Name: Kalan | Raw bananas & Yam in Tangy Yogurt Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Indian, Kerala
Ingredients: Tempered Spices:; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1-2 dried red chilies, broken into pieces; Few curry leaves; Oil; 2 cups raw bananas, cut into cubes; ½ tsp cumin seeds; ½ tsp fenugreek seeds; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground black pepper; ¾ cup grated coconut; 5-6 green or red chilies, sliced; 2 cups yogurt; 2 sprigs curry leaves; Water; Salt to taste

A quintessential dish of onam feast, kalan is basically raw banana and yam cooked in a spicy yogurt sauce. Lately, I’ve been addicted to this South Indian curry, which is quite similar to pulissery I’ve already posted on the blog. No doubt, it’s definitely worth a try.

Few things before we go to the recipe:

The stars of the dish, raw banana and yam – Traditionally, kalan is made using equal quantities of raw banana and yam. If you’ve a look at my ingredients list, you’ll find that I don’t have any yam. This is because I live in a place where fresh yam is not available. However, the dish was absolutely delicious even without it.

More Kerala sadya (feast) recipes:

Yield: 5

Kalan | Raw bananas & Yam in Tangy Yogurt Sauce

Traditional Kerala Onam sadya recipe featuring raw bananas and yam cooked in a tangy yogurt sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups raw bananas, cut into cubes
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground black pepper
¾ cup grated coconut
5-6 green or red chilies, sliced
2 cups yogurt
2 sprigs curry leaves
Water
Salt to taste

If yam is available, substitute 2 cups raw bananas with 1 cup raw bananas and 1 cup yam.

Tempered Spices:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 dried red chilies, broken into pieces
Few curry leaves
Oil

Instructions

Place 1 tsp ground black pepper in a deep bowl. Pour in ¼ cup water. Mix well. When the water clears, drain. Set aside.
Fry fenugreek seeds without adding oil, and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
Whisk 2 cups yogurt. Set aside.
Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, and 2 green chilies to a smooth paste. Add a little bit of water, only if needed. Set aside.
Place raw bananas (and yam if using), curry leaves, 3-4 green chilies, ground black pepper, ground turmeric, and salt in a deep pan. Pour in water just enough to cover the veggies. Place the pan over medium flame and cook until water dries up.
Add in ground coconut, and mix well. Add more water to make a thick sauce. Cook again. Check the seasoning, and add more salt if needed.
When done, sprinkle with ground fenugreek, and remove from flame. Leave it to cool.
Once cooled, stir in the whisked yogurt.
Now to temper the spices, heat oil in a pan, and splutter mustard seeds. Add in dried red chilies and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds.
Add the tempered spices to kalan and mix well. Serve with rice.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 224Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 5mgSodium 221mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 4gSugar 22gProtein 7g

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