Kadala curry also called black chickpeas curry is an authentic Indian side dish from the state of Kerala. It is traditionally prepared with a special garam masala paste, coconut oil, and a lot of curry leaves which makes this curry unique in its flavor and taste. The recipe I have shared here explains how to make a perfect kadala curry with clear step-by-step instructions along with a supporting video to make cooking simple and easier.
This Kadala curry is rich in fiber, protein, and a naturally vegan-friendly side dish. You can serve and enjoy this kadala curry with breakfast main dishes like puttu, appam, roti, parotta, or even over rice dishes such as white rice and basmati rice for lunch and dinner.
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What is Kadala Curry?
Kadala curry is one of the staple foods popular from the Kerala cuisine. It is prepared with black chickpeas that are usually soaked overnight and freshly ground garam masala paste. The curry is traditionally seasoned with coconut oil and a lot of curry leaves which is common in most Kerala foods. And these ingredients make this curry unique from its taste, aroma, and flavor.
As I said before, it is a common recipe and people like to include it more often in their meals. They love to serve it with puttu, appam, parotta, or simple white rice. All these combos taste great and make a filling meal too. Among them, the puttu kadala curry combo is one of the famous breakfasts that you will find in the nooks and corners of Kerala. You can also find this curry as a signature dish in most Kerala restaurants across the globe.
Apart from its unique taste and flavor, it is a good source of antioxidants, fiber, and protein. And it is also naturally a vegan-friendly dish and makes a great side dish with most Indian breakfast dishes.
Ingredients
The ingredients for making this curry are pretty basic and also easily available in most Indian groceries around. So let's check out what we need to make this kadala curry.
Spices and herbs
- Chili, coriander, turmeric powder - The red, brown, and yellow powders respectively help in making this dish colorful and spicy. I have used regular chili powder, but you can feel free to add Kashmiri chili powder for glow red color curry
- Cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves, javitri - I have used these spices to dry roast and make the traditional garam masala paste
- Coconut - Gives the authentic flavor that you usually get from Kerala foods
Other ingredients
- Kala Chana or Black chickpeas - The chickpeas that are usually from red, brown to black variety work well for making this curry
- Coconut oil - Important ingredient to achieve the traditional flavor and taste from the dish
- Curry leaves - Gives rich aroma, taste, and flavor to your curry
How to make Kadala Curry?
To prepare this curry, first, start with washing the black chickpeas in clean running water thoroughly. Sometimes you may find small stones, dust, and debris, so washing them removes all those stuff from the legumes.
Now soak the chickpeas overnight with a generous amount of water in a bowl. Soaking helps the chana to cook quickly and also elevates the taste and flavor of the curry. And it is also important to soak them overnight or at least 6 hours to avoid bloating and stomach problems.
To give a clear idea, below are the following steps to make this curry.
- Pressure cooking the black chickpeas
- Making the masala paste
- Preparing the kadala curry
1. Pressure cooking the black chickpeas
To cook the chickpeas, add the soaked chana into the pressure cooker and water. Close the pressure cooker with the lid and make sure to put the whistle on. Now cook the chickpeas for 4 to 5 whistles. Open the lid once the pressure is released naturally and reserve the chana for later use.
You can also cook the chickpeas in a pot until they turn soft and tender before adding them to the onion tomato base mixture.
2. Making the masala paste
To prepare the pasta, add the cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, cloves, javitri, dry red chili, and cardamom. Dry roast the spices in medium heat until they turn aromatic. Once you feel the aroma, add in shredded coconut and saute until it turns aromatic.
Now transfer them to the blender jar and grind them into a smooth paste with water. And now the masala paste is ready for us to make the Kerala kadala curry.
3. Preparing the Kadala Curry
To make the curry, in a pan with medium heat pour coconut oil and sizzle the mustard seeds. Now add onions, curry leaves, green chilies, and saute until the onion turns soft.
Once they are soft, add in the ginger-garlic paste, salt, chili, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala powder. Mix everything well and add in the tomatoes. Saute the tomatoes until it turns mushy.
Now mix in the masala paste that we have reserved to make this curry. After a good mix, add the cooked black chickpeas along with its water and add more water to adjust the consistency.
Close the pan with its lid and cook the curry for about 7 to 10 minutes. After the time passed, open the lid and simmer the kadala curry until it turns reddish-brown in color.
Finally, garnish with curry leaves and remove from heat. Now the delicious Kerala-style kadala curry is ready to serve with puttu, appam, or rice.
Variations
Even though this post is all about authentic Kerala-style kadala curry recipes, you can always feel free to customize the ingredients according to your family preferences.
For instance, I have made this curry with black chana, but it can also be prepared with white or Kabuli chana.
The authentic Kerala kadala curry is mainly seasoned with coconut oil and coconut paste but if the oil or paste is not on your preferred ingredient list then you could always feel free to skip them. But if you want to enjoy the traditional taste and flavor, then I would suggest sticking with this recipe.
You can also add store brought garam masala powder instead of making the paste from scratch. But as we all know, making freshly ground masala paste at home gives an exotic flavor and taste to our curries. So if you are not on a time crunch, then I would suggest making it authentically from scratch.
