Kalan | Kerala Yam and Raw Banana Curry in Coconut Curd Gravy

A Kerala-style curry made with raw plantain and yam, cooked in a coconut paste and finished with whisked curd. Mildly tangy, simple, and one of the essential dishes on the Onam Sadya banana leaf.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine kerala, South Indian

Keyword kalan recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings PEOPLE

Calories 139kcal

Author Puja

Equipment

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

The single most important step in this recipe is letting the curry cool before adding the curd.

Adding curd to a hot curry causes it to curdle.

Use thick curd for the best texture. If your curd is very thin, it will make the final curry thinner too.

Kurukku kalan (the thicker, more reduced version) can be made from this same recipe by cooking the curry down a bit further before adding the curd.

If the kalan looks too thick after resting, loosen it with a splash of water before serving.

Nutrition