serves
6
prep
20 minutes
cook
5 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
6
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
5
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 120 g (1 cup) freshly grated coconut
- 100 g (½ cup) chana dhal (split chickpeas) (see Note) or unsalted raw peanuts
- 2 long green chillies, roughly chopped
- 3 cm-piece ginger, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds (see Note)
- 1 tsp urad dhal (see Note)
- 1 dried long red chilli, broken in half
- 15 fresh curry leaves (see Note)
Serves 6 as part of a shared meal
Instructions
Place coconut, chana dhal, green chillies, ginger, coriander, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of water in a mortar and pestle or small spice grinder and grind to a coarse paste. Set aside.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add mustard seeds and cook for 30 seconds or until oil begins to spit. Add urad dhal and dried chilli, and cook for 2 minutes or until dhal is light golden. Add curry leaves and cook for a few seconds or until fragrant, then pour mixture over paste. Stir to combine and serve.
Notes
• Chana dhal, available from Indian food shops, are large split chickpeas.
• Black mustard seeds and curry leaves are available from select greengrocers, delis and Indian food shops.
• Urad dhal, available from Indian food shops, are small split black beans; when split they are white in colour.
Photography Chris Chen. Food preparation Leanne Kitchen. Styling Berni Smithies.
As seen in Feast magazine, April 2014, Issue 30.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.