Olan

Olan doesn't need much spices except for green chillies. You don't need all the vegetables I used, instead you could just use one. Increase the amount of the vegetable to make up for the volume.

Ingredients

Van payar ( red chori) - 1/4 cup
achinga payar (yard long beans)- 10
ash gourd or winter melon ( kumbalanga) - 200 gm
pumpkin - 100 gm
green chillies - 6
thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup
thin coconut milk - 1/4 cup
curry leaves - 2 sprig
coconut oil- 1 Tbs
salt to taste

How I made it

Soak the red chori overnight or for 6-8 hours, and pressure cook high with very little water for 1 whistle and then turn down the heat and cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the stove. It should be cooked well but should hold its shape.

Cut the yard long beans into 1 '' long pieces. Cut the pumpkin and ash gourd or winter melon into thin 1 '' long pieces.

cook the vegetables with thin coconut milk and green chillies on low flame. Add salt and the cooked red chori and boil. Add thick coconut milk and turn off the stove. Now add the curry leaves and coconut oil. Olan is ready.

Erisseri

Erissery is a Keralite dish. I love this dish because of its roasted coconut taste. My mother used to cook erissery with pumpkin, elephant foot yam ( Chena) and Red Chori( vanpayar.) Though there is many variations out there, I cooked it the same way.

Ingredients

Red chori (vanpayar)- 1/2 cup
pumpkin - 2 lbs
Elephant foot yam (chena) - 1 lbs
Coconut grated - 3 cup
Shallots - 5
turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
pepper powder 1 tsp
chilly powder 2 tsp
coconut oil - 1 Tbs
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Dry red chilly - 2-3
salt as required

How I made it

Wash and soak the red chori overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.
Cook it in a pressure cooker on high flame for 1 whistle and then turn down to low flame and cook for 5 more minutes and turn off the stove.  It should be soft and hold its shape. There shouldn't be much water left. If there is, use it to grind coconut or to cook pumpkin.

Remove the skin and cut the pumpkin and suran into small cubes.
(I used frozen suran)

Cook pumpkin and yam pieces together in a pressure cooker or in a pot with the turmeric, pepper and chilly powder and salt till soft with 1/2 cup of water( use more water if cooking in a regular pot)Mash it well with a spoon.

Grind 1.5 cup of coconut coarsely with cumin powder and shallots.
Add this mixture along with the cooked red chori to the pumpkin and yam mixture till it boil and turn off stove.

Heat up oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, and then add dry red chilly, curry leaves and the rest of the coconut and fry it on low flame till coconut turns brown.

Add the fried coconut to the erisseri and mix well. The consistency should neither be too dry nor with lots of gravy, but a thick wet mixture of mashed pumpkin and yam.

Long beans stir fry with coconut/ Achingapayar thoran

I usually cook yard long beans to a stir fry with or without coconut. This recipe is the one with coconut.

Ingredients



Long beans - 1 lbs
coconut - 1 cup
green chilly- 6
onion - 1 small      
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
oil- 1Tbs
mustard seeds - 2 tsp
dry red chilly - 2
urad dhal - 1 Tbs
curry leaves- 1-2 sprig
salt as required.

Preparation

Remove both ends and cut the beans into small pieces.
Chop the onion and green chilly.
Mix coconut, onion and green chilly well with hands.
In a pan heat up the oil and splutter mustard seeds, add urad dhal, dry red chilly and curry leaves. When the urad dhal turns brown add the beans to it with salt and turmeric powder, mix and cook covered on a low flame. it takes about 4-5 minute for it to cook. Now add coconut mixture to this, and cook for few more minutes till the raw smell of the mixture goes away. Enjoy with rice.