Kaalan is a traditional Kerala dish, which forms an integral part of Kerala Sadya. It’s an important side dish of Thrissur, served along with rice for traditional Kerala sadya. Kaalan, also written as Kalan, is an integral part of Thrissur sadya, and it’s prepared in a few variations. Plaintain, yam, and curd – together form the key ingredients of any basic Kaalan recipe.
Kaalan recipe 

 Ingredients for Kaalan:

1. Sour-less curd – 2 cups
2. Elephant yam pieces – ¼ cup
    Raw banana chopped (after removing skin) – ¼ cup
    Curry leaves – 4 stalks
    Green chillies (end split) – ¼ cup
    Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
    Chilli powder – ¼ tsp
    Pepper powder – 1 tsp
    Salt and water – As needed
3. Scrapped coconut – ½
    Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
4. Coconut oil – 2 tsp
5. Mustard – ½ tsp
    Red chillies – 3
    Curry leaves – 2 stalks
6. Fenugreek – ½ tsp

How to prepare Kaalan?

1. Mix ingredients no: 2, and cook well in a pressure cooker.
2. Once done, open the lid and sauté till the full water content is absorbed if present.
3. Add thick curd to it and boil well. Keep stirring to avoid the curd from separating.
4. Finely grind ingredients no: 3.
5. When the water content of Kaalan is almost absorbed, add this fine paste. Turn off the flame when it starts bubbling.
6. Sauté ingredients no: 5 in coconut oil, and add to Kaalan.
7. Fry and powder fenugreek seeds and add to the curry after it cools.

 

N. B: If the curry is sour, you can add a piece of jaggery or ¼ tsp sugar to reduce intensity.   

Also read the recipe for Kurukk Kalan, which can remain fresh for days even without refrigeration.

Vanitha Magazine September 1-14 2011 archive

Read a few more banana vegetarian side dish recipes here. Click on the images in the gallery to read.

 
(Visited 282 times, 1 visits today)