Kerala Style Channa Kurma / Mild Channa Kurma

Channa masala is a very tasty kerala's side dish for roti varieties from south india. It's served mostly with dinner items. Makes a very tasty combo with roti's adding coconut milk enhances the taste. It is the favourite dish very close to my heart, almost this gravy with fulkas and never ever got approval for that!.. 

I have tried many versions and when I was on a casual talk with my friend who is from kerala, she gave me this recipe and it came out pretty close to the one, which I tasted at kerala so this is going to be my keeper.. So I hope that you must try this recipe and let me know how it's turns out from you...

Preparation time : 15 mins

Cooking time : 20 mins

Serve - 3 to 4

Recipe Cuisine - Kerala

Recipe Category - Sidedish for chapathi

INGREDIENTS :

Boiled channa dal / Chick peas / Konda kadalai - 250 gms

Coconut milk - 1 cup

Onion - 1 (chopped)

Green chillies - 2 (slited)

Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)

Boiled potato - 1 (mashed)

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tspn

Coriander - few (chopped)

Salt - as needed

TO TEMPER :

Coconut oil - 2 tbspn

Ghee - 1 tbspn

Fennel seeds - 1 tspn

Cinanamon sticks - 2 (small)

FOR GRAINDING :

Green chillies - 7 nos

Cashew - 10 nos

Roasted bengal gram / pottu kadalai - 2 tspn

Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup

METHOD :

• Soak the channa dal for 5 hours or over night and whistled it for 3 in a pressure cooker and keep aside.
• Take fresh coconut milk from the grated coconut, keep aside..
• Grind the grinding things first into fine smooth paste.
• In a kadai add tempering items and add chopped onions, slited chillies and toss them for a min.
• Now add in ginger garlic paste, chopped tomatoes and salt.
• Saute for a min till it became mushy and soft..
• Add the masala paste, mashed potatoes and toss it well. 
• Untill the raw smell is gone add boiled channa dal and give it a good mix..
• Add in coconut milk and mix it evenly. 
• Cook till they combained and became thick..(oil ozzes out)
• Atlast add chopped coriander leaves and allow to cook for 2 mins.
• When the gravy became to boil at that time off the stove. (should not boil).
• Now the kerala chenna kurma is ready to serve with chapathi and fulkas.

PICTORIAL :

Take your ingredients

Cook the soaked channa, keep aside

Prepare your coconut milk and keep aside.

Take grind things in to paste

Add them to a blender

 Make it a smooth paste

 Heat a pan with coconut oil & ghee

 Add in fennel seeds and cinnamon sticks

 Allow to sizzle

 Add in chopped onion & slited chillies

 Toss it well till transparent

 Add in ginger garlic paste

 Toss along with the onions

 Add in tomatoes

 Mix well

 Add in salt

 Cook till it mushy

 Add in masala paste

 Give a good mix

 Add in boiled mash potatoes

 Mix along with the masala 

 Add in little waer

 Give a mix

 Once all are mix well

 Add in cooked channa

 Mix well, till combained

 Now it's done

 Add in coconut milk

 Give a mix an dslow cook it for 7 min

 Simmer the stove till the oil oozes out

Add in chopped coriander leaves

It's ready to serve

Serve it with chapathi and fulkas

Enjoy..