Kalan
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A thick, tangy curry of yam and raw banana cooked in sour curd and coconut, which keeps for days and improves with time.
Region: KeralaOccasion: Onam and Vishu sadyaTime: 40 minServes: 6Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup elephant yam (chena), cubed
- 1 raw banana, cubed
- ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp pepper powder, salt
- 2 cups thick sour curd, whisked
- 1 cup grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin and 2 green chillies, for grinding
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, 2 dried red chillies, curry leaves
Method
- Cook the yam and banana with turmeric, pepper, salt and a little water until soft and almost dry.
- Add the curd and simmer, stirring, until it thickens and loses its raw taste.
- Grind the coconut, cumin and chillies to a smooth paste and add. Simmer until very thick.
- Temper with mustard, fenugreek, red chillies and curry leaves in coconut oil and pour over.
- Leave to rest; kalan tastes better the next day.
History
Kalan is one of several Kerala dishes that use sour curd and long cooking, which help it keep without refrigeration.
Significance
Because it keeps well, kalan is often made a day ahead of the feast. It is one of the classic curd dishes of the sadya.