Special Kadala Curry/Chickpeas with Coriander and Star Anise

The kadala curry at home always tastes different when my mom makes it. Its a mix of a lot of cuisines, I am sure, but the end result is always yummy. This one is from my archives, a recipe that I always wanted to document. I pulled it out cuz of Ziah's request for a Kadala Curry so this post is dedicated to her :)

What I Used:

Serves 2

Chickpeas/Kabuli Channa/Velutha Kadala - 1 cup
Coriander - 4 tbsp
Coconut - 4 tbsp
Red chillies - 4
Garlic - 6 pods
Star anise - 2

For tempering:

Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves.

How I Made It:

1. The chickpeas should be soaked in water overnight. Pressure cook this for 2 whistles, with some turmeric and salt.

2. Roast the coriander, garlic, red chillies, star anise and coconut in a non-stick pan till it emits a nice smell and turns golden (about 5-7 minutes). Let it cool.

3. Grind the roasted masala to a coarse paste with very little water.

4. Heat oil, let the mustard seeds crackle. Add curry leaves and some more red chillies if you like the curry spicy. Add the masala paste to this and stir for a minute. Add the cooked chick peas and adjust water and salt at this stage.

Serve hot with puttu/appam/dosa/roti.

This is my entry for Sunita's Think Spice..Think Star Anise Event. The recipe is from my archives, otherwise I would have included the star anise in the pic somewhere :)