142) CHÉNÀ SUKKÉ

CHÉNÀ SUKKÉ

A KONKANI DRY MUNCHY SIDE DISH OF BROWN SKIN CHICKPEAS

Ingredients:

1)    Brown skin chickpeas – 250 gm.

2)    Coconut – ½

3)    Dry hot red chilies – 5 Nos.

4)    Urad dal (split black gram lentils) – 1 teaspoon

5)    Coriander seeds – 2 teaspoons

6)    Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon

7)    Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

8)    Tender curry leaves – 2 sprigs

9)    Salt – 1 teaspoon

To Cook:

Soak the brown skin chickpeas in water overnight. Wash and drain. Put the chickpeas together with double their volume of water into a pressure cooker. As soon as you hear the third whistle, turn down the heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally. Grate the coconut. Break the red chilies each into two pieces.

Set a small pan on low heat. Pour in a teaspoon of coconut oil. Tip in the urad dal. As soon as it starts to turn a light brown, add the coriander seeds. Stir once and put in the broken red chilies. Stir for 10 seconds and switch off the heat. Put the grated coconut together with the contents of the pan into the food processor.

When the cooker is cool enough to open, take out a tablespoon of the cooked chickpeas and put them into the food processor. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the chickpea stock and grind to fine paste.

Set a wok on high heat. Pour in the remaining coconut oil and throw in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds are about to finish crackling, tip in the chickpeas along with their stock. Add the ground paste and the salt. Stir occasionally and let the excess stock boil away.

When the stock is just about to dry up, taste the chickpeas. Add more salt of required when all the water has evaporated, switch off the heat. Your munchy chénà sukké is ready to serve. Enjoy as a side dish to rice or eat it just by itself as a protein rich dish.