Recipe for Black Eyed Beans/Alsande/Chowli/Curry

5 / 5 (1 reviews)

Chavli/Chowli/Black Eyed Beans or Alsande tondak or samarem is quite a popular vegetarian dish in a Goan houehold. In Konkani we pronounce it as "Osandem"I remember aunty Mary in our vaddo making the tastiest Osandem samarem on most Fridays as she and her family used to eat only Vegetarian food on Fridays. My Mum n Dad were very close friends with uncle Volley and aunty Mary. During our summer holidays, my Parents always made it a point to catch up with uncle and aunty as often as they could. They'd tell us we will go only for sometime but the sometime often lead to being there for more that 1-2 hours. As kids, we would be restless and wait for the elders to finish their drinks. It used to be fun as uncle Volley was super funny and then after 1 or 2 pegs, all the fun of their good old days would be spoken about by him and my Dad. After a point, as kids we would tend to get restless as we could never relate to some of the topics of discussion(and today we miss those times so bad). When Mary aunty would see me getting restless wanting to go home, she'd lure me with her food, hold my hand and take me to the "Cuzin" (Kitchen) where there used to be a long wooden wall table and a long bench where she'd make me and Skeeta, the younger daughter sit on the bench and serve us. And me being Me, whenever it was Friday, I'd secretly get excited to stay for dinner because I knew there would be "Samare" and Pao. Those memories of friends and relatives visiting eachother without permission or a prior phone call, was the best era according to me. The beauty was in how every family always had extra food and we always offered food to anyone who came over. Back in the day there was no concept of "ordering food" from restaurants yet, nobody left hungry!!! Those days were truly blessed. How we miss those days and all the simplicity and ekvotponn that came along with it. Chowli being one of my favourite pulses, I make it often at home. When I feel like eating bread or Chapati, I make a Xacuti and whenever I feel like eat rice, I make this curry. Do give it a try. I know you'll like it. No! this is not aunty Mary's recipe as I don't think i'll ever be able to match what she makes. I tried many times, but didn't get there....

By: admin (via Chrizzosgrubscene)
Original Publish: Mar 14, 2025
Last Updated: Mar 3, 2026
Finished Recipe for Black Eyed Beans/Alsande/Chowli/Curry

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. After the Chowli is soaked for 5-6 hours or overnight, wash it thoroughly and boil it in the pressure cooker by giving it 2 whistles on medium flame.Note:- if the Chowli have soaked for more than 6 hours, 2 whistles are enough. Ensure the Chowli is not extremely soft and mushy but it should not be hard either because we have to further cook it at a later stageAs soon as the whistle blows, turn off the flame and allow all the steam from the pressure cooker to be released and only then open the cooker. Strain the Chowli but keep the water/stock. We will use the stock in the curry    Keep it aside

  2. Transfer all the ingredients(except water) into a small(dry)mixer jar

  3. Using water little by little, Grind all the ingredients into a smooth fine paste. Note: If you add all the water at once, the spices won’t break down completely and the Masala will remain coarse.

  4. Now in a vessel or skillet, add the ghee/coconut oil/vegetable oil, whichever you're using and place the vessel on medium flame 

  5. Add in the onions, tomatoes and chillies and saute until the onions turn translucent  

  6. Add the curry paste into the vessel          

  7. Add 1 Cup of the boiled Chowli water/stock into the mixer in which the masala was made, give it a nice shake and add all the water into the vessel and ---Remember, we don't waste any precious Masala😉

  8. Cover the vessel and let the curry boil for about 15-20 minutes until the curry loses its raw taste. Add more of the Chowli stock if required

Want to see how it turns out?

We've hidden the final 3 steps to support the original creator. Get the full, complete instructions directly from their site!

Continue Reading at Chrizzosgrubscene →
Category:
Cuisine:
Method & Tags:

Comments & Photos

Be the first to share your thoughts!

Reviews from the Original Source

RUFINA ★ 5.0/5

Can I use this same madala for whole masoor

Did you make this recipe?

Thanks for rating!

Leave a Comment

Replying to User

More from Chrizzosgrubscene