Olan

This is a a very popular Kerala dish. It is a stew that can be had with rice or as a side dish/vegetable. For novelty, one can even have it with chappathis too. This dish is usually prepared with either yellow or white pumpkin. This recipe uses a combinatin of both varieties as a tasty deviation.

Ingredients:

A mixture of yellow and white pumpkins cut into 1-1/2 inch long pieces 2 cups.

Grated fresh coconut 1-1/2 - 2 cups.

Green chillies slit vertically 3-4.

Coconut oil 1-1/2 tablespoons.

Salt as per taste.

Curry leaves for garnish.

Method:

Add lukewarm water to the grated coconut. Run it in a blender and extract thick coconut milk. This is the first extract.

Repeat the process two more times to get the second and third extracts.

Boil the cut pieces of pumpkin in the watery third coconut milk extract till it is 3/4 th cooked.

Now add the slit green chillies, salt as needed and the second extract and cook for a few minutes till the veggies are fully cooked.

At this point mix 3/4 teaspoon of cornflour or rice flour in 1/2 cup of water without lumps and add it to the gravy to thicken it.

Finally, add the thick first extract of coconut milk. Allow it to boil and immediately remove it from fire.

Add a tablespoon of coconut oil and curry leaves and close the vessel with a tight lid to preserve the aroma.

Tip: The quantity of green chillies can be varied according to one's tolerance. Generally this is a bland dish, not spicy at all.