Karamani sundal is made with cooked black-eyed peas, seasoning, and grated fresh coconut. That is all it needs to make this delicious sundal. We can serve this sundal as a snack or we eat it as a side with sambar and rasam rice. If you know me, you will realize that black-eyed peas are one of my favorite beans to work with. I just love the flavor of it! And I have a partner in crime, my younger son, who loves karamani as much as me (or even more than me). Any chance I give him to choose a bean to make for dinner and his first answer would be to make lobia / black-eyed peas subzi. He loves anything made with karamani and this sundal is no exception. I on the other hand like the Karamani sweet sundal a touch more than this savory black-eyed pea sundal. It could also be because I love sweets and he likes anything savory. Just because we love black-eyed peas in our family, I also happen to have several recipes with them. If you are looking for more black-eye peas recipes, then this list should help.
Sundal for Navratri
Sundal is an essential neivedhiyam for Navaratri. Many ask, why sundal? Since Navarathri is a celebration of Women, we make protein-rich sundal for their health and well-being. Karamani Kara Kuzhambu Black-eyed peas Subzi Black-eyed peas and potato curry Lobia Subzi Vegan black-eyed peas salad This karamani savory sundal is a wonderful addition to the list of sundal recipes that we can make for Navratri.
Ingredients needed
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes. Pachai Payaru Sundal | Whole Moong dal Sundal Pachai Payaru Sweet Sundal | Whole Moong Dal Sweet Sundal Karamani Vellam Sundal | Karamani Sweet Sundal Kondai Kadalai Sundal | Chick Peas Sundal
Step-by-step process
Wash the black-eyed peas a couple of times and then soak them in fresh water for about 2 hours (1). We could soak it longer as well, but 2 hours seems to be enough time to get perfectly cooked karamani (2). Grated coconut - freshly grated coconut is what tastes best in sundal. I use frozen grated coconut that is thawed. If fresh coconut is not available, we could use the desiccated coconut but make sure they are unsweetened. Seasoning - I used mustard seeds, red chilies, green chilies, asafoetida, and curry leaves to season. Oil - I like using coconut oil when making sundal. Any other cooking oil could be swapped for coconut oil. Salt Tip - If you are like me and forgot to soak the black-eyed peas, then just keep it immersed in hot water until you prep the rest of the ingredients, and then cook it a little longer in the pressure cooker or instant pot. Drain the soaked karamani and then add enough fresh water to immerse the beans well. Add about 2 teaspoons of salt and cook the beans. I cooked my karamani in the instant pot. I cooked it in the ‘pot in pot method’. Add water to the inside pot and then place this pot on the trivet. Set it on Manual mode and set the timer to 6 minutes. My beans had been soaking for about 2 hours. If you are using unsoaked beans, then set the cooking time to 10 minutes. Do a quick release in 10 minutes. Check the beans to see if they have cooked. The black-eyed peas should remain whole but yet be soft when pressed (3). Let the beans drain in a colander. Let it drain well to remove any moisture. Heat a saute pan and add coconut oil. Add the seasoning ingredients, mustard seeds, green chilies, red chilies, asafoetida, and curry leaves (4). Add the drained karamani and mix well. Let it cook for a couple of minutes (5). Add the grated coconut and then mix well (6). Turn off the heat and then serve (7).
Serving and storage
Black-eyed peas savory sundal can be served as a snack or as a side with rice. I love to make it as an after-school snack as it is healthy and also filling. Sundals are best when served fresh. Leftover sundal can be refrigerated for a day or two and then reheated in the microwave and served. I would not store it for longer than a couple of days in the refrigerator. We can freeze the left sundal as well and reheat it in the microwave. Pack them in a freezer-safe container or bags and then freeze for up to 3 months. If given a chance, I would freeze cooked black-eyed peas and then make fresh sundal when needed.
Expert tips
Make sure to not overcook the beans. Mushy beans do not make good sundal. Use freshly grated coconut for the best-tasting sundal. We can add some finely chopped cilantro and lemon juice in the end as well. If not making it for neivedhiyam, we can saute some onions as well and use them to make sundal. If you feel that the black-eyed peas have become mushy, use them to make curry instead of sundal. Check the complete list of other recipes that you can make with karamani above.
Frequently asked questions
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Recipe
Check out my other NAVARATHRI RECIPES HERE
