Name: Chickpeas with a Coconut Sauce (Shundal)
Yield: Makes 4 cups
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unrefined sesame oil or canola oil; 12 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves; ¼ teaspoon ground asafetida; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 3 cups cooked chickpeas; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 1 cup shredded fresh coconut; or ½ cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut, reconstituted (see Note); 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 2 tablespoons yellow split peas (chana dal), picked over for stones; 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate; 4 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed; 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds

Preparation info

Makes
4 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

Comforting Shundals make an appearance during the ten days leading up to Hindu India’s celebration of lights, called Diwali, celebrated sometime in October and November. Made as an offering to the goddess of learning, these legume-based dishes are wrapped in packets of banana leaves, and accompany the women and children to their homes after they have visited the temples or friends’ homes for worshipping. Often not as saucelike as this one, but definitely wet, these coconut-smothered