Yellow Peas Masala | Sundal Masala Recipe | Yellow Peas & Chickpeas Masala Curry

Yellow Peas Masala/Sundal Masala is an interesting and healthy snack recipe that is similar to Chaat/Ragda Recipe. But this Sundal Masala is entirely different from North Indian Style chaats. More or less like a bean soup with simple spices. This kind of sundal masala is one of the popular street food of Tamil Nadu. In my home town, Salem, during evening time you could find lots of road side shop where they sell bhaji, bonda, pakora, thaatu vadai set, this Peas Masala & Chaats. And near to our house there was a small shop which was well known for all varieties of savory snacks. We have tasted almost all of their snack items and especially their Samosa Chaat & Cutlets are my favorite. It was a small shop with good hygienic environment.

Once my My mom tried this yellow peas Masala and it was good but not like the one we eat from that shop. It was like simple sundal with tomato and garam masala flavor. And also we don't like sundal much she stopped making it for us. Few weeks back, My mom said that she made Yellow Peas masala for her dinner. Also, she mentioned that she got remembered about this sundal masala after many years from a tv show. This Sundal Masala has typical flavor and taste and it was due to the special secret ingredient- Fennel Seeds Powder. After watching that tv show she tried it on her own way along with the addition of fennel powder and got the perfect taste. So, She recommended me to try it sometime.

Last week for our dinner i made this Yellow peas Masala and shared a picture of it on my Instagram page. Some of my Instagram friends asked me for the recipe and I decided to share it on my blog as well. If you are looking for some healthy and filling snack, then this Sundal Masala is one of the best recipe. You can have it as a main course, this yellow peas & Chickpeas Masala is a filling meal. Protein and Fiber rich meal, similar to bean soup. The star ingredient of this recipe is Fennel seeds powder, so please try this recipe with fennel powder and don't skip it. Now off to the recipe..

Yellow Peas Masala Recipe

Prep Time : 20 minutes(including pressure cook time)

Cook Time : 15 minutes | Recipe Category : Soups/Chaat

Serves  2-3

Ingredients

1. Cooked Yellow Peas  1 cups
2. Cooked Chickpeas   1/2 cup
3. Onion   1 medium(finely chopped)
4. Tomato  1 no.(finely chopped)
5. Ginger  1/2 tsp(finely chopped)
6. Garlic  1/2 tsp(finely chopped)
7. Fennel seeds Powder   1 and 1/2 tsp
8. Chilli Powder   1/2 tsp
9. Garam Masala Powder  1/2 tsp or less
10. Turmeric Powder  1/4 tsp
11. Hing   a generous pinch
12. Salt   to taste
13. Oil  1-2 tsp
14. Cilantro   few finely chopped
15. Onion  1-2 tbsp(finely chopped for serving)
16. Lemon Juice  as needed (for serving)

Method
I soaked yellow peas and chickpeas for 7 hours and pressure cooked for 3 whistles.
Take 1/4 cup of cooked yellow peas and pulse it in a blender to a coarse paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai, when it is hot add cumin seeds allow to splutter.
Then add finely chopped garlic, ginger and fry well.
And then add finely chopped onions and saute until it turns light golden brown.

After that add finely chopped tomato and suate till mushy and add all the dry powders, fennel, chilli, turmeric powder, garam masala, hing and stir fry well.
Then add ground peas and mix well and saute for few seconds.
And immediately add cooked peas along with it water/broth, enough salt and allow to boil.
When its starts boiling add cilantro and simmer for 1-2 minutes and switch off the stove.

That's it yellow peas masala/Sundal masala ready.
To serve, pour 1-2 ladle of sundal masala in a serving bowl, add some finely chopped onions, cilantro and drizzle some lemon juice and serve.
Notes:
I used chickpeas and yellow peas combo, but you can use yellow peas alone.
Adding ground yellow peas gives nice texture and taste to the masala.
For fennel powder, you can either dry roast some fennel seeds and powder it or simply powder some fennel seeds and use it in the recipe.
The masala tends to thicken upon cooling, so adjust consistency accordingly.