Chana (Chickpea) Sundal Recipe
A simple south Indian recipe for chickpea or chana sundal, made by sautéing chickpeas with spices and then garnishing them with coconut and cilantro. Serve as a snack or as a side dish.
Servings: 4
Calories: 246kcal
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet
- Mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers (chopped, or any green chili peppers. Deseed and use just one pepper if sensitive to heat.)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional, but nice for color. If you'd like even more heat in the sundal use cayenne)
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (or, if using canned, two 15 oz cans. Drain all liquid from chickpeas before using)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon grated coconut (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
- Place the garlic, cumin seeds and green chile peppers in a mortar and pestle or food processor and crush into a coarse paste. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add mustard seeds and when they sputter, add asafetida and urad dal. Stir-fry for a few seconds until the urad dal begins to turn lightly golden. Then add the curry leaves and stir-fry for a few seconds.
- Add the garlic-cumin-chili paste you just made to the skillet and stir-fry for a minute. Add the powdered spices to the skillet: the ground coriander, turmeric and paprika, if using. Mix.
- Add the chickpeas to the skillet and mix well. Continue stir-frying for a couple more minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Stir in the coconut and cilantro. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Ingredient notes:
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil adds flavor to this south Indian recipe. But you can substitute it with another neutral oil.
- Curry leaves: If you can't find curry leaves, add 2 tablespoon cilantro at the time you'd add the curry leaves. You can garnish with more cilantro at the end.
- Urad dal: Urad dal, also called black gram dal, are small, white lentils. When sauteed with a bit of oil they add a nice crunch to the sundal. You can leave out the urad dal if you can't source it, or replace it with finely chopped cashew nuts or peanuts.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 376IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 4mg