Radish and chickpea curry (mulangi kadalai kozhambu)

The recipe for this kozhambu comes from cookbook author Sabita Radhakrishna’s mother. The daikon absorbs liquid as it cooks in the curry, becoming soft and juicy.

Credit: Chris Chen

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 90 g (½ cup) dried chickpeas
• 1 tsp tamarind pulp (block form) (see Note)
• 2½ tbsp vegetable oil
• 300 g daikon (see Note), peeled, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ¾ tsp ground coriander
• 1½ tsp ginger and garlic paste (see Note)
• 1 large tomato, peeled, finely chopped
• ½ tsp freshly grated coconut
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• ¼ cup coriander leaves, to serve

Serves 4 as part of a shared meal
Soaking time overnight

Instructions

Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain, then place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 45 minutes or until chickpeas are tender but still retain their shape. Drain. Meanwhile, soak tamarind in 80 ml boiling water and set aside.

Heat 1¼ tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add daikon and cook for 2 minutes each side or until edges begin to brown. Add to chickpeas and set aside.

Heat remaining 1¼ tbsp oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, add onion and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Add turmeric, chilli and ground coriander, and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add ginger-garlic paste and tomato, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute or until well combined. Strain tamarind through a fine sieve, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible, and discard solids. Add tamarind liquid, bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind coconut and poppy seeds to a fine paste. Stir into curry, add chickpeas and radish, and season with salt and pepper; curry should have a gravy-like consistency, add extra water if necessary. Return to the boil and cook for 4 minutes or until radish is tender and sauce is thickened. Serve scattered with coriander leaves.

Notes

• Tamarind pulp is from Asian food shops.

• Daikon, from select greengrocers and Asian food shops, is a type of large, white radish.

• Ginger and garlic paste is from Indian food shops. Substitute 1 crushed garlic clove and ½ tsp finely grated ginger.

Photography Chris Chen. Food preparation Leanne Kitchen. Styling Berni Smithies.

As seen in Feast magazine, April 2014, Issue 30.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.