Now that my parents are happily settled in Kerala, I got a chance to watch all these Onam special programs and I really cherish them. This is the day I see at my home and my grandma's home plus my all relatives' houses, heaps of coconuts collected from the coconut trees surrounding the houses/farm and today my recipe is based on that curry which is exclusively made with the coconut milk called Olan curry. It is the easiest and simplest curry of the sadya, in fact a vegetable stew it is.I prepare it for Sadya only otherwise for me it is a very bland curry with hardly any spices and I am a spice girl, yeahhh..spice girl 2 in making :P anyone interested to join the band? Let's make a "Spice up your life" - part 2 song.. what say ?? :O) ...decide and let me know :P and meanwhile I am gonna say how I make Olan curry :
Here's the Kerala Olan curry recipe :
Ingredients:
Black eyed peas/Red gram/Vanpayar - 1/2 cup
Ash gourd - 1 cup
Pumpkin - 1 cup (Optional)
Slit Green Chili - 3
Thin coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup
Thick coconut milk - 3/4 cup
Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Dry red chili - 1 (optional)
Curry leaf - 1 sprig
Preparation method:
- Soak the red gram/black eyed beans overnight for like 6-8 hours .
- Pressure cook it for about 1 to 2 whistles till it softens up.
- Dice the Ash gourd and the pumpkins , slit the green chilies , add the above cooked red gram and boil them with the thin coconut milk.
- Temper them with mustard seeds, red dry chili and curry leaves in coconut oil .
- Finally add the thick milk, give a stir and put off the stove.
- Kerala Olan is ready .
Notes:
- Canned ready made black eyed beans can be used. Discard the broth , rinse it and use it.
- Tempering with mustard seed, red chili is optional.
- To make coconut milk
Happy Chitra (in advance) !!