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Chundal

Kidney Beans Chundal

Chundal is a nutritious snack that can be made quickly by the busy housewife. Usually the dried beans are soaked overnight and then cooked after washing, though now we get them in a can and reduce the preparation time even further. 

1 ~ 16oz.  can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

1/2 tsp.  vegetable oil

1/4 tsp.  black mustard seeds

1/4 tsp.  urad daal

1 or 2 dried red chili peppers, broken in pieces

1/8 tsp.  asafetida ( hing ) powder

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tsp.  shredded coconut

 

Wash canned chickpeas / garbanzo beans well with water a couple times and drain.

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan with medium heat, add the mustard seeds and urad daal.

When the mustard seeds pop, add the dried red chili pepper, asafetida powder, curry leaves. Then add the drained chickpeas / garbanzo beans and mix well.

Lower the heat and add the shredded coconut and mix well, and turn off the stove.

 

Note: Chundal is a simple dish made with lentils or legumes. These legumes eaten with rice are a good source of protein for the vegetarian diet of Indians. 

In the South, we eat Toor or Moong Daal every day either separately or in sauces like Sambar which is made with a lot of Toor Daal. During the festival of Navarathri ( called Dussehra in the North and typically occurring around September or October ) the South Indian wife makes a chundal every day for the nine days. Each day it is a different legume given to guests who visit as part of the festivities.