A delicious dish of thickened yogurt gravy that is usually cooked and served as one of the many dishes that forms of the part of the famed sadya of Kerala . Yam and raw banana are usually the vegetables used in this dish .

Kurukku kalan is an inevitable dish in the grand sadya meal course served in Kerala during festivals of Onam and Vishu. There is another variety of kalan which is loose in consistency and is usually prepared for mixing with rice, whereas kurukku kalan is a concentrated thickened yogurt spiced gravy usually cooked with nendrankai, ( raw plantain variety ) and yam .

As much as it is a very delicious dish, it uses very few and simple ingredients, flavors coming mainly from pepper, green chillies and the aroma of cumin and coconut. The procedure of cooking the nendrankai ( raw banana ) and yam along with thick silky curd is the key to the flavor, giving it a smooth creamy texture . The dish is finished off with a blob of butter or ghee to the hot kalan, further making it smooth and creamy .

Sadya meals in Kerala duing Vishu or Onam is never complerte without kalan served alongside other delicacies.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Servings

Ingredients:

• 1.5 to 2 cups chopped yam and nendarnkai ( raw plantain )

• 1/2 of one big coconut

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 500 grams thick whisked smooth curds

• 1 tsp pepper powder

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

• 2 strands curry leaves

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• as needed salt

• 2-3 nos red chilllies

• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seed powder

• 1 tbsp butter or ghee

• 2-3 nos green chillies

Method:

1. Chop the vegetables in bigger uneven sizes . Take a broad pan or earthern cookware , add some water, add pepper powder , turmeric powder salt and the chopped vegetables, allow to cook till just soft, take care not to make it mushy . We need to see the whole chunks of vegetables in the final dish .

2. Allow to cook , till almost done , then add about a cup of the thick whisked curds , and allow to cook with vegetables, now at this stage you have to be constantly stirring to prevent the curds from getting curdled, which is not very pleasant , so keep stirring , till the mixture of vegetables along with the curds reduces a bit and begins to look thick.

3. Meanwhile grind to a very smooth thick paste coconut and green chillies with cumin . Keep aside till needed to add in the dish .

4. When the mixture has reduced and starts bubbling , add the ground coconut paste , don't add water , as this is the thickened gravy , and also add remaining curds if any . Keep stirring on low heat after adding coconut and more curds . add a pinch of roasted fenugreek seed powder .Mix well . add a tbsp of butter or ghee.

5. Switch off and prepare the tempering by heating coconut oil, crackle mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies , pinch of methi seeds, and pour over the fragrant kurukki kalan, and cover immediately to retain the aroma.

6. This kalan will thicken further on cooling and can be refrigerated upto 3 days also . usually for feasts, this dish is prepared in advance and refrigerated . Do not heat , but keep at room temperature and serve .