Kala Chana

Kala chana, also called desi chana, black chickpeas or kondakadalai in Tamil, is the older, smaller type of chickpea grown across India. It is firmer than white chickpeas and keeps its shape even after long cooking. Split and skinned, it becomes chana dal, and ground into flour it becomes besan, so it quietly underpins a large part of the North Indian kitchen. You will find it in beans and chickpeas, next to the larger white chickpeas.

On the eighth day of Navratri, many Punjabi and North Indian families cook dry kala chana with puri and sooji halwa for the kanjak meal. In Tamil homes it becomes sundal for Navaratri evenings, tempered with mustard seed, curry leaves and grated coconut. Kerala and Sri Lankan cooks make kadala curry to eat with puttu or string hoppers, and devilled kadala is a favourite snack with onion and dried chilli. It is also sprouted for chaat and salads.

Soak kala chana for at least ten hours, as the thick skin slows the water getting in. Pressure cook for six to eight whistles, or allow up to two hours in an open pan. Keep the cooking water: it is full of flavour and makes a good base for a thin rasam or soup. For other whole pulses, try kidney beans or horse gram.