OLAN

Olan is a part of every Palakkad feast. It is light and bland side dish that goes well with sambar, pulungari as well as morkottaan.

Ingredients -

Ash gourd – 1 kg

Snake gourd – 100 gms. – cut in 1” strips

Vella payaru (black-eyed peas) – 4 tbsp (soaked in water for a couple of hours and pressure-cooked)

Green chilli – 2 (slit)

Salt to taste

Coconut oil – 1 ½ tsp

Coconut milk/milk – 3 tbsp

Method -

Cut the as gourd in thin 1 ½” squares. Wash well.

Put it in a heavy-bottomed pan along with snake gourd pieces and add ¼ cup water, slit green chillies and salt and cook covered on low heat for some 10 minutes till it gets cooked.

Pressure-cook the black-eyed peas and mix it with the ash gourd.

Boil uncovered on high flame till the water evaporates.

Remove from fire.

Add a tsp of coconut oil and 3 tbsp of milk.

Mix well. Serve hot.

Tips –

The olan will be ready in 15 minutes. If you use the pressure cooker for cooking rice, cook the black-eyed peas in a small vessel along with the rice – to save time. Mix the cooked peas to the olan and heat it before serving.

Variation - Elavan-mathan olan –

Ash gourd (400 gms) and raw pumpkin (400 gms) can be used or raw pumpkin (800 gms) alone – without the black-eyed peas and olan can be prepared as above.

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.