Kadala Curry-A Healthy Lentil Curry

 This is a dish I grew up with and it was there almost every weekend at our breakfast table thanks to mom. The ideal combo would be steamed funnel cake along with this or like how I have done over the years and as shown in the above picture-Kal dosas-a thicker version of fermented pancakes made with soaked raw rice and lentils. This is a traditional Kerala breakfast recipe.

What I enjoy the most in this dish is of course the curry and those specks of coconut shards that have been shaved to half an inch long and sauteed along with the masala. Love picking them out as they punctuate every bite or scoop of the curry we take.

So soak the required amount of Kadala(in this case the dark brown version/black Chenna dal) overnight. Next day, after rinsing the lentil well, place it in a pressure cooker with adequate water and let it cook under pressure for around three to four whistles. Once cooked, set is aside to cool.

Side by side without wasting a lot of time in the cooking process, you can take a skillet and add in a tbsp. of coconut oil(the ideal oil for this curry-the choice is entirely yours of course!) allow a tsp. of mustard to crackle, throw in a tbsp. of shredded ginger and garlic,a tbsp.of shards of coconut and this fine aroma fills the kitchen and maybe your neighbour's house as well :)
The smell of toasted coconut!
Then goes in your finely chopped onions, saute it, if you have tomatoes, add that soon after, I didn't have so I used tomato puree from a tetra pack later on.
With the onions nicely sauteing, add a piece of cinnamon,star anise,a clove, an elachi or two,also add in a tsp. of turmeric powder, a tbsp. of coriander powder, chilly powder to taste and let it all cook along with the onions till the raw smell has left the skillet, at this point you can drizzle in the tomato puree if you are using that(but then avoid the tomatoes).
Once this is bubbling away owing to the puree, add in the cooked lentils and the water it was cooking in. Mix them thoroughly along with adequate salt. Do adjust the level of your spices as per your requirement.
I did add in some pepper powder for spice as well as a tsp. of garam masala towards the last leg of the cooking process. Drizzled in fresh coconut milk or you may also use the coconut milk that you get in tetrapacks.
Mix thoroughly, taste the dish, if every level of the spice is perfect, garnish with a few curry leaves, a few strands of juliennes of ginger and a light drizzle of coconut oil(not much ok!)
Enjoy the dish on its own or with what I had suggested in the beginning.

Adding the coconut milk is optional, instead you can add more water to dilute the dish.
But, then of course-a Kerala dish without grated coconut,coconut oil or coconut milk-a Keralite would freak out!
Yenjoy!