Vella Kadala Curry - Chick Peas Curry

To accompany Chappathis or Puris, you always need the best. One such superb side dish that goes well with Chappathis or Puris is ofcourse the Chickpeas curry or the Vella Kadala Curry as it is said in the language Malayalam. 


Being an ardent fan of Chappathis, I often make it a point to make this curry which is often enjoyed by the members of my family. This curry has a slight touch of chillies, though not too hot, and the tangy taste of tomatoes, that are perfect for your giving your tastebuds the delight you often expect from any food. The only thing you have to focus is to soak it overnight to make your cooking procedure easier. 

Ingredients

• Chick Peas (Soaked) - 1/4 kg
• Onions  - 2
• Green chillies - 1 or 2
• Tomatoes - 1 if large, 2 if small
• Ginger Garlic Paste- 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
• Chilly Powder  -  1 tsp (or 1 1/2 tsp)
• Corriander Powder - 3 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - a pinch or two
• Oil
• Salt

Method

1. Soak the chick peas over night
2. Before cooking, drain off the water remaining in the vessel with chick peas
3. Heat a pressure cooker and pour oil to it
4. Add mustard seeds (optional) and curry leaves to it
5. Add finely chopped onions and green chillies to it
6. Saute till golden brown
7. Now add the Ginger Garlic Paste to it and saute for 2 mnts
8. Add Chilly powder, Corriander Powder, Turmeric powder and garam masala and saute for 2 mnts
9. Add the diced tomatoes to it and saute for yet another 2 mnts
10. Add the soaked chick peas and saute well
11. Add salt to taste 
12. Pour 1/2 a cup of water and mix well
13. Now close the lid of the pressure cooker
14. Wait for 4-5 whistles
15. Switch off the stove and leave it without opening for 5 mnts or till it is safe to take off the weight of the pressure cooker
16. When you open the pressure cooker, you can check the salt content in it
17. Serve hot with Chappathis or Puris
18. Enjoy!!

The recipe for chick peas curry is a good side dish for Kerala white puttu or Rice cake that is best for a healthy day’s beginning. Children love to take chick peas curry to school inside their lunch box. It can be made into a liquid consistency for chappathis and for rice, make sure you dry it up. Well that one tastes good too. If your child takes rice to school, then drying up the curry will prevent leakage of the liquid out of the lunch box. Garnish with coriander leaves for making it more attractive and tasty too. There are a lot of ways of preserving soaked chick peas. I will definitely make it a point to give you the details regarding storing the soaked chick peas in my future posts. Happy Cooking!!