Kadala curry is not just a dish in Kerala, it’s part of the culture and rich diversity of the food that comes from the tiny Southern state I was lucky to grow up in. A well-made kadala curry sets the tone for the whole day since it is usually served for breakfast with puttu, appam, idiyappam, or dosa. Protein and fibre-rich with added coconut, because that’s a good Kerala dish without the quintessential coconut included.
Table of Contents
Ingredients in Kadala Curry
- Kadala or chickpeas: sounds obvious but hear me out. Traditionally, black chickpeas is used although we have swifly moved on to the creamier, more butter-like texture offered by white chickpeas. Purists still argue that the black chana is tastier due it’s nutty flavour, healthier, and the “right” one to use in kadala curry but it’s really up to each cook. I personally rotate them depending on what I have in hand
- Spices: Typical to most Kerala recipes, kadala curry uses minimal spices. Coriander is the base and the most important one adding texture and flavour to the curry. If you have the time and patience, start with coriander seeds, although store-bought coriander powder works very well and makes the job of roasting much quicker. Dry red chillies add heat and colour to the dish but again, the powdered version would work just as well.
- Coconut: Since most of us don’t have access to fresh Kerala coconut, I buy mine frozen. Thaw on countertop and use as you would fresh, it’s hard to tell the difference (for me, anyway).
- Curry leaves: An important addition to get the flavour right but don’t go hunting for them for this one dish.
- Coconut oil: is the oil of choice and it does make a difference here. Use it if you can.
- Shallots: or ulli that is liberally added during tempering is a key part of making this dish, in my opinion. I am not sure if it’s ‘traditionally’ part of the dish or something we do at home, but roasting finely chopped shallots and dunking it in to the prepared kadala curry truly elevates it to the next level. I don’t have access to fresh ulli most of the time so make do with red onions, an inferior substitute but acceptable nevertheless.
Tips for Making Kadala Curry
- Soaking chickpeas: as with any Indian recipe calling for chickpeas, start by soaking them for atleast 8 hours, ideally overnight. This makes them a lot softer on cooking. I also believe water plays a part in how soft kadala gets on soaking. I can never seem to get them to be as buttery as when Amma cooks them in Kottayam
- Roasting the spices and coconut: the base of kadala curry is roasted coconut and spices and this is the most important step in preparing kadala curry. The spices need to be roasted the right amount – too long or too much heat and they burn and turn butter, too less time and they will taste bland. This does take some practise. When you are starting off, always err on the side of roasting them on lower heat and for longer than you think you need to. The coconut needs to turn a dark golden brown and very fragrant, just short of burning. Then you know you are done
- Curry leaves and shallots (ulli): as mentioned in the ingredients section, try not to skip them for the best tasting kadala curry
- The consistency: kadala curry is meant to be more runny than thick and rich but every home has a specific preference and proportion of ingredients they use. For a thicker curry, use more coriander seeds and coconut. Adding coconut milk is NOT the norm but I have seen it done. If you decide to, I shall turn the other way and pretend I didn’t see it
- Resting time: leaving the kadala curry to meld in flavours is important if you have the time. I’d say prepare the dish atleast 2 hours before you need to serve, gently reheat and you are good to go.
Also check out this chana masala recipe.
![kadala curry recipe](https://www.cookingandme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/easy-kadala-curry-recipe-ed-360x361.jpg)
Kerala Kadala Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup kadala chana or chickpeas
- 3/4 cup grated coconut thawed, if frozen
- 4-5 dry red chillies adjust to taste
- 4 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1/2 cup sliced shallots or red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
For Tempering:
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 tabespoons sliced shallots or red onion
- A few curry leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Instructions
- Wash and soak 1 cup kadala or chickpeas overnight or atleast hours
- Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas for 10 minutes on high in an electric pressure cooker or for 4-5 whistles (12 minutes or so) in a stove-top one. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a pan (cast iron or non stick works best) and add 4 tablespoons coriander seeds and 3/4 cup grated coconut
- Roast in medium heat stirring continuously for about 4-5 minutes or until the seeds turn fragrant and start to pop here and there. The coconut needs to turn a dark golden brown and quite crisp
- Add 4-5 dry red chillies and roast for another minute or two
- Turn off heat and add the 1/2 cup sliced shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- Mix everything in the residual heat and leave to cool completely
- Once cool, grind the spice-coconut mix with water to a smooth paste
- To temper, heat 2 teaspoons coconut oil in the same pan used for roasting spices
- Add 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds, and when they pop, add the 2 tabespoons sliced shallots along with A few curry leaves.
- When the shallots turn light brown, add the ground spice paste along with the cooked chickpeas
- Stir everything well and add some water if needed, to adjust consistency
- Bring to boil, add salt
- When you have your desired consistency, turn off heat and let it sit for an hour or two, if you can
- Serve hot
Notes
- When you end up making kadala curry as often as I do, you tend to take shortcuts, use simpler steps, or just cut corners, if you will
- The easiest thing to do to simplify this recipe is to use coriander powder instead of seeds and chilli powder instead of dry red chillies. Roasting time goes down to almost half and you do need to take care to not burn the spice powders since they are delicate. Use low heat and stir frequently
- Another method my mum uses to simplify this recipe is to cook the chickpeas along with the ground spice paste. Then you temper and are done with it. While this works beautifully for her, I find the chickpeas don’t cook very well when I do this so I follow the steps as outlined above for near-perfect results every time
- Don’t add too much water while grinding the coconut-spice mixture. You can always add more water later with the chickpeas which is better than cooking down a too-watery gravy
- Coriander leaves are welcome to be used as a garnish, just know that it’s not usually done in Kerala for kadala curry
Step by Step Images to Make Kadala Curry
Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook until tender (see recipe above for time details)
Heat oil in a pan and add coriander seeds and coconut (I added some curry leaves too, this is optional).
Roast on medium heat stirring frequently until the coconut is golden brown and the coriander seeds are roasted through. Takes about 5-7 minutes depending on heat you use.
When the mixture looks like below, you are done. Make sure the roasting happens evenly by stirring frequently, taking care not to burn anything.
Turn heat off and add shallots, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and garlic. I didn’t have shallots so used red onion.
Mix everything together and leave to cool.
Once cooled, transfer to a mixie jar or small blender.
Add enough water to grind into a smooth paste.
Heat oil for tempering in the same pan as before, if you’d like. Add mustard seeds. When they pop, add onions or shallots and curry leaves.
When the onions turn golden brown, add the ground spice mixture
Add the cooked chickpeas and enough water to bring to the consistency you prefer. Kadala curry is meant to be on the runny side.
Add salt to taste.
Bring to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for an hour or two before serving.
That’s it! Delicious kadala curry is ready.
It looks delicious, Nags! 🙂
Lovely…this is such a comfort food for many, I am sure.
This looks amazing.A different take on chole.
your kadalai kozhumbhu looks delicious:)
this is one very appealing veg curry..verymuch feels like a veg version of egg curry..however different it is.
love the spicesss nags
Lovely kadala curry N… my kadala curry recipe has similar proportions too…
hi…this is nice…
I really like the flavor of this kadala curry base. A interesting recipe you shared Nags!
Oh I didnt know kabuli chana can also be used in kadala curry, that would make it very tasty I think….looks delicious…