Yellow/White Peas Kozhumbu is a South Indian style vegan curry chili made in the Instant Pot. This kurma recipe goes well with everything and can be made in 30 minutes!
Extremely flavorful meal!
Cooking with dried peas
Dried yellow or white peas (field peas) are a must-have pantry essential. We call it Pattani in Tamil and Vatana in Hindi and it is always available in our homes.
We Indians love Chaat (popular Indian street food) and many chaat recipes call for these dried peas.
It comes to your rescue when you have no vegetables to cook
Ingredients needed
That's all you need!
As you can see, we need very basic everyday ingredients to make white peas kozhumbu.
This recipe calls for dry white/yellow peas. They are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. They are also rich in minerals and have no fat!
They can be found on Amazon or any Indian grocery store. Soak them overnight and use them.
You don't really need to add any veggies in this curry other than onion and tomatoes.
Whole and ground spices are key to this recipe. They provide an aromatic flavor to this curry chili.
Here's how to make it
Masala paste
First, we need to do a bit of prep work for this dried white peas curry chili!
You need to soak these yellow peas in water, overnight. Since we are cooking it in the Instant Pot, no need to cook the peas in advance.
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However, if you are making this dish on a stovetop, then boil these dry peas in turmeric + salted water in a pressure cooker till they turn soft.
Then we need to prepare 2 kinds of masala paste.
For the white paste, grind coconut, fennel seeds, and Daliya/Split Roasted Chickpeas (pottu kadalai) along with little water.
And for the red paste, grind tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamon along with little water.
Keep both these pastes aside for now.
Easy to follow steps
Here are two ways you can make this aromatic South Indian style Kurma recipe!
Instant Pot Version
Turn on the Instant Pot on saute mode. Add oil to the pan and fry chopped onions, green chilies, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro.
Saute till the onions turn translucent.
Then add the tomato paste along with salt. Mix and cook for a minute.
Add the coconut paste. Mix and cook for another 30 seconds.
Then add the cooked vatana/Pattani to the pan. Mix and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Add garam masala and then garnish with chopped cilantro.
Take it off the flame and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Fit for any season
Serve this Pattani Kuzhambu as a side for rice/Jeera Rice or any Indian bread like naan, roti, or chapati. You can also enjoy it as a thick savory porridge soup along with some toasted bread.
Traditionally, this vegan Indian curry is served as a side for Dosa. This kurma recipe is a sure shot winner! Do try it in your kitchen.
Top tips, recommendations, and suggestions
You can also add some other veggies like potatoes, carrots, or squash in this vegan Indian curry. Also add some greens like spinach, kale, beet leaves, etc for fiber.
Yellow Peas are quick to lose their shape when being cooked because they have less chlorophyll in them. So be mindful of that and don't overcook it.
Add little tamarind water while cooking the peas to get a tangy flavor. Puree a portion of the cooked beans and add them back to the pot to give it a thick, creamy feel.
If you don't have yellow peas or vatana, feel free to use any beans variety like chickpeas, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, green peas, etc in this kurma recipe.
This Instant pot vegan chili can very well be made in advance. It stays in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it.
Another way is to pre-cook the dried peas in advance and freeze it. That way, you can make this curry chili whenever you want and in a jiffy!
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Yellow/White Peas Kozhumbu is a South Indian style vegan curry chili made in the Instant Pot. This kurma recipe goes well with everything and can be made in 30 minutes!
Soak dried peas in water, overnight. Drain the water and use.
To make the white paste
Grind coconut, fennel seeds, and Daliya/Split Roasted Chickpeas (pottu kadalai) along with water.
To make the red paste
Grind tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cloves, curry leaves, cinnamon, and cardamon to a very smooth paste. Ensure that there are no sharp bits of the whole spices left behind.
Keep both these pastes aside for now.
