Kollu kadaiyal – A flavorful and nutritious curry made with horsegram, cherished in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu! Learn how to make this regional delicacy with detailed step-wise pictures.
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Kongu cuisine
Tamilnadu, the Indian state, has various regional cuisines, and kongu nadu is one among them. Situated in the western part of Tamil Nadu, this area is known for its vegetarian dishes, including the delightful kollu masiyal or kadayal. I have already shared arisi paruppu sadam and brinjal cowpeas curry, which are popular in that region.
This kollu kadayal is a spicy curry loaded with the fresh flavors of cumin and coriander, and needless to say, it’s healthy too. This lentil curry is a perfect rice accompaniment, and you can enjoy it with appalam/papad, fryums, or any raita. I want to thank our friend Sundari, who hails from the kongu region, for sharing this recipe.
Horse gram | Kollu
Horsegram, also known as kollu, is renowned for its health benefits. It is high in protein and fiber, has a low glycemic index, and contains fewer carbs, which helps reduce body fat and obesity. You can find its nutritional value and other benefits on this site. I strongly believe in moderation. Including horsegram in your diet can be an effective strategy for weight loss when combined with a balanced diet and regular exercise.
However, horsegram increases body heat, so balance your diet with cooling foods like buttermilk. Always consider your health conditions and consult with a healthcare provider or nutritionist if you have concerns about how specific foods may affect your body.
Horsegram recipes
I have several horsegram recipes on my blog and am listing them all here. Do check it out if interested.
Ingredients required
I am categorizing the ingredients according to the steps in the procedure.
To pressure cook – we need horsegram, green chili, garlic cloves, turmeric powder, and water.
To roast and grind – We need cumin, coriander, dried red chilies, and onion for the fresh spice mix. We roast them in gingelly oil.
For tempering – We need gingelly oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, and onion.
Apart from these ingredients, we need salt and water. We need 3 cups of water and one big onion (approx 162 grams). I used half of it for the masala and the remaining ½ for the tempering. Chop one half roughly and the other half finely. Please check the recipe card for exact measurements.
How to make kollu kadaiyal/masiyal
Soak and cook horsegram
- Rinse the horsegram and soak with sufficient water for 6 to 8 hours.
- Drain the water used for soaking and add 2 cups of fresh water, one green chili broken into two pieces, two garlic cloves, and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder for five whistles. Alternatively, using an instant pot, you can pressure cook for 25 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released, discard the green chili and drain the water.
- Reserve this water, as we will be using it later. Let the horsegram and garlic cool down.
Roast the spices and grind.
- When you pressure cook horsegram, you can partially roast the spices. Heat a tsp of oil, add cumin seeds and dried red chilies, and roast for a minute. Next, add the coriander seeds and roast until fragrant.
- Now add the chopped onion and saute until it’s soft and translucent. Let it cool.
- Grind the cooked horsegram with garlic and the roasted spices with onion by adding ½ cup of horsegram cooked water into a coarse paste and set aside.
Prepare the curry
- Heat a heavy bottom pan or kadai and add 1 tbsp of gingelly oil. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then, add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Add the finely chopped onion and saute for a few minutes.
- Add salt and saute further until the onions are soft and slightly crisp.
- Now add the ground horsegram spice paste and the horsegram cooked water plus one cup of additional water. Mix well and ensure there aren’t any lumps.
- Bring this curry to a gentle simmer, and then add cilantro.
- Mix well, simmer again for a few minutes, and turn off the heat.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- If your garlic cloves are small, you can add up to 5. I used two big ones.
- Instead of grinding the horsegram, you can roughly mash them and make the curry. As we prefer gravy and smooth consistency, I pulse it with the spices and make the curry this way.
- You can make a similar curry with green moong beans, moth beans, green or red lentils.
Dietary specifications
This kollu masiyal is vegan and nut-free by nature. Use gluten-free asafoetida for a gluten-free version.
You can store kollu kadaiyal in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can also soak and cook the lentils as part of weekend meal prep, make the fresh spice mix, and make the curry when needed.
What to serve with it
You can enjoy this kollu kadaiyal with rice and mild poriyals of your choice, like,
Or with raita like
If you’ve made this Kongu Nadu Style Kollu recipe, please share your photos with me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter – I will be delighted to see your results!
📖 Recipe
Kongu Nadu Kollu Kadaiyal | Horsegram Lentil Curry
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
We need a total of 3 cups of water and one big onion (approx 162 grams). I used half of it for the masala and the remaining ½ for the tempering. Chop one half roughly and the other half finely.
