Channa Sundal is a dish prepared with white chickpeas and tempered with South Indian flavours of mustard seeds, grated coconut and curry leaves.
Table of Contents
Sundal is a steamed chickpea snack with South Indian flavours of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and grated coconut.
Channa also goes by the name of chickpeas, Kabuli Channa, Chhole, Safed Channa, Konda Kadalai and Garbanzo Beans.
Sundal is a general term used to describe any bean/ lentil based dish that is boiled and then flavoured with South Indian spices.
There are several sundal recipes, but they pretty much follow the same steps for preparation.
Sundal is the most popular dish that one serves at any Navarathri Golu function. Each day, a different variety of sundal is prepared and given to guests who visit as a snack along with coffee or tea.
Ingredients for Channa Sundal
White Channa or chickpeas is the chief ingredient.
The other ingredients are for flavour as a tadka – mustard seeds, split urad dal, curry leaves, asafoetida powder and green chillies.
You will also need a pinch of baking soda to aid the channa cook into a soft texture.
I also use grated coconut to add a fresh flavour to the dish.
How to make Channa Sundal
In India, we mostly used dried chickpeas; using canned chickpeas is really rare.
If you are using dried chickpeas, soak them in water overnight. Add the required quantity of chickpeas to a bowl and give it a quick rinse. Add lots of water – at least two inches of water above the soaked channa. They expand a lot and sometimes, if you do not add enough water, some chickpeas might not have enough water to bloom. A lot of water is definitely the way to go. Let the chickpeas soak in the water overnight or at least for 7-8 hours.
The next morning, you drain the channa and rinse them a couple of times. This step is crucial. If you end up using the soaking water to cook the channa, your stomach might not agree with it. So it’s important that you rinse the soaked channa and use fresh water to cook it in the pressure cooker.
If you are using canned chickpeas, you have one less step to do. Open the can, drain the water and rinse the chickpeas and they are good to go. You don’t have to cook canned chickpeas, as they are already done.
Once rinsed, you can add the dried chickpeas to a bowl, fill it up with water and place it in a large pressure cooker. If you are using a small pressure cooker, you can directly add the washed chickpeas to it along with enough water to cover it.
Next, add a pinch of baking soda and salt. The soda will aid in the cooking process and yield a soft texture in the mouth when chewing.
Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles on a high flame and lower the flame and allow it to boil for another 5 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow the pressure to release naturally.
Check if the channa sundal is cooked well by pressing a couple of pieces of them. If they aren’t cooked, put it back in the pressure cooker and cook for 2 more whistles OR low flame for 3-4 minutes. You need the texture of the channa to be smooth when you press them between your fingers, not al dente.
Tempering the Channa Sundal
Scoop out the cooked channa into a bowl and season it with a little salt.
Place a tadka pan on low-medium flame and add one tablespoon of cooking oil. Once the oil is warm, add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Next, add the split urad dal and curry leaves. Finally, add the asafoetida powder and turn off the flame. Add 1/2 tsp of asafoetida powder to this tadka bowl and mix.
Add this tadka to the bowl of cooked chickpeas and give all the ingredients a good mix.
This is an optional step but if you want to add an extra zing to the channa sundal, you can take a handful of grated coconut along with a green chilli and pulse them in the mixer a couple of times. Use this coconut mixture as a garnish for this sundal and you will get a mild spice to the dish without it being overwhelming. Finish it off with some lemon juice and mix the ingredients until well combined.
If you want to keep it simple, garnish it with freshly grated coconut and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. – This is a simpler step for the beginners.
You can also jazz up the salad by adding grated carrots, pomegranate seeds and fried cashew nuts as well.
Shelf Life and Storage
Channa Sundal has a good shelf life – on the counter it will last for more than half the day. But if you do add grated coconut, it’s best to eat it at the earliest. If you live in a warm place, it is best to put it in the fridge.
You can store Channa sundal in the fridge for up to 2 days. Try not to reheat it several times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make channa sundal as a beginner
The simplest way to make this would be to use a can of tinned chickpeas, drain & rinse them and add the basic seasonings of mustard seeds and curry leaves.
How many whistles should I cook channa in the pressure cooker?
You can have 5-6 whistles and simmer it to low flame and leave it on for 2-3 minutes before turning it off.
What do I do if the channa has not cooked
Put the channa back into the pressure cooker and let out another 2-3 whistles on a high flame followed by 2-3 minutes on a low flame before turning it off.
What is the English name for sundal?
Sundal does not have a direct translation, but it is a salad with various forms of chickpeas as the main ingredient.
Are chickpeas and channa the same thing?
Yes, they are the same ingredient. They also go by the name of Garbanzo beans
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White Channa Sundal
Ingredients
- 1 cup White Channa soaked overnight and pressure cooked
For the tempering
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil
- 1 tsp Mustards Seeds
- 1 tsp Split white Urad dal
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
- ½ tsp Asafoetida Powder
For Garnish
- 2 tbsp Grated Coconut
- 1 Green Chilli slit lengthwise
- 1/2 Juice of half a lime
Instructions
- Take a cup of dried white channa in a container and give it a rise. Fill the container with water 3-4 inches above the white channa. Let it soak overnight.
- The next morning, drain the water and give the channa a thorough rinse. Add fresh water to the same container and place it in a pressure cooker with 2-3 inches of water at the base. Add ½ tsp of salt and a pinch of baking soda to the channa. This will aid in cooking the channa faster. (You can add the rinsed channa directly to the pressure cooker along with water submerging the channa)
- Allow 5-6 whistles and then turn the flame to low, and allow to cook for another five minutes on that low flame. Turn off the cooker and allow the pressure to release gradually.
- Remove the container from the cooker and drain the water into another container. You should press a couple of pieces of channa to ensure it's fully cooked.
- Season the cooked white channa with 1/2 tsp of salt and adjust it accordingly.
Tempering and Garnishing the White Channa Sundal
- Place a small tadka pan on low-medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
- Once the oil is warm, add the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Next, add the split urad dal and allow it to turn slightly golden.
- Now, add the curry leaves and let them crisp up.
- Finally, add 1/2 tsp of asafoetida powder and turn off the flame.
- Mix the tadka well and pour it over the cooked black channa. If you are using grated coconut and green chilli for the garnish, add both ingredients to a mixer and pulse grind it 2-3 times.
- Use this coarse coconut mixture as the garnish, along with generously drizzled lemon juice on top.Mix all the ingredients well and serve this White Chana Sundal as a healthy snack in the evenings.
