Howdy folks! So how is
the New Year coming along? For me, it has been an interesting start to the year
and I must say time definitely flies really fast! It’s February already and Bangalore is getting less cold but yet very
pleasant.
I love my legumes especially
chickpeas. Only Indians have such a large repertoire of incredible tasting
legume dishes. The variety seems never ending. One of my all time favourites is
a simple and comforting dish of chickpeas cooked Southern style, more
specifically Kerala style.
Breakfast is a very
integral part of Kerala cooking. You will always see the table laden with
goodies both savoury and sweet during breakfast. So I’m back today with a
famous breakfast dish I grew up with on the coastal shores of Kerala. Chickpea
(usually black chickpea) in a deliciously smooth onion and coriander gravy
along with steamed rice cakes or puttu (click
here to get recipe for puttu) is
one of the most popular breakfast combinations inside and outside the homes of
all Keralites. (the sides that go well with puttu are many, chickpea being one
of the most popular and common) Generally, black chickpea is more common in
Kerala as opposed to the white chickpea in North India . But I personally am a bigger fan of white
chickpea and hence decided to use it in today’s recipe. The traditional recipe
for this curry uses roasted coconut or coconut milk. But I have avoided coconut
and kept it simple and healthy.
I learnt this dish
from amma, (my hubby’s mum) queen of simple and quick recipes! Thanks amma for
this lovely recipe. I dedicate this post to you.
If you ever happen to
visit a Kerala home especially during breakfast time, you are most likely to be
treated to a bowl of this simple and flavourful curry with steamed rice cakes.
In little hotels/restaurants where these sell like hotcakes, you get them
served in little bowls made of banana leaves. Oh! and the flavour that comes
out, heavenly!! :)
This popular dish from
Kerala is sure to fit your bill perfectly when you desperately need a hearty
and wholesome breakfast. I also love this dish because it goes extremely well
with garam naram rotis :) Fancy it is not – but it is
darned good and a perfect dish if you are still acquainting yourself with
Kerala cuisine. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Chickpeas (kabuli
chana) – 1 cup
Big Onion (finely
chopped) – 2 (medium)
Tomato (finely
chopped) – 1 (medium)
Garlic (ground to
paste or finely chopped) – 5 to 6 cloves
Ginger (ground to
paste or finely chopped) – 1 small piece
Green chilli (slit
lengthwise) – 1 or 2 (adjust as per spice tolerance)
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 2 ½
to 3 tsp (heaped)
Red chilli powder – ½
tsp (you can avoid this if you find it too spicy)
Turmeric powder – ¼
tsp
Water – 2 cups
Oil
For the Tempering
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 2 to 3
sprigs (enhances flavour of the dish)
Oil (preferably coconut
oil) {refer notes}
Method
Soak chickpeas
overnight or for atleast 8 hours. (refer notes) Drain and keep
aside.
To prepare the
tempering
Heat oil in a kadai
(wok) and splutter mustard seeds. Throw in the curry leaves and fry for a few
seconds. (make sure the leaves don’t burn and turn black) Add this seasoning to
the chickpea gravy and close for 15 minutes. Serve hot with puttu or chapathi.
Notes:
1. Coconut oil
definitely lifts up the flavour of the dish. But you can always use any other
oil to make it healthier. I didn’t use coconut oil when I prepared the dish,
but it tasted just fine.
Source: Amma
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