Black channa theeyal

This is my entry for Pooja of My creative ideas's Vegetable of the Week - Dried beans.


Ingredients

Black channa - 1 cup (pre soaked and cooked)
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Shallots - 5 -6
Garlic - 3-4 pods
Pepper corns - 1tbsp
Chilly powder - 1tsp
Dania powder - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 3-5 leaves.
Tamarind - lemon sized ball.


For tadka

Mustard seeds, urad dal, vendhayam/fenugreek,curry leaves.



Method

Soak black channa overnight and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice.Keep it aside.In a pan,on medium low flame ,heat 2tbsp of oil and fry jeera.Now add coconut and fry till they are almost golden.Now add shallots, garlic,curry leaves,pepper,chilly powder,dania powder and tumeric powder one at a time and keep frying till the aroma comes.(frying this well is the key part).After this cools down , grind it into a smooth paste.Now in another pan, heat oil and do the tadka.Add he grinded paste,tamarind extract and salt.Let it boil well(on med-high) till the raw smell goes and the liquid is getting thicker.Now add Channa and cover n' cook for few more min.s.Finally open and cook for some more min.s and serve it hot with rice.





Tips : You can prepare and store this fried coconut mixture for days.Coconut won't get spoiled once it's fried well.