Chickpea curry is also known as kadala curry in Sinhalese.

A vegetarian and vegan Sri Lankan chickpea curry full of wholesome flavours to pair with rice, roti, naans and parathas.

The coconut chickpea curry is a one-pot dish with fragrant curry powder a creamy coconut gravy that soaks up all the seasonings.

If you are looking to replace your favourite Sri Lankan dhal curry then a simple yet delicious chickpea curry recipe would do it.

Serving ideas for chickpea coconut curry

• Serve with various rice dishes.
  • Regular white rice cooked over a stovetop.
  • Sri Lankan yellow rice.
  • Ghee rice
• Serve with flatbreads, naans, roti etc.
  • Sri Lankan pol roti(coconut roti, flatbread).
  • Garlic Naan recipe without yeast.
  • Stovetop Naan bread( Indian Naan bread)
  • Sri Lankan paratha(godamba)roti
  • How to make Sri Lankan egg roti/paratha.

• Other vegetarian side dishes to pair with chickpea curry.
  • Easy eggplant stir fry
  • okra stir-fry(ladies finger, Bandakka theldala, Sri Lankan).
  • spicy green beans stir fry(bonchi thel dala).
  • Sri Lankan spicy ash plantain(green banana)curry
  • Sri Lankan wambatu moju(eggplant/brinjal pickle).
  • Bitter gourd fry(Sri Lankan karawila sambol)
  • gotu kola(pennywort salad)sambol.

• Meat, poultry, and seafood to pair with chickpea curry.
  • Sri Lankan chicken curry.
  • Slow-cooked beef curry(like my grandmother makes).
  • Sri Lankan red chilli fish curry(Thalapath malu mirisata).

Tips to Sri Lankan chickpea coconut curry

• To make the chickpea curry, you can use either the canned version or the raw chickpeas.
  • If you are using raw chickpeas, they need to be soaked overnight or for 7-8 hours.
  • Then they need to be washed, drained and pressure-cooked to soften them up.
  • Once you’ve done the above, you can follow the instructions to cook curried chickpeas given below.
  • No need to boil if you are using canned chickpeas.

• How to adapt the chickpea curry recipe to suit you.
  • If you need to spice up the coconut chickpea curry, add some green chillies or increase the amount of red chilli powder.
  • If you need the chickpea curry to be thick then simmer over a low fire until the coconut milk is completely reduced.
  • You can also do the tempering with whole red chillies, garlic, onions and mustard seeds and pour it over the chickpea curry.
  • While the chickpea is cooking, mash it up a little with the back of your spoon. this turns the curry thicker. perfect to eat with roti, chapati, naans.

FAQ: chickpea curry(kadala curry)recipe

• Can I include chickpeas into my diet if I’m following a low-carb diet?

You would think chickpeas would be a great substitute for your meals to reduce your carb intake.

Well, I found out, it’s not. especially if your portion of chickpea is large.

So if you have chickpeas in your meals, I would suggest keeping your intake of it to a cup or half a cup. 

Utensils and appliances needed

• Chopping board/knife.
• A large bowl or deep pan with a lid to soak the chickpeas overnight.
• Pressure cooker if you are boiling the chickpeas in this.
• Large pot if you are boiling the chickpeas this way.
• Medium to large skillet or cooking pan to cook the chickpea curry.

More chickpea recipes

chickpea and potato curry(chana aloo curry).

chickpeas, pumpkin and mushroom curry(vegan, vegetarian).

Tempered breakfast chickpeas(Sri Lankan).

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-EASY

Ingredients to cook vegan chickpea curry.

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

3-4 tablespoons of oil

A sprig of curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf)

4 cloves of garlic minced

1″to 2″ piece cinnamon

1 medium-sized onion sliced fine

3-4 green chillies split(optional)

1 medium-sized tomato chopped

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder

2 teaspoons of curry powder(add 1/2 a teaspoon more for an intense curry flavour)

1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder

1 and 1/2 a cup of chickpeas(soaked overnight and boiled, substitute with canned chickpeas and

Salt to season

1 cup of thick coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon of roasted curry powder(optional)

How to make Sri Lankan chickpea coconut curry

If you are using canned chickpeas, follow the instructions under the title, “Cooking chickpea curry”.

How to soak raw chickpeas overnight

Place the raw chickpeas into a pot and completely submerge them in water(4-5 cups)and soak them overnight.

Once they’ve soaked overnight(7-8 hours), remove any floating ones, and drain water.

Rinse again, drain and set aside.

How to pressure cook the chickpeas

The next stage is to boil the chickpeas which will soften them further.

Here are a couple of ways to boil the chickpeas.

• Using a pressure cooker cuts down the cooking time to a few whistles or 15-20 minutes if you are using an electric pressure cooker.
  • Stovetop Indian pressure cooker(whistling).
    • Add just enough water to cover the chickpeas, season with salt and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

• Other pressure cookers(electric).
  • Add the soaked chickpeas into the pressure cooker, and pour just enough water to cover the chickpeas.
    • Add salt and lock the lid in place, pressure cook over medium heat until the whistle blows twice.

• Boil the chickpeas over a stovetop.
  • If you are using a regular stovetop and a pan to cook the chickpeas, add the chickpeas to a large pot, and pour in water to submerge the chickpeas.
  • season with salt and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes or until the chickpea turns soft.

Cooking the chickpea curry

Once the chickpeas have been boiled, drain water and set aside.

Place a separate cooking pan over medium heat and pour in the oil.

Add the curry leaves(substitute with a bay leaf), chopped onion, garlic, cinnamon, and chopped tomatoes.

Sauté for a few minutes until the onions turn golden.

Add in the green chillies(optional), turmeric, curry powder, and red chilli powder.

Continue sautéing for a few seconds over a reduced fire.

The result would be a rough curry paste.

Continue cooking for a few seconds and then add the chickpeas.

Cook over low-medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Pour in the coconut milk, and stir with a spoon, collecting all the spices stuck on the sides.

Reduce heat and slow simmer the curried chickpeas with coconut milk.

As the curry cooks, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of regular curry powder or dark roasted curry powder to intensify the flavour.

Cook until the chickpea curry thickens and changes colour.

Serve warm with any of the Sri Lankan meal plans on the blog or side dishes mentioned above.

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