8%)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
30mg
Vitamin B6
1mg
Vitamin C
58mg
(64%)
Vitamin E
1mg
Vitamin K
2µg
Calcium
135mg
(14%)
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
385µg
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Magnesium
88mg
(22%)
Phosphorus
181mg
Zinc
2mg
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 327 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 327kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 37g | 12% |
| Protein | 9g | 18% |
| Fat | 17g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 743mg | 31% |
| Potassium | 514mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 391IU | 8% |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 1mg | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 30mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1mg | |
| Vitamin C | 58mg | 64% |
| Vitamin E | 1mg | |
| Vitamin K | 2µg | |
| Calcium | 135mg | 14% |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 385µg | |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
| Magnesium | 88mg | 22% |
| Phosphorus | 181mg | |
| Zinc | 2mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
88 reviews
Excellent
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