Channa curry South Indian style

This curry is a bit different from the usual chole and channa curry we make at home on a regular basis. This recipe was passed on to me from my mother, she makes it as a side dish for appams. This curry’s main ingredient would be this particular kind of leaf that we used to grow at home- I am not sure if everyone has access to it. But it’s called Pandan leaves in english. It’s pretty common down South especially in Kerala. The flavour for this channa curry comes only from the leaves, there are no added masalas used. You can have this with whatever you like roti, rice, dosa, appam etc.

I have posted pictures of the leaves as well for you to see how it looks. If you do get a chance to get them, you can try this dish.

Pandan leaves (Pandanus amaryllifolius) in English
Hindi: Rampe. 
Marathi: Ambemohor pat 
Malayalam: Rambha 
Tamil: Rambha, Biriyani leave

Let’s look at this awesome recipe that my dear mom passed on to me 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 cup white channa soaked over night
• 2 medium size onions
• 2 medium size tomatoes
• 4 tbsp grated coconut
• 1 tsp sambar powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder ( adjust according to taste)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 or 2 green chillies
• A piece of ginger
• Coriander leaves
• 2 tsp oil
• A piece of rambha leaf.

Method

Pressure cook the channa and keep aside.
Heat 1 tsp oil. Add the chopped onions. Saute for a few minutes, make sure the onions are cooked to a glassy finish and not golden or brown.
Add the chopped tomatoes. Let is be for few minutes. Let it become mushy. Take out and keep aside. Let it cool and make this into a paste.
Grind coconut,jeera, green chillies,ginger into fine paste. Keep aside.

In a pan heat 1 tsp oil. Add the onion tomatoes paste. Fry it till it become dry.
In this stage add cooked channa. Add little water, salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder, red chilli powder. Cook this for 2 or 3 minutes.

Now add the coconut paste as well and cook for 2 more minutes

Now add a big piece of Rambha leaf. Cook for 1 more minute.
Switch off the flame.

Serve