Temple-Style Peanut & Coconut Sundal
வேர்க்கடலை சுண்டல்·(verkadalai sundal)
The Jain Inheritance: Allium-Free Masterclass
Boiled skin-on peanuts. A scrape of fresh coconut. Mustard seeds sputtering in hot oil. A revered offering in Tamil Nadu, sundal is a warm, dry-tossed legume salad. In orthodox Jain and South Indian temple kitchens, alliums are strictly forbidden. This dish relies entirely on thalipu—the South Indian art of blooming spices in hot oil—and the roasted, sulfuric funk of a quarter-teaspoon of asafoetida. It requires zero substitutions. It is a naturally gut-friendly masterpiece—no garlic, no sad compromises, just the hot oil and the seeds doing exactly what they were meant to do.
Before you start
Soak the peanuts.
Place the rinsed peanuts in a bowl, cover with a few inches of water, and let them soak for at least 2 hours or overnight. If you are using fresh, green peanuts in the shell, skip this step entirely.
Ingredients
- raw dried peanuts (skin on)1 cup
- water1 1/2 cup
- fine sea salt1/2 tsp
- toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- black mustard seeds1/2 tsp
- split husked urad dal1 tsp
- dried red chilies2
- asafoetida (hing) powder1/4 tsp
- fresh curry leaves1 sprig
- fresh grated coconut3 tbsp
Method
- 01
Boil the peanuts to tender-firm.
Drain the soaked peanuts and transfer them to a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Add the 1 1/2 cups of fresh water and the salt. Pressure cook on high for 3 to 4 whistles (or about 10 minutes), let the pressure release naturally, then drain off any excess water so you're left with a peanut that retains a firm, satisfying bite.
- 02
Begin the thalipu.
In a heavy-bottomed wok or skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Drop in the mustard seeds; the moment they begin to actively pop and splutter, immediately add the urad dal and stir constantly for 30 seconds until the dal turns a toasted golden brown.
- 03
Bloom the aromatics.
Lower the heat to medium and add the dried red chilies, asafoetida powder, and curry leaves. Stand back as the moisture in the fresh leaves causes the oil to crackle violently, and swirl the pan for 10 seconds to allow the asafoetida to melt into the hot fat.
- 04
Toss and coat the legumes.
Add the drained peanuts to the pan and toss thoroughly for 2 to 3 minutes, ensuring every peanut is slicked with the spiced, aromatic oil. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
- 05
Finish with coconut.
Turn off the heat entirely, add the grated coconut, and toss gently to combine before serving warm or at room temperature.
Notes
The magic of asafoetida.
You might recoil slightly when you open a jar of raw asafoetida. Extracted from the taproot of the giant fennel plant, its raw form is packed with sulfur compounds. Don't be intimidated—heating it in fat instantly breaks those compounds down, yielding a deeply savory flavor profile that perfectly replaces onions and garlic. Ensure your powder is compounded with rice flour, not wheat, if you require a strict gluten-free diet.
Portion control.
Legumes are usually a red-flag on a low-FODMAP diet due to high levels of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). Peanuts, however, are a botanical outlier. Monash University confirms they contain only trace amounts of FODMAPs. A safe serving is 32 nuts (about 28g). This recipe makes four servings; keep to one portion per sitting to avoid stacking.
Capsaicin warning.
Chili doesn't contain FODMAPs, but capsaicin can still irritate a flared-up gut. Scale the dried red chilies back (or leave them whole rather than snapping them) if your system is currently in high-alert mode.
Fat content.
This is a richer dish—for some readers, the fat content itself can be a trigger even when the FODMAP load is fine. Pair with a lighter side and a smaller portion if you're currently sensitive.
From Cook Low-FODMAP Indian.