Pumpkin and coconut kalan
Kalan, a delicately spiced vegetable stew, is a traditional Nambudiri dish. Popular vegetables to use for the kalan include melons, plantains, and green mangos, but sweet pepper, cauliflower, carrots, lima beans, endive, and artichoke hearts also make for great additions to this stew.
Makes 1200g.

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Ingredients
500 |
g |
pumpkin |
1 |
|
courgette |
125 |
g |
coconut flakes |
4 |
|
green chilli peppers, chopped into pieces |
1 |
tsp |
cumin seeds |
1 |
tsp |
salt |
125 |
ml |
water |
375 |
ml |
yoghurt |
250 |
ml |
water |
0.5 |
tsp |
turmeric |
0.5 |
tsp |
ground black pepper |
3 |
tbsp |
oil |
1 |
tsp |
black mustard seeds |
1 |
|
dried red chilli pepper, chopped into pieces |
0.5 |
tsp |
fenugreek seeds |
24 |
|
dried curry leaves |
Preparation method
- Clean the pumpkin by removing the shell and the seeds.
- Chop the cleaned pumpkin into 3cm pieces.
- Cut the courgette in half lengthwise and also cut it into pieces of 3cm.
- Place the coconut, chilli peppers, cumin seeds, and the salt in the blender and blend until you have a smooth mixture.
- Add 125ml water and the yoghurt to the mixture and blend well.
- Bring the 250ml water to the boil over high heat.
- Add the turmeric and black pepper to the boiling water and mix well before adding the chopped pumpkin and courgette.
- Turn the heat down to low and allow the pumpkin and courgette to simmer for ten minutes until done.
- Add the yoghurt mixture and mix everything without crushing the vegetables. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan over high heat and fry the mustard seeds in the oil.
- Add the chilli pepper and fenugreek seeds once the mustard seeds have stopped popping.
- Add the curry leaves and fold through the vegetables.
Serving suggestions
- You can also replace the curry leaves with flat-leaf parsley and lemon.
- As a dish on its own.
- In combination with rice, cashews, and cucumber.
- Delicious with mango, spring onion, and carrot.