Instant Pot Method
Turn on the Instant pot on saute mode. Add vegan ghee to the pan and fry chopped onions, green chilies, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
Then add the tomato paste along with salt. Mix and cook for a minute.
Add the coconut paste. Mix and cook for another 30 seconds.
Next add the spice blends - chilly powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder, and cumin powder. Cook for another minute.
Then add the soaked vatana/Pattani to the Instant pot.
Add water or vegetable stock along with salt to the pot. Mix to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Put the lid and cook in manual mode or bean chili mode for 25 minutes. Release pressure naturally.
Add garam masala and then garnish with chopped cilantro. Mix the curry well.
Stovetop Method
Heat oil in a pan and once it's hot enough add chopped onions and green chilies. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
Then add chopped cilantro along with salt, and tomato paste. Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the coconut paste followed by chilly powder, turmeric powder, and coriander-cumin powder. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Then add the cooked vatana/Pattani to the pan. Mix and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Add garam masala and then garnish with chopped cilantro. Take it off the flame and serve.
Serve this Pattani Kuzhambu as a side for rice/Jeera Rice or any Indian bread like naan, roti, or chapati. You can also enjoy it as a thick savory porridge soup along with some toasted bread.
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this recipe to you, so that you can look at it later!
Notes
You can also add some other veggies like potatoes, carrots, or squash in this vegan Indian curry. Also add some greens like spinach, kale, beet leaves, etc for fiber.Yellow Peas are quick to lose their shape when being cooked because they have less chlorophyll in them. So be mindful of that and don't overcook it. Add little tamarind water while cooking the peas to get a tangy flavor. Puree a portion of the cooked beans and add them back to the pot to give it a thick, creamy feel.If you don't have yellow peas or vatana, feel free to use any beans variety like chickpeas, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, green peas, etc in this kurma recipe.This Instant pot vegan chili can very well be made in advance. It stays in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it.Another way is to pre-cook the dried peas in advance and freeze it. That way, you can make this curry chili whenever you want and in a jiffy!
Sujithra says
Tried this recipe. It was delicious 🙂
Priya says
Thank you so much. So glad you liked it.
Aimee Mars says
I think I could survive on chili alone in the winter time and I've never had this version! It looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait to try it.
Priya says
Haha! Ya same here. Thank you so much
Dannii says
I am always looking for new ways to use my instant pot and this looks super comforting and delicious.
Priya says
Then please give this recipe a try! Its yumm!
Bless my food by payal says
This looks absolutely stunning and perfectly made. Loved the clicks.
Priya says
Thank you so much
Sadia Malik says
Love this dish so easy to make
Priya says
Thanks Sadia!
Sharon says
This is just a big bowl of comfort food! Perfect for making a big pot and having for lunch throughout the week.
Priya says
Absolutely! Thank you
Jersey Girl Cooks says
So much flavor in this dish!
Priya says
Thank you
Beth says
This looks so delicious and full of flavor! I can't wait to make this! My husband is going to love this recipe!
Priya says
Please do try it. Thank you.
Roxana says
What a mouth watering recipe! So packed in flavor, taste and healthy. I love all the step by step instructions.
Priya says
Glad you liked it. Thank you.
kim says
Love this recipe! It was so easy and tasty... will definitely be making again!
Priya says
Thank you so much. So happy to hear that.
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
This looks so tasty with all those wonderful aromatics. I need to use my IP more so bookmarking this recipe for sure!
Priya says
Yes, it's really yummy. Thank you.
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
This looks so flavorful and healthy. Must be so good with rice!
Priya says
Glad you liked it. Thank you
Dannii says
We are always looking for new ways to use our instant pot and this looks delicious.
Priya says
Thank you.
veenaazmanov says
Healthy, Nutritious and Vegan. I love it. My type of comfort meal. Love your recipe.
Priya says
Thank you so much
Anita says
Such a delicious dish for under 30 minutes! This goes so well with steamed rice we can't stop eating it. 🙂
Priya says
I know right! Thank you