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South Indian · Indian

Kondakadalai sundal

Vegetarian

கொண்டைக்கடலை சுண்டல் · koṇṭaikkaṭalai cuṇṭal

Boiled chickpeas tossed in a mustard, urad dal, dried chilli and curry-leaf tempering with plenty of fresh coconut — a warm Tamil legume salad made for Navaratri and sold on Chennai's beaches.

Kondakadalai sundal is a South Indian salad, ready in about 35 minutes and made with dried chickpeas and coconut. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Chickpea sundal: boiled brown chickpeas tempered with onion and coriander in a steel bowl
Photo: Parthipan Skp / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
5 min
Cook
30 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
216

Plus 8 hours or overnight soaking for dried chickpeas.

Ingredients

4 servings

Tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Drain, then pressure-cook with fresh water and half the salt for 4–5 whistles (or simmer about an hour) until soft but whole. Drain, saving a little liquid.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a wide pan. Add the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab); when they pop add the urad (opens in a new tab) dal and fry until golden, then the dried chillies, curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab).

    Let the mustard seeds pop fully before adding the rest of the tempering, or they taste bitter and raw.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the chickpeas and the rest of the salt and toss for 2 minutes, splashing in a spoon of cooking liquid if dry.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Lift the pan off the burner and mix in the coconut (opens in a new tab), raw mango (opens in a new tab) and coriander. Serve warm.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Tamil Nadu, India · Well documentedPrepared as an offering during Navaratri and Ganesh Chaturthi; made with many different legumes.Also popular in Sri LankaMore food from India
Dish
Snack · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Pressure-cooked, Sautéed
Taste
nutty, savoury, earthy, mild
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Budget-friendly · Portable / lunchbox · Street food
Cook more with
Dried chickpeas · Coconut · Coconut oil · Mustard seeds · Black gram (urad dal) · Dried whole chillies
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking

Allergens

  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

216 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 108 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 15%
  • Carbohydrate 47%
  • Fat 37%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy216 kcal201 kcal
Protein8.5 g7.9 g
Carbohydrate26.3 g24.5 g
Net carbohydrate20.4 g19 g
Sugars4.7 g4.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.9 g5.5 g
Fat9.2 g8.6 g
Saturated fat6 g5.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium449 mg418 mg
Salt equivalent1.1 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
342 mg
Calcium
26 mg
Iron
2.1 mg
Magnesium
38 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
11 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
215 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: mango, coriander leaves.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves, asafoetida.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add the coconut off the heat so it stays fresh and moist.

Common mistakes

  • Overcooking the chickpeas until they split; sundal should hold its shape.

Serve with

  • Hand round in small cups or leaf cones as a festival offering or evening snack.

Storage

  • Keeps 1 day refrigerated; coconut spoils quickly at room temperature.

Reheating

  • Warm briefly in a pan; add fresh coconut if possible.

Variations

  • Pattani sundal: Use dried white or green peas.
  • Thengai maanga pattani sundal: Chennai beach-style peas sundal with lots of raw mango and coconut.
  • Pachai payaru sundal: Use whole green moong, cooked until just tender.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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