This kalan recipe is a Kerala-style curry made with raw plantain and yam, cooked in a coconut paste and finished with whisked curd.
It is one of the sour, comforting curries that shows up on the Onam Sadya banana leaf every year.
I make this often at home too, not just for festivals, since it comes together with just two vegetables and a handful of pantry spices.
(step-by-step-recipe-video-below)
What is Kalan Recipe?
Kalan is a Kerala curry made by cooking raw plantain and yam in a coconut paste. It is finished with whisked curd and a mustard-fenugreek tempering . It has a mildly sour, tangy flavor that comes almost entirely from the curd, not from tamarind or lemon.
Kalan is considered one of the essential dishes of a traditional Onam and Vishu Sadya. It sits somewhere between a curry and a thick stew, closer to the second than the first.
This kalan recipe kerala style sticks close to how it’s actually made in home kitchens, not a restaurant shortcut version. That home-kitchen approach is what makes it an authentic kalan recipe rather than an adapted one.
Regional Variations of Kalan
Even within Kerala, kalan changes depending on the household and the region it comes from.
Kurukku Kalan (Katti Kalan): A kurukku kalan recipe is simply the thicker, more reduced version of kalan, cooked down until very little liquid remains. It is the most commonly made version for Onam Sadya, and it is often what people mean by “kalan” without any qualifier.
Rasa Kalan: A thinner, more liquid version that sometimes uses a wider mix of vegetables beyond plantain and yam, such as pumpkin or ash gourd. It has more gravy and a lighter texture than kurukku kalan.
Palakkad Style: The Palakkad version of this kind of curry tends to be milder and less spicy than other regions. It lets the natural sweetness of the yam and plantain come through more.
North Indian Kadhi: Kadhi is not from Kerala, but it is worth mentioning since it is the closest comparison for a North Indian reader. Both are yogurt-based curries, but kadhi is thickened with gram flour and has a completely different tempering, while kalan leans on coconut instead.
This is based on my own research across food blogs, recipe sites, and publicly available sources. If you are from any of these regions and something reads differently from what you know, I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Preparation Tips for Best Results
A couple of small habits make kalan far more consistent, and one of them took me a while to learn properly.
Whisk your curd until it is completely smooth before adding it. Lumpy curd never fully blends into the curry, and you will see it as small curdled bits instead of a smooth gravy.
Use thick curd, not thin. Thick curd gives kalan a richer texture and holds up better once it is added to the hot curry base.
Troubleshooting: if your kalan looks curdled instead of smooth. This almost always means the curd went in while the curry was still too hot. Let the curry cool down for a few minutes first, then whisk the curd in gently off direct heat.
Cook the coconut paste until the raw smell disappears. This usually only takes a couple of minutes on low heat, and skipping it leaves a raw, uncooked coconut taste in the final dish.
Adjust the curd’s thickness with a little water, not the curry itself. If your curd is very thick, thin it slightly with water before adding it, rather than adding extra water straight into the curry.
Why This Kalan Recipe Works
This recipe works because it respects the one technique that makes or breaks kalan: how and when the curd goes in.
The curry is cooled slightly before the curd is added. This is the single biggest reason this recipe avoids the curdled, grainy texture that ruins kalan for a lot of home cooks.
Whisking the curd first keeps the final texture silky. A well-whisked curd blends completely into the curry instead of separating into small curdled pieces.
The tempering goes in last, off the base curry. Mustard seeds, fenugreek, and curry leaves added at the end keep their sharp flavor instead of cooking away into the gravy.
Only two main vegetables keep it simple. Raw plantain and yam are enough to carry this dish, so there’s no long list of ingredients to manage.
The Kalan Lesson I Learned the Hard Way
The first few times I made kalan, I didn’t think twice about when the curd went in. I would just add it straight into the hot curry, the way I might with any other gravy back home in Bihar.
Every single time, it curdled. Small grainy bits floating in what was supposed to be a smooth, tangy curry, and I couldn’t figure out why for the longest time.