To pressure cook
- ½ cup horsegram/kollu soaked overnight
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 green chili
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups water
To roast and grind
- 1 tsp gingelly oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 dried red chilies
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ cup onion chopped, or 5 to 6 shallots
For the curry
- 1 tbsp gingelly oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- 5 curry leaves
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 cup water or to taste
- 1 tbsp cilantro
Instructions
Soak and cook horsegram
- Rinse the horsegram and soak with sufficient water for 6 to 8 hours.
- Drain the water used for soaking and add 2 cups of fresh water, one green chili broken into two pieces, two garlic cloves, and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder for five whistles. Alternatively, using an instant pot, you can pressure cook for 25 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released, discard the green chili and drain the water. Reserve this water, as we will be using it later. Let the horsegram and garlic cool down.
Roast the spices and grind.
- When you pressure cook horsegram, you can partially roast the spices. Heat a tsp of oil, add cumin seeds and dried red chilies, and roast for a minute. Next, add the coriander seeds and roast until fragrant.
- Now add the chopped onion and saute until it’s soft and translucent. Let it cool.
- Grind the cooked horsegram with garlic and the roasted spices with onion by adding ½ cup of horsegram cooked water into a coarse paste and set aside.
Prepare the curry
- Heat a heavy bottom pan or kadai and add 1 tbsp of gingelly oil.
- When it is hot, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then, add the asafoetida and curry leaves.
- Add the finely chopped onion and saute for a few minutes.
- Add salt and saute further until the onions are soft and slightly crisp.
- Now add the ground horsegram spice paste and the horsegram cooked water plus one cup of additional water.
- Mix well and ensure there aren’t any lumps.
- Bring this curry to a gentle simmer, and then add cilantro.
- Mix well, simmer again for a few minutes, and turn off the heat.
Notes
- Adjust the salt and spices according to your preference.
- If your garlic cloves are small, you can add up to 5. I used two big ones.
- Instead of grinding the horsegram, you can roughly mash them and make the curry.
- As we prefer gravy and smooth consistency, I pulse it with the spices and make the curry this way.
- You can make a similar curry with green moong beans, moth beans, green or red lentils.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Updated notes: Earlier posted in 2016. Now updated with new pics, video, and recipe card.
That is a very interesting recipe with horse gram. Looks yumm!!
Thankooo.. :-)
One of the classi dish of Kongu nadu, just love this masiyal to the core.
yeah very true. Thanks a lot.
wow you have a huge list of kollu recipes. this kadaiyal is new to me. But a definite try…
:-) Thanks a lot Ruchi
This dish is totally new to me. Looks interesting. And yes, the wooden board is really amazing :)
:-) Thankooo Smruti
Such a flavorful masiyal.. love it Sri :)
Thanks a lot
This one is totally new for me. Good way to have some horse gram in the diet
Oh yeah absolutely. :-)
Nice one Vidhya , even the rasam tastes good
Thanks Jayashree.. :-)
That is surely one healthy one..good..and lovely board..
Thanks a lot Valli. :-)
Now I know what I can do with horse gram that my friend brought for me but nobody in my family likes it. Grinding horse gram is a good option.
yeah.. It doesn’t mash well even after pressure cooking for about 4 to 5 whistles. Thanks a lot
Me and my sister, we both love to explore healthy food options and few days ago i had long chat with her on health benefits of Horse gram as one of her office colleague shared healthy milk powder made with horse gram and daliya mix for toddler as best food and she suggested me to try horse gram. Now that I’ve this recipe I’m going to buy this grain and try very soon. Thank you so much vidya.??
Wow milk powder with horse gram ? sounds very interesting. Please do try Deepa. There are few other horsegram recipes too in my blog. Love this lentil.
Yes, I was referring to this recipe..
Luckily i got this for my sister so bookmarked…
Recipe link
http://www.gkfooddiary.com/2015/07/homemade-cerelac-for-babies-sathu-maavu.html
Hey Deepa, thanks a lot. Will look into it.
Priya @asmallbite
Simple yet healthy one,lovely wooden board too…
:-) :-) Thankoooo
Wow!!…Loving your kongu nadu series…love this one…simple yet great :)
Thanks a ton. I enjoyed this series too. But yet to explore more recipes.
This dish is so new to me, but looks so enticing, Srividya! PS: Love that wooden board! :)
Thanks a lot Anu :-)
simple and flavourful
Thanks :-)