Tips
- Soaking the chickpeas overnight helps the chana to cook quickly and also helps to enhance the flavor and taste of the curry
- Making garam masala paste with dry roasted spices and coconuts gives the authentic flavor and taste of Kerala kadala curry
- Seasoning the curry with coconut oil delivers a unique aroma and taste to the curry. So I suggest using the same to enjoy the traditional flavors and taste
- Garnishing with curry leaves used in this recipe gives a rich aroma and taste to this kadala curry and it is one of the important ingredients that elevates the taste of most Kerala foods
Storage Suggestions
Kadala curry usually stays good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Even though I prefer to consume it as fresh as possible, the leftovers can be also frozen in the freezer for up to 10 days. But make sure to thaw only the portion that you want to enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
As I said earlier, kadala curry tastes great with puttu, appam, parotta, and rice dishes such as white rice, basmati rice. It also tastes delicious with chapati, roti, idiyappam, or ghee rice.
Related Recipes
You can also find similar veg side dish recipes below and more at Veg curries and Vegan Recipes
Planning to host a vegetarian buffet party or looking for what to cook for your next meal? Then you may love this collection of Indian Vegetarian Lunch Recipes to try and enjoy with your family and loved ones.
More Curry Recipes:
Kadala Curry Recipe video
I have also shared a video of this kadala curry recipe that I hope will help you to make a perfect side dish easily at home. For a quick reference, you could also find the recipe in story format.
Kadala Curry
Ingredients
- ½ cup Black Chana, kadala, soaked overnight
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 Tomato, sliced
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala, optional
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt, as needed
- 3 cups Water
- 3 Green Chili
- 2 sprig Curry Leaves
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil
For Masala Paste
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 4 Cloves
- 4 Cardamom
- 3 Dry Red Chili
- 1½ tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 Javitri
- ¼ cup Coconut, grated
Instructions
To cook the Black Chana or Kadalai
- In a pressure cooker, add the soaked black chana,1 tsp of salt, and 1 cup of water
- Close the lid with regular on(whistle) and pressure cook it for 5 whistles
- Open the lid once the pressure releases naturally. And reserve it for later use
To prepare Masala Paste
- In a pan with medium heat, add cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, javitri, dry red chili, and fennel seeds. Saute until it turns aromatic
- Add the freshly grated coconuts and saute until it turns crisp and fragrant
- Remove them from the heat and transfer them to the blender jar and add water to it
- Grind it into a smooth paste and reserve it for making curry
To prepare Kadala Curry
- In a pan with medium heat, pour coconut oil, mustard seeds, onion, curry leaves, green chili and saute until onion turns soft
- Add ginger-garlic paste, chili, turmeric, coriander, garam masala powder, salt and mix well
- Now add the tomatoes and saute until it turns mushy
- Add the ground masala paste and give a good mix
- Pour the cooked black chana along with its water and give a nice mix
- Add water and close the pan with the lid and cook the curry for 7 to 10 minutes
- Open the lid and simmer the curry until it turns reddish-brown in color
- Finally, garnish with curry leaves and now the curry is ready to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this delicious kadala curry with puttu, appam, idiyappam, matta rice, white rice, or ghee rice
Recipe Video
Chef's Notes and Tips
- Soaking the chickpeas overnight helps the chana to cook quickly and also helps to enhance the flavor and taste of the curry
- Making garam masala paste with dry roasted spices and coconuts gives the authentic flavor and taste of Kerala kadala curry
- Seasoning the curry with coconut oil delivers a unique aroma and taste to the curry. So I suggest using the same to enjoy the traditional flavors and taste
- Curry leaves used in this recipe give a rich aroma and taste to this kadala curry and it is one of the important ingredients that elevates the taste of most Kerala foods
- This kadala curry is a healthy and vegan-friendly dish that tastes great with puttu, appam, roti, parotta, or rice
Nutrition Info
Disclaimer: We’re not nutrition experts. Nutritional info is estimated and should be used as a guide. For precise details, consult a professional.
FAQ
Kadala curry is one of the popular Indian side dishes from Kerala cuisine. It is a classical curry made with black chickpeas, fresh ground garam masala, coconut that are seasoned in coconut oil. This kadala curry is a staple food prepared in most of the Kerala restaurants and households of the state. And it is served with puttu, appam, idiyappam, Kerala matta rice or vadi matta rice.
Kadala curry is mainly served with puttu(steamed rice cake with coconut) in Kerala. Hence it is one of the popular signature combo food of Kerala, it is eventually called as puttu kadala curry by itself.
yes, it is important to soak the chana overnight or at least 5 hours to make this curry. It helps the chana to cook quickly and also helps to avoid any stomach upsets that are related to undercooked black chana. But if you are on a time crunch then soak the chana in hot water for at least an hour and pressure cook them as mentioned in the recipe card above.
Yes, kadala curry is a healthy side dish as black chickpeas are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and protein. It is also a healthy vegan-friendly dish when you are really craving a flavorful plant-based curry.
Kadala curry tastes great with puttu, appam, idiyyapam, matta rice, white rice or ghee rice.
I really hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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