My favourite part about the Hindu festival of Navaratri (nine nights) is, unsurprisingly, the food. Sundal is a dry stir-fry (and a specialty of my dad’s) made with an array of different legumes such as chickpeas or whole green moong. The simple tadka of mustard seeds, green chile, curry leaves, hing, and coconut instantly elevates this dish and, in my humble opinion, represents the essence of South Indian home cooking.
Reprinted with permission from THE VEGETARIAN RESET by Vasudha Viswanath, The Collective Book Studio, January 2023. Photo credit Alexandra Shytsman.
Sundal
4 as a side
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup/200g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, or 2 (15-oz/400-g) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, or other neutral oil of choice
- 2 tsp black mustard seeds (yellow mustard seeds are less pungent, but will work as a substitute)
- 2 Indian green chiles, jalapeño peppers, or Thai chiles, chopped
- 10–15 fresh curry leaves, chopped, or 20–30 whole dried curry leaves, crumbled
- ½ tsp urad dal (black gram, split and skinned; optional)
- ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing, sometimes called yellow powder)
- ½ cup/75g finely diced onion
- 1½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp fresh or frozen shredded coconut, or dry unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- 1 If using dried chickpeas, combine them with 3 cups/720ml of water in a pressure cooker and cook just until done (about 7 minutes on high in an Instant Pot; quick release pressure after 5 minutes). The beans should be cooked but crunchy. Skip this step if using canned chickpeas.
- 2 Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, turn the heat down to medium and add the chiles, curry leaves, urad dal, and asafoetida. Cook until the urad dal turns light golden brown, 1 minute.
- 3 Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, 5–6 minutes.
- 4 Add the chickpeas and salt, mix well, and cook for 2–3 minutes, until heated through. Do not overcook or they will get mushy.
- 5 Turn off the stove, add the coconut and lemon juice, and mix well. Serve hot.
