Name: Black Chickpeas with a Coconut-Chile Sauce (Kala Chana Masala)
Yield: Makes 4 cups
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; 4 tablespoons canola oil; ½ cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut; 4 to 6 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, to taste, stems removed; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 15 to 20 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves; 2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long); 2 fresh or dried bay leaves; 6 green or white cardamom pods; 1 cup dried black chickpeas; 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt

Preparation info

Makes
4 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

A robust legume like this one needs assertive spices, and I usually find myself looking to the south (India, that is) for its dried red chiles, coconut, and coriander seeds. Serve this with the other southern (U.S.A., that is) delicacy: warm, jalapeño-kissed corn bread. You’ll rethink your traditional chili-corn bread strategy for dinner.