It took watching how it’s actually done in a Kerala kitchen to understand the two things that actually matter here. First, the curd has to be whisked completely smooth before it goes anywhere near the pot. Second, the curry has to cool down a little before the curd goes in at all. This is the part I kept getting wrong.
Once I started doing both of those things, kalan stopped being a dish I was nervous about. Now it’s one I actually look forward to making. It is a small technique, but it is the whole difference between a kalan that looks right and one that doesn’t.
Serving Suggestions for Kalan
Kalan is traditionally served on a banana leaf with rice as part of an Onam or Vishu Sadya, alongside dishes like avial and thoran. On a regular day, it works well as a tangy side with plain steamed rice.
A little ghee stirred into the rice alongside kalan rounds out the meal nicely.
How to Store Leftover Kalan
Kalan keeps in the fridge for about two days in an airtight container. Because it has curd in it, I would not recommend freezing it, since the texture changes quite a bit once thawed.
When reheating, warm it gently on low heat rather than letting it boil, since curd-based curries can split if they get too hot too fast.
Pro Tips for Perfect Kalan
Beyond the curd technique, a few more details help kalan come out right every time.
Cut the plantain and yam into even cubes. Uneven pieces mean some cook through before others, leaving you with a mix of overcooked and undercooked vegetables.
Don’t skip the pepper powder. It is a quieter spice than chili powder, but it gives kalan a warmth that chili alone doesn’t provide.
Keep the flame low once the curd goes in. High heat at this stage is the fastest way to undo all the care you took whisking the curd smooth.
Fry the fenugreek seeds in the tempering until just golden. Burnt fenugreek turns bitter fast, so keep an eye on it once it hits the hot oil. You can also add fenugreek powder in the mixture.
Taste before adding the full amount of curd. Curd sourness varies a lot, so add most of it, taste, then add more if you want a tangier curry.
Use coconut oil for the tempering, not a neutral oil. It is a small amount, but coconut oil is part of what gives kalan its familiar Kerala flavor.
Add a little water to loosen the curry if it looks too thick. Kalan should be a thick curry, not a dry one. A splash of water before serving can fix the consistency if it has reduced too much.
Let the tempering sizzle fully before pouring it over the curry. A half-cooked tempering doesn’t release its full flavor into the dish.
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Basic Ingredients Used to Make Kalan Recipe
Raw Plantain (Pachakkaya): This is one of the two main vegetables in kalan, and it holds its shape well while still turning soft enough to blend into the curry.
Yam (Suran): The second main vegetable, yam adds a slightly earthy flavor and a bit more bite than the plantain.
Coconut: Ground into a smooth paste with cumin and green chilies, coconut forms the base that the curd and spices build on top of.
Curd (Yogurt): Whisked until smooth and added once the curry has cooled slightly, curd is what gives kalan its signature tang.
Turmeric, Pepper Powder, and Chili Powder: These three spices go in early with the vegetables, and together they build a warm, mild heat without overpowering the curd’s sourness.
Mustard Seeds and Fenugreek (Methi): Used in the final tempering, these bring a sharp, slightly bitter note that balances the richness of the coconut and curd.
Coconut Oil and Curry Leaves: Both go into the tempering at the very end, finishing the dish with the flavor that ties it to Kerala cooking specifically.
How to Make This Kalan Recipe
Making kalan comes down to three parts: cooking the vegetables, finishing with curd, and adding a tempering at the end. Here is a quick overview before you scroll down to the full recipe card with exact measurements.
Cooking the Vegetables
Cook the raw plantain and yam with turmeric, pepper powder, chili powder, salt, curry leaves, and enough water to cover them. Once they are tender, grind coconut with cumin and green chilies into a smooth paste. Stir it in and cook briefly until the raw coconut smell disappears.
Adding the Curd
Turn off the heat and let the curry cool down for a few minutes. Whisk the curd until completely smooth, thin it with a little water if needed, then stir it gently into the cooled curry.
