Category: Festive Recipes, Healthy Cooking, Lunch, Traditional
Cooking Method: Boiling, Frying, Grinding, Pressure Cooking, Soaking
Yields: 4 Servings Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: 10 Mins Cook Time: 30 Mins Total Time: 40 Mins
Olan is one of the components in Onam Sadhya. It is served on the banana leaf along with other sides. Olan is a very mild preparation made with ash gourd, coconut milk, and green chili, tempered with coconut oil and curry leaves. Commonly, cooked black-eyed peas / Vanpayar are added alongside ash gourd to make Olan. In some parts of Kerala, yellow pumpkin is used to make this Olan. The trick to getting a creamy Olan is to avoid overcooking the Olan after adding the first coconut milk. Try making this Olan for this year’s Onam Sadhya and enjoy it!
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
- Tempering Ingredients
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and chop ash gourd to cubes. Extract coconut milk from grated coconut three times. Boil the pumpkin cubes in the third coconut milk.
- Add slit green chili and let it get half cooked. Boil black eye peas for three whistles in a pressure cooker. Add the cooked peas to the ash gourd.
- Once the ash gourd is cooked, add the second coconut milk to it. Season with required salt. Let it boil for 3- 4 mins.
- Once it is cooked. Add the first thick coconut milk and switch off the Olan in 2 mins. Do not overcook after adding the first coconut milk.
- In a small pan, add coconut oil and temper with chopped small onions, and curry leaves. Add to the cooked Olan.
Notes
- I have used ash gourd for making this Olan recipe. You can also add parangikkai / yellow pumpkin to make Olan.
- The addition of black eye peas is out of your choice. You can use the only ash gourd if you like.
- In this recipe, I have used freshly made coconut milk. You can also use tinned coconut milk. In this case, dilute with water to attain second and third coconut milk.