Kerala Kadala Curry
At one of my childhood homes, we were next door neighbors to a family from Kerala. Their youngest college-going daughter was my idol - I loved how she carried fresh mogra flowers in her ebony black hair, how she talked with kindness and played with me and my sister for hours.
Most of all, I loved the food that she and her family shared with us - plantain and jackfruit chips from the annual trip to their hometown in Kerala, a platter of curries I couldn’t pronounce laid out on a banana leaf on Onam, and my absolute favorite - Kadala Curry with steaming hot idlis. It would smell so wonderful and “south indian” that it could conjure up an appetite even for someone who just had a full meal. I realize now that it was possibly the sambar powder and fragrant curry leaves that gave it the distinct aroma you could follow crinkling your nose from yards away.
I created this Kadala curry from that memory and in no way do I tout it to be authentic or exactly how my neighbor made it. But it’s spicy, comforting, warm and so delicious esp. when eaten with hot idlis! It's quick with minimal ingredients and makes for a fantastic, hearty meal. It’s one of our favorite weekend brunch. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do 😊.
Kerala Kadala Curry
Serves 2
YOU WILL NEED
1 cup dried kala chana or black chickpeas
1 cup thinly sliced matchstick onions
10-15 fresh curry leaves
1 dried kashmiri chili
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sambar powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
salt to taste
METHOD
Rinse and soak the dried chickpeas in 4 cups of water for 6-8 hours or overnight. Drain the water and add soaked chana in pressure cooker with 3 cups of water and about 1 tbsp salt. Adjust the salt by tasting the water - the water should be slightly saltier that you would like. Cook for 4-5 whistles. Retain the liquid.
If you are using an instant pot, add 1 cup of water and salt. Set to PRESSURE COOK with a 15 minutes timer at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
Heat a medium pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil, dried kashmiri chili and onion. Sauté until onions are soft and translucent. Add the curry leaves and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add sambar powder and chili powder, mix well with the onions.
Add boiled chana along with the liquid and mix well. Adjust for salt and spiciness. You can add more water depending on your desired consistency. Cover and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Enjoy with steaming idlis, dosa, appam, puttu or by itself!
