Idiyappam and Kadala curry- A Perfect and Quick Meal from God’s Own Country!
Few years back I had to travel with a friend of mine to Thiruvananthapuram for some research work. We started with a skeptic mind on the most obvious topic ‘food’. Our main apprehension was that everything would be made in coconut oil and invariably everything would have coconut. Not knowing on how to manage, we decided to trouble a batch-mate from college and stayed at her place.
The rains and the greenery and the beautiful houses were very welcoming as soon as we got down our train. What surprised us was an amazing breakfast that my host-cum-friend had served! Hot steaming idiyappam with delectable kadala curry. Ok, so let me decode this. Idiyappam is nothing but the rice noodles. and Kadala in malayalam is kala chana or Bengal gram. As is the case with most of the Indian cuisines, an unmistakably nutritious combination of cereals and pulses forms the prime part of our meal. Gorging on this hot and fresh breakfast cleared up all our doubts. We rushed to the nearest supermarket and picked up the ready to cook idiyappam packets and stuffed them in our bags. Needless to say, we had an amazing stay!
The aesthetics of the steaming, plain, tempered rice noodles centred with hot spicy chana curry was the right visual as well as palate balance. So I followed these simple steps to make this recipe:
- For Idiyappam
Idiyappam/Rice noodles(I used the ready to cook ones)- 1 packet
Tempering-
Oil- 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Jeera- 1/2 tsp
Hing- a pinch
Curry leaves- a sprig
Take rice noodles . Dip them boiling water for a minute and strain. Keep aside. For tempering, heat oil. Add mustard, jeera and hing and mix till aromatic. Then add curry leaves and pour the tempering on to the drained rice noodles. Mix well.
2. For Kadala curry
Boileded Kala chana (black bengal gram)- 1 cup
Boiled Potato-2
Onion- 1 medium, sliced
Tomatoes- 2 (pureed)
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Oil- 2Tbsp-
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 2 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Heat oil. Add onions and saute till translucent. Then add ginger garlic paste and all the masalas. Saute for a minute. Add tomato puree. Cook till the oil separates. Then add boiled chana and potatoes. Cook with the lid closed for 10 mins, till the desired consistency is reached and all the flavours blend in. Turn off the flame and serve hot with the tempered Rice noodles!
This recipe makes for a sumptuous meal. Do try and let me know your feedback!
