Black Eyed Peas Sundal - Traditional Karamani Sundal
Black Eyed Peas Sundal or Karamani Sundal. Easy to make and tasty, this is a traditional Navaratri sundal for naivedyam and to serve to guests for Navaratri Kolu. Serves as a nutritious snack or a tiffin box item too. Remember to soak the beans overnight. Use fresh coconut for garnish or squeeze lemon juice for a variation.
Servings: 1 cups
Ingredients
To cook the Black eyed peas
- 1 cup dried black eyed peas /lobia/ cowpeas/ dried string beans
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water for cooking to cover the surface of the beans
- ¼ cup fresh grated coconut
For Tempering
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 2 Dry red Chillies /or fresh green chillies as an option
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder
- a few curry leaves
Garnish - optional
- ¼ cup Fresh coriander leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice in addition to or instead of grated coconut
Instructions
Previous day preparation
- Roast the karamani/ black eyed peas in a hot dry pan, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Soak the beans overnight in water just about a cm more than the level of the beans.
Cooking the black eyed peas
- Drain the beans from the water in which soaked. Rinse Pressure cook with ½ teaspoon of salt and with water just sufficient to cover the surface of the beans. Cook for one whistle. Turn off the stove and allow the cooker to release steam completely on its own before opening it. (about 10 mins) Drain the beans after removing from the cooker. They should be cooked soft but not mushy.
Tempering the Sundal
- Heat a pan and add oil. Sesame oil will give the authentic taste, but otherwise any vegetable oil may be used. Add the mustard seeds, and once they crackle, add chillies and let them scald on both sides. Add hing/ asafoetida powder and then the curry leaves. I usually shred the curry leaves before adding to the tempering, so that there are better chances of their being eaten rather than discarded. Fresh curry leaves will usually splutter so stand back a little when adding them to the hot oil
- Add the cooked, drained, salted beans. Stir well into the tempering. Add the grated coconut, stir and remove the pan from the fire.
- Add optional garnish as desired - minced coriander leaves and a fresh lemon juice. Your Karamani Sundal is ready!
