Olan | Kerala Olan Recipe

Hey Folks,

Olan is my favorite dish in Kerala Onam Sadya. It is a traditional Kerala-style recipe with ash gourd and red cowpeas cooked in thick coconut milk. This is a simple gravy without any complex masala and is very tasty and light to have with rice. Try this recipe for Olan.

Olan - The Perfect Cook Book

INGREDIENTS:

1. Red Cowpeas / Vanpayar- 1/2 cup
2. Ash Gourd / Kumbalanga - 2 cups
3. Green Chilli - 4 
4. Curry Leaves - as needed
5. Salt - to taste
6. First Extract of Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup
7. Second Extract of Coconut Milk - 1 cup
8. Coconut Oil

PREPARATION:

The main cooking in Olan is cooking the red cowpeas / vanpayar. For cooking Vanpayar, first, dry roast it in a cheenachatty. After it cools down, soak them in water for about 30 - 40 minutes.

In a pressure cooker, add the vanpayar, 1/2 tsp of salt, and water enough to cook them. The vanpayar should be cooked well, so wait for at least 4 whistles. 

Meanwhile, in a bottom-hard pan, add the ash gourd sliced in a rectangular shape along with slited green chillies and salt. Add the second extract of coconut milk too. Now boil them, until the ash gourd or kumbalanga is soft and cooked well.  You can cook olan in earthen pots, which gives a special traditional flavor to olan. Once the kumbalanga is cooked well, add the cooked red cow peas / vanpayar to it. Add a few curry leaves to it and mix well. Close and cook for 3 minutes. Cook until the coconut milk is almost dry.

Now turn the flame off and add the first extract of coconut milk to it. I prefer olan to be a thick gravy, you can adjust the amount of coconut milk according to your wish. Now add about 2 - 3 tsp of pure coconut oil and some fresh curry leaves. Tear the curry leaves to enhance the flavor while adding to them. Check for salt and add if needed. That's it Olan is ready to be served.

As you can see it doesn't have many ingredients and is very easy to prepare. Kids will love this dish because it doesn't have much spiciness compared to other dishes. So, everyone do try it out and comment your feedback.

See you all in my next cooking blog!