sharing with you recipes that worked in my kitchen

Kaalan

Also called Kalan

By Tammy Austin ·

  • 15 ingredients
  • 12 steps

Kaalan is one of the classic Kerala dishes which is a must have for onasadhya. Its a dish made with coconut, yogurt, green plantain and yam. I was a little sceptical when my mom gave me the recipe for this dish, when she said I had to add dry roasted fenugreek powder in the end. Hm.. wouldnt that make the curry bitter? After the curry was ready I was glad I followed her recipe, because it turned out so good. The dry roasted fenugreek powder added to the dish in the end is what makes it pop. The other dishes you see in the picture are pineapple pachadi and lime pickle, for which recipes are available on the site.

Ingredients

  • Green Plantain – 1 cubed
  • Yam – 1 cup cubed
  • Grated coconut – 1 cup (1/2 coconut)
  • Green chillies – 2 – 3
  • Turmeric – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Pepper powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Cumin – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Fenugreek – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Curd – 3/4 cup
  • Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
  • Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons
  • Mustard – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Dry red chillies – 2
  • Salt to taste
  • Water – 1/4 cup

Equipment

  • Chatti (clay pot)
  • Mixer

How to make Kaalan

  1. Dissolve the pepper powder in 1/2 cup water and strain through a sieve.
  2. In a mixer grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin with a little water to form a smooth paste.
  3. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds, till they turn slightly brown, powder it in a dry grinder and keep aside
  4. In a Chatty add the cubed yam, green plantain, turmeric, pepper water and salt.
  5. Cover and cook till the yam can be mashed easily with the back of a spoon..
  6. Using a slotted spoon remove the yam and plantain from the chatty(this is to avoid the cooked yam and plantain from breaking up during the remaining cooking process) leaving the remaining water in there.
  7. Next pour curd into the chatty and keep stirring till the curd gets heated up, make sure you don’t heat it for too long or it might curdle.
  8. Add the ground coconut, cumin and green chillie paste to the chatty and bring to a boil(add more water if you think its too thick).
  9. Once it begins to boil you can add the yam and plantain back to the pan.
  10. Then sprinkle the roasted fenugreek over it. Mix to combine. Take it off the flame.
  11. In a small pan heat coconut oil. splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves and dry red chilies.
  12. Pour this over the prepared kaalan. Serve as a side dish with rice.

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