Olan Recipe, Kerala Olan with Ash gourd

olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-8
Recipe for Kerala Olan made with white pumpkin / ash gourd simmered in coconut milk and black eyed pea. Classic Onam sadya recipe made with pumpkin and cowpea / black eyed pea. Recipe with step by step pictures.

This is a very classic Kerala dish made with ash gourd and cowpea / black eyed pea. This is a very simple recipe and comes together in no time. There are just 6 ingredients in this recipe. Coconut oil, curry leaves, green chillies, ash gourd, black eyed pea and coconut milk (& of course salt). Ash gourd is simmered in coconut milk along with the curry leaves and green chillies. The flavors are so delicate and the stew itself is very lite. It is usually served with rice but goes well with appam and idiyappam too!

Here is how to do it.
You will need coconut milk for this recipe. Here is how to do it.
https://www.kannammacooks.com/homemade-coconut-milk/

First we will need to cook the cowpea / black eyed pea. There are two varieties of cowpea usually used. The white one and the brown one. Brown one is traditionally used for making Olan, but the white one also popularly called as lobia will work perfectly well too. We call the black eyed pea as thatta payaru in tamil.
thattapayir-kathirikai-kuzhambu-recipe-13

Soak the black eyed pea in water for an hour. We will cook the black eyed pea in a pressure cooker.
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-1

Cook the black eyed pea with 1.5 cups of water for 2-3 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to settle naturally. Strain the black eyed pea and set aside. The colour of the Olan is white. Adding the lentil water will change the colour of the curry. So I generally discard the water and use only the boiled lentils.
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-2

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the curry leaves and slit green chillies. Let the green chillies blister a little. The aroma of curry leaves when it hits the coconut oil is something that I feel so therapeutic.
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-3

Ash gourd is the main ingredient in this recipe.
Vellai-Poosanikai-Halwa-Khasi-Halwa-Recipe-pumpkin

Clean and dice the ash gourd. Discard the seeds and the skin. We will need about 300 grams of ash gourd for this recipe.
Vellai-Poosanikai-Halwa-Khasi-Halwa-Recipe-seeds

Add in the diced ash gourd to the pan.
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-4

Add in a cup of second pressed coconut milk (lite milk). Add in the salt. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
(I have used about half a small coconut for extracting milk for this recipe.)
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-5

Add in the boiled and drained black eyed pea.
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-6

Add in half a cup of first pressed coconut milk. After adding the milk, simmer for just a minute. Do not simmer for long after adding the first pressed coconut milk (thick milk).
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-7

Olan is ready. Serve with Kerala rice.
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-9

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
olan-recipe-with-coconut-milk-recipe-kerala-pumpkin-ash-gourd-1-2

Olan Recipe, Kerala Olan with Ash gourd

Recipe for Kerala Olan made with white pumpkin / ash gourd simmered in coconut milk and black eyed pea. Classic Onam sadya recipe made with pumpkin and cowpea / black eyed pea. Recipe with step by step pictures.

  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 67 green chillies, slit
  • 300 grams ash gourd / white pumpkin , diced
  • 1/4 cup black eyed pea, cooked
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup second pressed coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup first pressed coconut milk

Instructions

  1. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the curry leaves and slit green chillies. Let the green chillies blister a little.
  2. Clean and dice the Ash gourd. Discard the seeds and the skin. Add in the diced ash gourd to the pan.
  3. Add in a cup of second pressed coconut milk (lite milk). Add in the salt. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Add in the boiled and drained black eyed pea.
  5. Add in half a cup of first pressed coconut milk. After adding the milk, simmer for just a minute. Do not simmer for long after adding the first pressed coconut milk (thick milk).
  6. Olan is ready. Serve with Kerala rice.
  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: side dish
  • Cuisine: Kerala

4 thoughts on “Olan Recipe, Kerala Olan with Ash gourd”

  1. You have used vanpayar , thatapayar but mentioned it as black eye peas .. you are far better cook to make such assumptions

  2. Hi, In case i do use store bought coconut milk, then do i cook the ash-gourd in water and then add the coconut milk right at the end ?

  3. Swapna Thomas

    Authentic plan. I’m from Kerala and a good cook too. This is the way the traditional Hindu neighbourhood used to make it.






Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top