Olan

Olan is a Kerala dish. Olan is an unavoidable dish in Kerala feast especially for Onam and Vishu feast. We Konkani’s also have accepted this dish along with our cuisine after migrating from Goa to Kerala. But we usually do not prepare olan for out festivals and functions. But now with change of time people have also included olan along with the main dishes. But even now olan is not prepared in temple festivals. We have brought out own variations in the dish and this is what I will be discussing in the recipe.

Ingredients

You need

• 1/4^th cup vanpayar (Red lobia) (‘Sukki chavli’ in Konkani)
• 1/4^th cup cubed Colcasia roots (‘Sopur mandae’ Konkani)
• 1/4^th cup ash gourd
• 2 to 3 green chillies (or as per your spiciness level)
• 5 to 6 tbspns grated coconut for extraction of coconut milk

For garnishing

• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tspn fresh coconut oil

Method

Extraction of coconut milk

For this you may please refer my post on Vegetable Stew. I have used only first and second coconut milk in the preparation of the dish. You can even use third coconut milk also. Then cook the vegetables in the third coconut milk, then second and then first.

Wash and soak vanpayar (red lobia) for 5 to 6 hours and pressure cook till cooked. In the meantime peel wash and cut ash gourd (remove seeds of these), colcasia roots and keep aside. Slit green chillies.

Once the red lobia is cooked transfer the red lobia to a vessel into the same vessel add colcasia roots, ash gourd and slit green chillies and cook on medium flame in second coconut milk. Once it is cooked add the first coconut milk and simmer the flame to low. Once you see bubbles starting to arise from the sides then switch off the flame. Add salt. Garnish with asafoetida and fresh coconut oil.

Your Olan is ready to be served.

Tips

While boiling the vegetables on stove in coconut milk see that you add salt in the end or else the coconut milk will curdle fast if you add salt in the beginning.

Once you add first coconut milk simmer the flame.

You can even add cashew nut along with vegetables to increase the richness and taste of the dish.

For kumbalanga olan only vanpayar and kumbalanga are added and this is the one that is usually prepared for Onam and Vishu feast.