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    Home » South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties » Kondakadalai kuzhambu | South Indian Chickpeas Gravy

    Kondakadalai kuzhambu | South Indian Chickpeas Gravy

    Posted on January 20, 2021 · Last Updated on January 19, 2021 · By Srividhya G · 2 Comments

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    collage of kadalai kuzhambu

    Kondakadalai kuzhambu for rice! A lip-smacking south Indian chickpeas gravy or curry with freshly ground spices. Learn how to make this kadala kuzhambu with detailed step-wise pictures.

    overhead shot of kadalai kuzhambu served in kalchatti

    You all know my love for kuzhambu recipes. I have explained it on every single kuzhambu recipe of mine. :-) Kuzhambu, call it as curry or gravy, or stew, is a tamarind-based dish that forms an integral part of the Tamil kitchen. And this kuzhambu recipe is one such dish.

    Jump to:
    • Background
    • Kadala kuzhambu
    • My MIL’s touch.
    • Dietary specifications.
    • How to serve kondakadalai kuzhambu
    • How to make kondakadalai kuzhambu – South Indian Style Chickpeas gravy
    • Recipe Notes
    • More South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties
    • 📖 Recipe

    Background

    Before getting into the recipe details, I want to share how we (my MIL and I) learned this recipe. While searching for rare and forgotten South Indian veg recipes (a particular one, I am planning to share soon, so let me keep it a secret), I came across this kondakadalai kuzhambu recipe at Shantha paati samayal YT channel. 

    It’s an interesting kuzhambu recipe, and it reminded me of the milagu kuzhambu a lot. It looks like it’s a popular recipe around Kumbakonam and Tanjavur area. Both my MIL and I were watching, and we decided to give it a try. We used our homemade rasam podi and also adjusted the spices measure. It came out so well, and we all liked it. More than us, kiddo loved it, and it became a regular staple in our household. 

    Kadala kuzhambu

    Kadalai here means the white chickpeas or the garbanzo beans. It is popularly known as the kondakadalai kuzhambu or kadala kuzhambu.

    While there are different versions of this kuzhambu, this particular one is without onion and garlic. Like the original recipe, we also made this in a soapstone vessel or the kalchatti. You can make it in any heavy bottom vessel or saucepan, or Dutch oven too.

    My MIL’s touch.

    It’s my MIL who first made this recipe; I followed her version and style blindly. While my mom dry-roast the spices without oil, my MIL always roasts the spices with little oil and adds a few mustard seeds along with other ingredients. For this recipe, I have included ¼ tsp of mustard seeds. Trust me; you won’t find the flavor of mustard seeds overpowering, do give it a try.

    white chana kuzhambu made in kalchatti and served as is

    She mixes all the dry spice powders with water and simmers them first. Not only for this kuzhambu recipe, but she also follows the same procedure for other kuzhambu and rasam recipes. And she adds the tempering in the end. (I mostly start with tempering :-))

    Dietary specifications.

    By nature, this kuzhambu is vegan, nut-free, and dairy-free. You can skip the asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida to make it gluten-free as well. 

    How to serve kondakadalai kuzhambu

    It goes well with rice. Just mix it with hot rice with a dollop of gingelly oil or ghee and relish it with any dry curry or with applam/papad. As this kuzhambu is slightly on the spicier side, I recommend mild stir-fry/poriyal like cabbage poriyal, beans poriyal, or carrot poriyal. You can also serve this with kootu. 

    I have stored this kuzhambu for two days in the refrigerator but not beyond that. We love it so much that we finish it off on the first day. 

    Now without any further ado, here is the detailed kadalai kuzhambu recipe with step-wise pictures.

    overhead shot of thanjavur style kadalai kuzhambu made in kalchatti

    How to make kondakadalai kuzhambu – South Indian Style Chickpeas gravy

    Soak and cook the chickpeas.

    cooked chickpeas
    • Rinse and soak the chickpeas overnight or atleast for 6 hours. Then drain the water and add 1.5 cups of freshwater, and pressure cook for three whistles. If using Instant Pot, pressure cook the beans for 18 to 20 minutes. Drain the water and set it aside. 

    Prepare the spice powder.

    spice powder ingredients
    • In a small pan or kadai, heat gingelly oil, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds, toor dal, urad dal, black pepper, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, and dried red chilies. Roast until the toor dal turns light brown. Now add the curry leaves and turn off the heat. The curry leaves will crisp up in the residual heat.
    roasting the spice powder
    • Let it cool and grind it into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of water. 
    ground paste

    Prepare the kuzhambu

    • Add the rasam podi, tamarind paste, turmeric powder, and salt in a saucepan or kadai in which you are going to make the kuzhambu. I used my soapstone vessel for making this, so I added the spices in that.
    adding the other ingredients to the kalchatti
    • Now add 1 cup of water and mix them. And bring this mixture to a boil. 
    adding water and bringing it to boil
    • Once the rasam podi and tamarind paste’s raw smell is gone, add the chickpeas and cook for two minutes.
    adding the chickpeas
    • Now add the ground paste to the kuzhambu and rinse the mixer jar with ½ cup of water and add that. If needed, add half more cups of water. Simmer the gravy for about 7 to 10 minutes.
    adding the ground paste
    • Mix 1 tbsp of rice flour with ½ cup of water and make a slurry without any lumps. Add this slurry and the jaggery and add it to the kuzhambu. Let the kuzhambu simmer over low heat for about 7 to 10 minutes or until it thickens. Then turn off the heat.
    adding the rice flour slurry and thickening the kuzhambu

    Prepare the tempering.

