Heat a pan and dry roast grated coconut along with small onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies, pepper corns and curry leaves on a low to medium flame until it starts turning lightly golden brown.

When you start seeing a golden / light brown color, add the spices; chili, coriander and turmeric powder. Stir on a low flame for another 2-3 minutes until roasted well, be careful not to overdo nor turn dark brown. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool. If you are using whole spices, you need to roast them from the beginning along with the coconut at step 1.

Once cooled, grind all the roasted ingredients into a smooth paste. While grinding, the roasted coconut will release its oil, indicating that you roasted it perfectly.

Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas along with onions, salt and water (just enough to cover the chickpeafor 3 whistles. Allow it to rest until the pressure goes off. Keep aside.

You can either make the rest of the curry in the pressure cooker itself or transfer cooked chickpeas along with water to a wide pan.

To the pan, add the roasted coconut paste, stir and mix well. Add more water if you prefer your curry with more gravy. Allow the curry to boil.

Meanwhile in a separate pan; dry roast fennel seeds for 2 minutes until its fragrant. Allow it cool and using a mortar and pestle, ground it into a fine powder.

Once the curry starts boiling, add the ground fennel powder and garam masala.

Onto the same pan used for roasting the fennel, heat some oil and add the coconut tidbits. When the coconut starts turning lightly brown, add mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter and then add curry leaves and dry red chilies.

Add this tempering into the curry, mix, place the lid on the pan, and turn off the flame. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with puttu (steamed rice cake), appam (hoppers), idiyappam (string hoppers), roti or any bread.