Kalan recipe

We had amazing friends in Bokaro, the city where I spent my memorable childhood days. All the malayalees were pretty much close to each other .They religiously followed a ritual of inviting each other for either lunch or dinner , when someone would be going to Kerala as a token of friendship, wishes and remembrance till they all meet again safely happily.

It certainly reminded me of the saying we Hindu's follow, "Athithi devo bhavah"(Guest becomes a God). As the host would lavishly prepare tasty dishes comprising of vegetarian and/or non-vegetarian items especially representing the region they belonged in Kerala. So, there were like Alleppey style foods, Thrissur style foods, Palakkad style foods to name a few. The unique taste, style and most importantly the love or the bond we all shared together still lingers in my memories .. Unerasable!!!

One such food item I can remember because of its unique taste and something my mom would not prepare it often but may or may not as a part of Sadya mostly is Kalan curry.Infact I tasted this curry first at one of my family friend's house.Shantha aunty and Bala aunty made the best .

By the way this recipe sounds just like the name of God of death, Yamraj in Malayalam, "Kaalan" . Strange and spooky !!

So, basically Kalan is a thick sour yogurt based curry made with raw bananas and yams exclusively. It is a traditional Kerala dish and an important part of the Kerala grand feast, Sadya. It is a simple yet flavorful curry especially with a spicy side dish & pickle. (Atleast for me)

Here is how I make "Kalan"

Ingredients

2" cubed Raw Banana - 1 cup

2" cubed Yam- 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Red chili powder-1/4 teaspoon

Pepper powder- 1 tablespoon

Salt - to taste

Ghee - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Roasted Fenugreek powder- 1 teaspoon

Beaten Sour Yogurt/Curd - 2 cups

Water as needed

To grind 

Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon

Green chilies - 2 nos. (Optional)

For seasoning

Coconut oil - 1 Tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Broken dry red chili - 2 nos.

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Preparation method:

• Dissolve the pepper powder in about 1/2 cup of water and strain it.
• Heat a pressure cooker and put the cubed yam , raw banana pieces, turmeric powder, red chili powder and the above strained pepper water for about 1 whistle on high flame and 1 whistle on medium flame till especially the yams are cooked.(I used pressure cooker to speed up the process as yams take time to cook and to get a little smashed like consistency.So,it is not must .You can cook in a pan.)
• Once they are cooked, soft and tender (in my case slightly smashed),add salt and ghee to it and keep it aside.
• Now grind everything as in the grinding list without adding any water to a smooth paste and add it to the cooked yam,banana above.
• Now add the roasted fenugreek powder and  beaten "Sour" curd to it and give a stir to the gravy, bring to boil,lower the flame and let it simmer for like 10-15 minutes ,stirring occasionally.
• Heat a pan, splutter mustard seeds and all seasonings mentioned in the list and temper the gravy above.
• Kalan is ready. Enjoy it with hot rice or as a part of Sadya .

Notes :

1. Fry 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in a drop of oil (low flame)to a golden brown (don't brown it though as they will taste quite bitter) and grind it to powder.
2. It is must to use sour curd for the authentic taste .Either prepare from the scratch the homemade sour curd or convert any curd into sour one by adding sour cream to the curd or by keeping the curd outside in the room temperature for couple of days or by adding few drops of lemon juice to the curd and keeping it in a warm oven for like 1 hour .

Enjoy !!