Black Channa Curry

Black Channa/Konda kadalai/Kala channa however you wanna call it..this is a recipe I learned from my mother-in-law and it's my husband's favorite.

Ingredients:
Channa, dry - 1 cup
Onion, chopped  - 1 large
Tomato, medium - 1
Coconut, shredded - 3 Tbsp
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 Tbsp
Cashews - 4 nos
Cilantro, chopped - handful
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Curry powder - 2 tsp
Salt, to taste
Water - 2 cups

Method:

1. Soak the channa overnight in a vessel with enough water to cover up all the channa.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds and once it pops add curry leaves, 3/4th of the onions and fry until golden brown. 
3. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell goes and add the chopped tomatoes.
4. Once tomatoes gets mushy, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, curry powder and salt and sauté for a few minutes.
5. Filter all the water from the soaked up channa and add channa to the pressure cooker with 2 cups of fresh water. Cover and cook until 4-5 whistles and switch off the stove.
6. Meanwhile in a small mixer jar, add coconut, cashews, fennel seeds, leftover onions and grind into a paste.
7. Remove the pressure cooker lid once the pressure goes off, add the ground paste and heat in medium flame until the gravy thickens. 

This curry is best with rice or rotis. I halved up the recipe here since you might be trying for the first time. I usually make lots of it and store up in the refrigerator for a few days.