Kollu Sundal Horse Gram Stirfry

Recently I shared maa vilakku and sesame rice as part of the Navratri recipes. And here I am today with a sundal recipe. When it comes to Navratri, how can I skip posting a sundal or stirfry recipe? Sundal is a legume stirfry, and you can prepare this dish with garbanzo beans, black chickpeas, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and other legumes as well. Today I am sharing the sundal recipe with kollu or kaanam as we say in Tamil. I do have different sundal recipes on my blog, do check it out. I make sundals regularly, and sometimes instead of vegetable curry, I make sundal. What’s not to like about these protein-packed sundal recipes? You can make it a part of your everyday meal also. Okay, I don’t have the exact reason we make sundal and offer it as prasadam during Navratri, but I do have all the details about golu and shared it on the blog. (PS – This morning, I shared how to assemble the golu step on my Youtube; if interested, check it out.)

Kollu sundal with peanut powder:

All you have to do for a sundal is, cook the beans and prepare the tempering with some simple spices. While this is a basic recipe, you can improvise it by combining spice powders, adding veggies, etc. Like my manga thenga Pattani sundal and spicy garbanzo beans sundal. Now, what makes this kollu sundal unique – the peanut powder. I used store-bought roasted peanuts. If you are using raw peanuts, roast them before grinding. You can use it with the skin. I used roasted, salted, and skinned peanuts. So I directly pulsed it coarsely. Make sure to leave one or two peanuts for the crunch and texture. The peanuts and coconut add a nice crunch to this sundal and make it delicious, and if you are trying to get acquired to the taste of horse gram, this sundal will be the best bet. I have quite a few horse gram recipes on my blog, and I have discussed its health benefits several times. But keep in mind that this lentil, when consumed more, increases the body heat, so make sure you balance your diet with other cooling food.

Browse other horse gram / kollu recipes:

How to make kollu sundal?

Soak and cook the kollu/horse gram

Rinse the horse gram and soak in it 2 cups of water for atleast 8 to 10 hours. After 8 hours, drain the water and add 1.5 cups of freshwater and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles in a stove-top pressure cooker. If using Instant Pot, directly cook in the pot for 18 to 20 minutes and release the pressure naturally. Drain the water, and do not discard it thought. You can use it for kollu rasam. Set aside the cooked sundal.

Prepare the peanut powder

Pulse the roasted peanuts coarsely. Make sure there are a few whole peanut pieces just for texture and crunch.

Prepare the tempering and make the sundal:

Heat a pan and add the coconut oil. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, hing, curry leaves, and dried red chilies.

Let the mustard seeds splutter and then add the cooked horse gram and salt. Mix well and cook until the moisture is all absorbed, for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Now add the peanut powder and coconut. Mix well and make sure the horse gram, peanut powder, and coconut are well combined.

Cook for a couple of minutes and turn off the heat. That’s it. Kollu sundal is ready.

Serve right away. It works well as a side dish for rice also.

Recipe Notes:

As I used salted peanuts, I used less salt. Please adjust accordingly. The same goes for dried red chilies as well. Instead of dried red chilies, you can use ½ heaped tsp of sambar powder or rasam powder or red chili powder to spice up the sundal. Coconut oil always adds flavor, but you can use oil of your choice.

PS – If you try this kollu sundal, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates.