A pantry staple favourite of home cooking, this Goan Chana Usal comes together in minutes, making it the perfect snack or meal. With just a handful of easy to find ingredients and simple spices, you can have a delicious protein-rich dish to enjoy.
Frugal ingredients are often over-looked but are truly the unsung heroes of most kitchens. Grains and legumes get side-lined for meat/seafood but if you think of the cost v/s output, they are some of the best dishes to eat regularly.
One such dish that is both a part of mundane meals and our Diwali feasts is the Goan Chana Usal. This traditional “Usal” recipe tastes great with flatbreads. The use of grated coconut adds both texture and freshness. The addition of fresh cracked pepper and the balance that comes from green/red chilli and jaggery is truly special. I remember how much we relegated this dish to the corners of our plate but boy do I love it now for its ease and deliciousness.
Adaptations:
The great thing about this recipe is that it is endlessly adaptable. Replace white peas with any canned beans like chickpeas, white/black beans, kidney beans to speed things up. Of course thats not what my Mum would do, but we won’t tell her that). Sprouted legumes like green moong are also a worthy option. Add it as a filling to your toast, top it over some toasted sourdough – you simply can’t go wrong.
Goan Chana Usal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green peas (vatana)
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 green chillies (slit)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp asafoetida (heeng)
- 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked)
- 1 tbsp jaggery (to taste)
- ¼ cup fresh grated coconut
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
- salt (to taste)
- water (as required)
Instructions
- Wash and soak your dry peas (chana) in at least 4x times water for a good 6-8 hours (overnight). In a large pot, add the dry peas along with enough fresh water (at least double the volume). Season with salt. Bring them to a boil, skim off any impurities that rise to the top. Keep it on a gentle simmer uncovered. When checking for done-ness, test a few different chana (at least 5-6) so you know they are cooked evenly. Set aside.
- In a pan heat your oil. Temper with mustard seeds, green chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves, let them sizzle and pop.
- Add the drained cooked peas (save cooking water to adjust consistency). Add all the spices ( chilli, turmeric, pepper) and coat nicely. Add jaggery and taste to adjust salt. Add some cooking liquid if sticking to the base of the pan.
- Garnish with fresh grated coconut and coriander leaves. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
You can pair this delicious Goan Chana Usal with the Batat Fov Poha like we do back home in Goa (recipe here)
For other delicious recipes from the blog, click here. If you make this recipe and love it, let me know in the comments below. If you are sharing on Instagram, please do tag me @rupalbhatikar.
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