Chana Dal Curry Kerala Style Recipes

KALA CHANA RECIPE (BLACK CHICKPEAS CURRY)

Steps:

• Add kala chana to a large bowl and rinse them at least thrice. Soak them for 6 to 8 hours or overnight in 4 to 6 cups of water.
• Once soaked drain the water and rinse them well.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Then add cumin seeds.
• When they sizzle, add onions and saute until they turn light golden.
• Next add ginger garlic and saute for a minute or until a nice aroma comes out.
• Add tomato puree and cook for a while until it turns thick.
• Next stir in the spice powders - turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt. Saute well until the mixture smells good and begins to leave the sides of the pan.
• Pour 3 cups water and add the drained kala chana. Stir well and cover the pressure cooker with the lid.
• Pressure cook on a medium flame for 10 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
• Open the lid and check if the kala chana is tender & cooked. If not pressure cook for 2 more whistles.
• Then add coriander leaves and all the other optional ingredients - ginger juliennes, ghee and crushed kasuri methi. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Serve kala chana with rice or roti.
• Soak them overnight. Drain and cook with 3 cups of water. Keep adding more water as they cook. They will take about 1 hour 30 mins to cook tender. Then add them to the onion tomato masala & simmer for 15 to 20 mins so they absorb the flavors.
• Press saute button. When the IP displays hot, pour oil to the inner pot of the IP.
• Add cumin and let them sizzle. Stir in the onions and salt. Saute until they turn light golden.
• Saute ginger garlic for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, salt and all the spice powders. Saute until the mix turns slightly thick and aromatic for 2 mins.
• Pour 2 cups water and deglaze the pot by scrubbing the bottom with a wooden spatula. This releases any bits of food stuck & prevents a burn sign.
• Then add the drained kala chana and give a good stir. Press CANCEL button.
• Secure the IP with lid and position the steam release handle to sealing.
• Press PRESSURE COOK button (high) and set the timer to 35 to 40 mins. Or you can also use the bean chilli mode and set the timer to 40 mins.
• When the IP is done cooking, it will beep. Allow the pressure to release naturally for atleast 15 mins.
• This step is optional - Add some ghee, kasuri methi and ginger juliennes. Mix well and cook on saute mode for 2 minutes. Garnish kala chana with coriander leaves. Sprinkle some lemon juice and serve with rice or roti.

KADALA CURRY | KADALA KARI

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

CHANA DAL (AUTHENTIC NORTH INDIAN RECIPE)

Steps:

• Pick and rinse the chana dal well in running water.
• Soak the dal in enough water for an hour. Or soak in hot water (not boiling hot water) for 30 minutes.
• Drain the lentils and add them to a 3 litre pressure cooker along with turmeric powder. Add 2.5 to 3 cups water in the cooker and stir well. For Instant pot add 2 to 2.5 cups water.
• On a high heat pressure cook the lentils for 10 to 11 minutes or for 7 to 8 whistles or more, till the dal is softened and well cooked.
• In the instant pot, pressure cook on high mode for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Allow the cooker or Instant Pot to do a complete natural pressure release before unsealing the lid. That means to let the pressure falls on its own in the cooker or instant pot.
• Check the lentils. They should be very soft and easy to mush with the back of a spoon.
• Cover and set aside the cooked chana dal.
• In another pan, heat oil or ghee.
• Add the cumin seeds first and fry for a few seconds till they splutter.
• Then add the garlic and fry till they become light brown.
• Now add the onions and fry till they get golden stirring often.
• Now add the chopped tomatoes, ginger and green chili.
• Stir and add all the dry spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, asafoetida, dry mango powder and coriander powder.
• Sauté stirring often till the tomatoes soften and the oil starts to leave the sides of the mixture.
• Add the crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) and stir.
• Pour the cooked chana dal together with its stock to the sautéed masala mixture or vice versa. Season with salt according to taste.
• Stir and simmer the dal for 6 to 8 minutes or more till you get medium consistency of the dal. The consistency is neither thick nor thin.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve the chana dal hot with some basmati rice or roti or bread.

CHANA DAL CURRY (KERALA STYLE)

Steps:

• Cook dal in 4 c of water until soft, adding more water as needed. Drain and set aside.
• Heat oil in another pan.
• Saute cabbage and bell pepper over high heat, about 3 minutes.
• Add ginger, jalapeno, hing, dry spices and tomato.
• Saute until the oil separates from the ingredients in the pan.
• Add 1 c of water and bring to a boil.
• Add cooked dal and cook 10 minutes until gravy is thick.
• Add the coconut milk and remove from heat.
• Add lemon juice.
• Serve with flat bread or rice.

KALA CHANA RECIPE | BLACK CHANA MASALA RECIPE | BLACK CHICKPEAS CURRY

Steps:

• firstly, in a pressure cooker take 3 tsp oil and saute spices.
• now saute 1 onion, 2 green chilli and 1 tsp ginger garlic paste.
• also, saute 1 cup tomato until it turns soft and mushy.
• furthermore, add spices and 1 tsp salt.
• saute on low flame, till the oil releases from tomato.
• now add 1 cup black chana or kala chana soaked overnight. saute for a minute.
• add 3 cups of water and mix well.
• cover and pressure cook for 8 whistles or till chana get cooked completely.
• now add ½ tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp coriander and mix well.
• finally, serve kala chana curry with rice or roti.