This Kerala recipe for Rasakalan is a must-have on every banana leaf during Onam
A blend of vegetables, spices and coconut, this dish tastes best when served with hot, steamed rice or what is natively known as Kerala 'matta' rice
| PREP TIME | 15 m |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 40m |
| SERVES | 4 |
- 2 cups ash gourd, diced
- 2 cups pumpkin, diced
- 1 cambodge tamarind or kudam puli
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 2½ cup water
- Salt to taste
- 7 tbsp coconut, grated
- 8 dry red chilli
- 2 green chilli
- ½ tsp fenugreek
- 1 tsp rice
- 3 peppercorns
- 7 tbsp yoghurt, whisked
- 1 piece jaggery
- 250 ml water
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 3 dry red chilli
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
For seasoning:
1. Soak the cambodge tamarind in one cup of water and extract the pulp from it.
2. Using a thick-bottomed pan, add the diced ash gourd and pumpkin and pour the tamarind pulp into it.
3. Next, add turmeric powder, salt and water (in equal measures).
4. Mix it well, close the pan and allow the vegetables to cook till it becomes soft and tender.
5. While the vegetable cook, roast rice, ½ teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and dry red chilli in a separate pan.
6. Next, add the grated coconut along with roasted items, peppercorns, dry red chilli and green in a blender and grind it to a fine paste.
7. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the ground paste along with the jaggery and allow it to boil well for 10 minutes on a medium flame, stirring occasionally.
8. Then add whisked yoghurt into it, mix well and switch off the flame. (Note: Make sure you whisk the yoghurt to a medium consistency. Also, ensure that your yoghurt doesn’t curdle by moving it off the flame immediately).
9. Now for the seasoning, add mustard, fenugreek, dry red chilli and curry leaves in coconut oil and allow it to splutter well before removing it off the flame.
10. Pour this seasoning onto the kalan and cover the dish with a lid for five minutes.
11. Remove the lid, mix well one last time and serve with hot, steamed rice.