Finishing with Tempering
In a small pan, heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, a dried red chili, and curry leaves until they sizzle. Pour this tempering over the kalan just before serving.
The full recipe card with exact quantities, timings, and step-by-step instructions is right below.
Kalan | Kerala Yam and Raw Banana Curry in Coconut Curd Gravy
Ingredients
For the masala paste:
- 1 cup coconut grated
- 1-2 chilies
- 1 tsp cumin jeera
- 1/2 cup water
Other ingredients:
- 1 raw plantain pachakkaya, cubed
- 1 cup suran yam, cubed
- 1-2 chilies slit
- Few curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 tsp pepper powder
- 1/4 tsp chili powder to taste
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp methi fenugreek powder (or a few methi seeds, if you prefer)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 cup curd/yogurt whisked
For tempering:
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp methi fenugreek seeds
- 1 dried red chili
- Few curry leaves
Instructions
- In a pot, add the cubed plantain and yam along with the slit chilies, curry leaves, turmeric, pepper powder, chili powder, and salt.
- Add 2 cups of water, enough to submerge the vegetables, and cover.
- Cook on medium heat until the plantain and yam are tender.
- While the vegetables cook, grind the coconut with cumin, 1-2 chilies, and 1/2 cup water into a smooth paste.
- Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the coconut paste and cook briefly, just until the raw coconut smell disappears.
- Turn off the heat and let the curry cool down for a few minutes. Do not add curd while it is still hot.
- Whisk the curd until completely smooth. Thin it with a little water if it is very thick.
- Once the curry has cooled slightly, stir the whisked curd in gently.
- In a small pan, heat the coconut oil for the tempering. Add mustard seeds, methi seeds, the dried red chili, and curry leaves, and let them sizzle.
- Pour the tempering over the kalan and serve warm with rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions about Kalan Recipe
What is kalan made of?
Kalan is made from raw plantain and yam cooked in a coconut paste, then finished with whisked curd and a mustard-fenugreek tempering.
Why did my kalan curdle?
This almost always happens because the curd was added while the curry was still too hot. Let the curry cool down a little first, and make sure the curd is whisked smooth before it goes in.
What is the difference between kalan and kurukku kalan?
They are largely the same dish. Kurukku kalan is simply the thicker, more reduced version, cooked down until very little liquid is left.
Can I make a kalan recipe without coconut?
Coconut is a core part of kalan’s flavor, so leaving it out changes the dish quite a bit. If you need to skip it, the curry will taste more like a plain curd-based gravy than traditional kalan.
What is the difference between kalan and avial?
Kalan is a curd-based curry made with just plantain and yam. Avial uses a wider mix of vegetables and skips curd’s sourness for a plainer coconut flavor.
Can I use store-bought curd for this recipe?
Yes, store-bought curd works fine as long as it is thick and whisked smooth before adding.
How long does kalan stay fresh? I
t keeps in the fridge for about two days in an airtight container. I would not recommend freezing it, since the curd-based gravy changes texture once thawed.
Is kalan spicy?
Not particularly. Kalan is meant to be mild and tangy rather than spicy, with just enough pepper and chili powder for warmth, not heat.
Can I make kalan vegan? This is harder, since curd is central to kalan’s flavor and texture. A thick, unsweetened plant-based yogurt can be used, though the taste will be a little different from the traditional version.
My Recommended Product:
Kalan leans hard on fresh coconut, and grating enough of it for a good coconut paste can take a while if you’re doing it by hand. For this recipe, I recommend the Brewine 2-in-1 Coconut Scraper & Citrus Juicer.
It has a stainless steel scraping blade and dual speed settings, so you can grate a full batch of coconut for the paste in a few minutes instead of standing over a hand scraper. The cooling fan and suction feet also mean it stays steady and doesn’t overheat if you’re prepping for a bigger Onam Sadya spread.
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