Kalan Recipe Kerala Kalan Curry

About Kalan

The cuisine of Kerala houses many dishes that are completely vegetarian, some naturally vegan and gluten-free too, yet are supremely delicious and soothing. This Kalan Recipe is one such dish. By the looks of it, you might find a similarity between this and another famous Kerala dish, the Moru Curry or Pulissery. But both are quite different. Apart from the fact that both these dishes are a yogurt-based gravy, there are elements that differentiate between the two. For instance, in the Kalan, there is also unripe banana (plantain) and/or tubers like elephant foot yam (suran) that are added. However, the coconut paste that goes in the Kalan Recipe as well as the moru curry are just the same. Fresh coconut is ground with green chilies, cumin seeds and some water into a fine paste and then used for the recipes respectively. The tempering of Kalan also just has mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chilies and curry leaves fried in coconut oil, and then poured over the curry. It is a simple recipe to make and requires not much efforts too. Gets done within half an hour and is gluten-free as well.

About My Recipe

Like I mentioned in the beginning, this Kalan Recipe is from the rich and versatile Kerala Cuisine and is also a part of the elaborate, all-vegetarian Onam sadya. So, you can see that simple dishes like these can also be a part of a celebratory meal. I make Kalan on many occasions at home. Sometimes, I just add yam and at times, both yam and raw banana. When I prepare this dish, I also prepare a dry sautéed or stir-fried veggie dish like a Thoran to go as an accompaniment with it. This dish is best served with steamed rice or Kerala matta rice. You can also serve some papaddums and ginger pickle or lemon pickle as a side with it to turn it into a complete, wholesome meal.

How to make Kalan

Cook Vegetables

1. Firstly, peel, rinse and chop the elephant foot yam (suran) in cubes or squares. You will need about 1 to 1.25 cups of chopped suran. Take the chopped suran in a pan.
2. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ to ¾ teaspoon crushed black pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt.
3. Pour ½ cup water. The water should just about cover the suran cubes.
4. If using plantain (raw unripe banana), then you can add ¾ cup plantain along with ¾ cup of yam. Peel the plantains and chop them before you cook.
5. Add water just about covering them.
6. Cover the pan with a lid and keep it on a stovetop. Cook on low to medium heat till the veggies turn tender and get cooked.

Make Coconut Paste

7. Meanwhile, take ½ cup tightly packed fresh grated coconut in a grinder jar. Add 2 to 3 chopped green chilies and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.
8. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a fine and smooth paste. Set aside.
9. Take 1 cup sour curd (yogurt) in a bowl and beat it with a spoon or wired whisk till smooth. You can also use fresh curd, instead of sour curd.
10. While the veggies are getting cooked, check at intervals. In case the water dries up and the veggies are not cooked, then add some more water. Cover and continue to cook.
11. Check if the yam is cooked by cutting it with a knife or passing a knife through a few cubes. The knife should pass easily.
12. If there is water in the pan, then evaporate it without the lid on a low to medium-low heat ensuring you don’t burn the bottom of the pan. There should be no water in the pan, before you proceed to the next step. Alternatively using a mesh strainer, you could strain the cooked yam or plantains and drain all the liquids.

Make Kalan

13. Now, add the prepared coconut paste. Keep the heat to low, while adding coconut paste.
14. Mix very well.
15. Then, add the beaten curd or yogurt.
16. Mix again.
17. If the gravy looks very thick, then you can add ¼ cup water. Mix well.
18. Season with salt. Keep in mind that, while cooking suran (yam), some salt was added.
19. Bring the Kalan curry to a gentle boil or simmer on low to medium-low heat. Once the curry comes to a gentle boil, turn off the heat. Note that on cooling, kalan will thicken more.

Temper Kalan

20. In a tadka pan or a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Keep the heat to low and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
21. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
22. Then, add 1 to 2 dried red chilies (broken and seeds removed) and 10 to 12 curry leaves. Fry till the red chilies change color. Do not burn them.
23. Next, add ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds), which have been slightly crushed in a mortar-pestle.
24. Mix and turn off the heat.
25. Pour the tempering in the Kalan curry. Cover with a lid and let the flavors infuse for 4 to 5 minutes.
26. Mix well and serve Kalan hot with steamed rice.

Expert Tips

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Kootu Curry | Koottukari Recipe Kerala Sambar Mathanga Erissery | Pumpkin Erissery Recipe Varutharacha Sambar This Kalan recipe from the archives first published in August 2017 has been updated and republished on May 2023.