Shundal (Chickpeas with Coconut Sauce)

Another recipe that I thought I'd written up ages ago. This one is nice, but I have to admit, there are other chickpea curries I like better. Still, it's nice to mix things up every once in a while.

Shundal

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. sesame or canola oil
• 2 Tbsp. yellow split peas
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, stems removed
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 3 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt¹
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetida
• 12 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut or 1/2 c. unsweetened dried shredded coconut, reconstituted²
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add split peas, coriander seeds, and chilies and roast, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and skim spices from the oil. Set the spices aside to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Once the spices are cool, grind.
5. Whisk tamarind concentrate into the water.
6. Reheat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil, cover, and cook for 30-60 seconds. (They will pop like popcorn.)
8. Add chickpeas, salt, turmeric, asafetida, and curry leaves and stir to coat.
9. Pour in the tamarind mixture and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
11. Stir in the ground spice mixture, (reconstituted) coconut, and cilantro and serve.

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¹ Tinned legumes generally contain salt. If using home-cooked chickpeas without salt, add up to 1/2 tsp. additional salt. ^Back
2 To reconstitute coconut pour 1/2 c. boiling water over it and set aside for ~15 minutes, then drain. ^Back