Skip to content
FriendsPantry

South Indian · Indian

Kadala curry

Vegetarian

Black chickpeas simmered in a dark, roasted-coconut gravy with shallots, coriander and fennel. Kerala's classic partner for puttu and appam at breakfast.

Kadala curry is a South Indian curry, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with kala chana (black chickpeas, dried) and desiccated coconut. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Kadala curry: Kerala black chickpeas in coconut gravy in a glass bowl
Photo: Mproopesh / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
439

Plus overnight soaking of the chickpeas.

Ingredients

4 servings

Roasted coconut masala

For the curry

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the soaked chickpeas in the water with the salt and turmeric (opens in a new tab) until soft — about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker (opens in a new tab) or 50 in a pot. Keep the cooking water.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil (opens in a new tab) and roast the coconut and shallots (opens in a new tab), stirring constantly, until deep brown. Turn off the heat, add the coriander, chilli, fennel and garam masala (opens in a new tab), stir for 30 seconds, then blend with a little water to a fine paste.

    The colour of the roasted coconut decides the colour of the curry — aim for the shade of milk chocolate.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the 2 tbsp coconut oil (opens in a new tab), pop the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and add the curry leaves (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab) and green chillies. Fry until golden, then add the tomato (opens in a new tab) and cook until soft.

    • 10 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the coconut paste and the chickpeas with enough cooking water to make a medium-thick gravy. Simmer, mashing a few chickpeas, until thick.

    • 10 min
    • medium-low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Kerala, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Pressure-cooked, Toasted, Simmered
Taste
earthy, nutty, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with
Kala chana (black chickpeas, dried) · Desiccated coconut · Turmeric · Coconut oil · Shallot · Ground coriander
Techniques
Toasting · Simmering · Pressure cooking · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • 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

439 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 275 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 42%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy439 kcal159 kcal
Protein13.5 g4.9 g
Carbohydrate47.6 g17.3 g
Net carbohydrate35.7 g13 g
Sugars11.1 g4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre11.9 g4.3 g
Fat23.8 g8.6 g
Saturated fat17.4 g6.3 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium759 mg276 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
738 mg
Calcium
102 mg
Iron
3.9 mg
Magnesium
84 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
26 µg
Vitamin C
20 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
303 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • Kala chana (black chickpeas, dried): Mature raw chickpeas / bengal gram (FDC 173756) used as a stand-in for small dark desi chickpeas.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • “—” 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

Common mistakes

  • Under-cooking black chickpeas — they need longer than regular chickpeas and should crush easily between your fingers.

Serve with

  • Serve with puttu, appam or chapati.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Add water and simmer.

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 step 1

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

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

You might also like