Chana Sundal Recipe – Easy South Indian Chickpea Salad for Navratri

You can use any variety of beans like red kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, yellow peas, white peas, edamame, green peas, mung beans, etc. You can also make it just with boiled peanuts. It's called Verkadalai Sundal and is a very popular South Indian snack made during festivals like Navratri. Lentils like soaked and steamed chana dal, moong dal, or horse gram dal can also be used. Sweet corn is also a popular ingredient for sundal.

To save cooking time, I have used canned chickpeas to make my Navratri sundal. It also works because its texture is perfect. It is firm and holds its shape. But you can also use raw chickpeas and cook them after soaking them overnight or for 8 hours. Boil them in water with salt and turmeric powder. Cook it for 5-6 whistles in a pressure cooker or use an Instant Pot. Pressure cook it for 18 minutes. Whatever mode you use, ensure they are cooked al dente.

Normally, freshly grated coconut is used. But if you don't have access to it, you can also use dry unsweetened coconut flakes, shredded, or desiccated coconut. You can also make sundal without coconut entirely - some families skip it and use a spice mix like homemade sambar powder instead for a different flavor.

Yes, this chana sundal recipe scales up or down easily - just use a wider pan when doubling so everything cooks evenly instead of steaming in its own moisture.

If you're cooking chickpeas at home rather than using canned, the most common cause of a mushy sundal is overcooking at that initial cooking stage - chickpeas should come out al dente, firm enough to hold their shape, not soft enough to fall apart. Keep an eye on the whistle count or cooking time rather than letting them go longer "just to be safe."
The second most common cause is what happens after - once the chickpeas go into the tempering, be careful when tossing them around, since even perfectly cooked chickpeas can turn mushy if they're stirred too roughly or left in the pan too long.

Thengai (or thenga) means coconut, mangai (or manga) means mango, and pattani means peas in Tamil. This Pattani Sundal is a popular Chennai street food, especially served at Marina Beach - which is how it gets its name.
To make it, just follow this sundal recipe as is, swapping chickpeas for pattani (yellow or green peas) - the same peas used in my Pattani Kuzhambu - and garnish with chopped raw mango instead of (or alongside) cilantro.

Since this sundal recipe contains coconut, it will stay well in the fridge for 1-2 days. If you plan to store it longer (4-5 days), skip adding the ground coconut paste, or add fresh coconut right before serving.
The finished sundal doesn't freeze well, since the coconut and herbs turn watery once thawed - but you can freeze plain cooked chickpeas ahead of time in a single layer, then thaw and do the tempering and add coconut fresh whenever you're ready to eat.

Yes - cook the soaked chickpeas in water first in the Instant Pot for 18 minutes in manual/pressure mode, then drain and transfer them to a bowl. Switch the Instant Pot to Sauté mode, do the tempering, add the ground coconut paste, then add the cooked (or canned) chickpeas and mix. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to prevent the chickpeas from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and transfer to a serving bowl. Instant Pot sundal is ready!