    • In a separate tempering pan, heat the gingelly oil and add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, turn off the heat and add the curry leaves. When the sizzle subsides a bit, add it to the kuzhambu. Serve hot with rice. 
    adding the tempering

    Recipe Notes

    • You can also use canned garbanzo beans. You can use 1 to 1.5 cups of rinsed canned beans for this kuzhambu.
    • As always, adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
    • Instead of rasam podi, you can also use sambar podi. 
    • I highly recommend gingelly oil or peanut oil for this kuzhambu, as it adds a nice flavor.
    • It’s typically a kuzhambu recipe without any onion and garlic. But you can add five cloves of garlic and five shallots and saute them first before adding the tamarind water. 
    • Instead of chickpeas, use black chickpeas or field beans, or even kidney beans to make this gravy. 

    More South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties

    • Poondu Kuzhambu | South Indian Style Garlic Stew / Gravy
    • Mor Kuzhambu | Majjige Huli | South Indian Buttermilk Curry
    • Thengai Paal Kuzhambu | Mochai Kuzhambu | Coconut Milk & Beans Curry
    • Cauliflower Kurma Kuzhambu | Chettinad Style Kuruma Kulambu

    P.S.:  If you try this kondakadalai kuzhambu, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it A.S.A.P. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.

    📖 Recipe

    square image of kadalai kuzhambu served directly from soapstone vessel
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    5 from 3 votes

    Kondakadalai kuzhambu | South Indian Chickpeas Gravy

    Kondakadalai kuzhambu for rice! A lip-smacking south Indian chickpeas gravy or curry with freshly ground spices.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: TamilNadu
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 89kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • Saucepan or kadai or soapstone vessel

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;

    • ½ cup chickpeas soaked overnight
    • 1.5 cups water to cook the beans

    To roast and grind

    • ½ tsp gingelly oil
    • ¼ tsp mustard seeds optional
    • 2 tsp toor dal
    • 2 tsp urad dal
    • 2 tsp black pepper
    • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
    • ¼ tsp asafoetida
    • 3 dried red chilis
    • 30 to 40 curry leaves a handful or 3 to 4 strands
    • 1 cup water

    Other ingredients

    • 1 tsp rasam podi
    • 2 tsp tamarind paste
    • ½ tsp turmeric powder
    • 2 tsp salt or to taste
    • 1 tbsp jaggery
    • 1 tbsp rice flour
    • 1.5 to 2 cups water

    To Temper

    • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
    • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 5 to 6 curry leaves

    Instructions

    Soak and cook the chickpeas.

    • Rinse and soak the chickpeas overnight or atleast for 6 hours. Then drain the water and add 1.5 cups of freshwater, and pressure cook for three whistles. If using Instant Pot, pressure cook the beans for 18 to 20 minutes. Drain the water and set it aside.
      cooked chickpeas

    Prepare the spice powder.

    • In a small pan or kadai, heat gingelly oil, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds, toor dal, urad dal, black pepper, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, and dried red chilies. Roast until the toor dal turns light brown. Now add the curry leaves and turn off the heat. The curry leaves will crisp up in the residual heat.
      roasting the spice powder
    • Let it cool and grind it into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of water.
      ground paste

    Prepare the kuzhambu

    • Add the rasam podi, tamarind paste, turmeric powder, and salt in a saucepan or kadai in which you are going to make the kuzhambu. I used my soapstone vessel for making this, so I added the spices in that.
      adding the other ingredients to the kalchatti
    • Now add 1 cup of water and mix them. And bring this mixture to a boil.
      adding water and bringing it to boil
    • Once the rasam podi and tamarind paste’s raw smell is gone, add the chickpeas and cook for two minutes.
      adding the chickpeas
    • Now add the ground paste to the kuzhambu and rinse the mixer jar with ½ cup of water and add that. If needed, add half more cups of water. Simmer the gravy for about 7 to 10 minutes.
      adding the ground paste
    • Mix 1 tbsp of rice flour with ½ cup of water and make a slurry without any lumps. Add this slurry and the jaggery and add it to the kuzhambu. Let the kuzhambu simmer over low heat for about 7 to 10 minutes or until it thickens. Then turn off the heat.
      adding the rice flour slurry and thickening the kuzhambu

    Prepare the tempering.

    • In a separate tempering pan, heat the gingelly oil and add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, turn off the heat and add the curry leaves. When the sizzle subsides a bit, add it to the kuzhambu. Serve hot with rice.
      adding the tempering

    Notes

    • You can also use canned garbanzo beans. You can use 1 to 1.5 cups of rinsed canned beans for this kuzhambu.
    • As always, adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
    • Instead of rasam podi, you can also use sambar podi. 
    • I highly recommend gingelly oil or peanut oil for this kuzhambu, as it adds a nice flavor.
    • It’s typically a kuzhambu recipe without any onion and garlic. But you can add five cloves of garlic and five shallots and saute them first before adding the tamarind water. 
    • Instead of chickpeas, use black chickpeas or field beans, or even kidney beans to make this gravy. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1179mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 353IU | Vitamin C: 175mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel
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    Filed Under: South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Manjiri says

      November 09, 2021 at 9:48 am

      5 stars
      So tempting..our southIndian cuisine is one of the best in the world in my opinion..loved this recipe..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        November 09, 2021 at 5:01 pm

        Thanks. :-)

        Reply

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