Kalan recipe with step by step photos. Kalan is a sour-tasting dish made with curd or buttermilk and veggies like yam and plantain. A typical ground coconut paste is also added in this dish, which balances the sour flavors from the curd. This recipe is gluten free too.
This recipe is from the rich and versatile Kerala Cuisine and is served in the onam sadya.
I make kalan recipe on occasions. Sometimes I just add yam and at times both yam and plantain. When I prepare kalan recipe, I also prepare a dry sautéed or stir-fried veggie dish like ash gourd thoran or beetroot thoran to go as an accompaniment.
You can serve some papaddums and ginger pickle or lemon pickle as a side accompaniment.
Kalan is one of the dishes that is served in the onam sadya meal. Since onam is around the corner, thought of sharing the recipe.
Kalan is best served with steamed white rice or Kerala matta rice.
How to make Kalan Recipe
Cooking Yam, Plantains
1. Firstly peel, rinse and then 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 and ½ to ¾ teaspoon crushed black pepper. Also add ¼ teaspoon salt.
3. Pour ½ cup water. The water should just about cover the suran cubes.
4. If using plantain (unripe banana), then you can add ¾ cup of plantain along with ¾ cup of yam.
5. Add water just about covering them.
6. Now continuing with step 3 – after adding water in the pan, cover the pan with a lid and keep it on a stovetop. Cook on low to medium heat till the suran becomes tender and gets cooked.
Making Coconut Paste
7. Meanwhile whilst the yam is getting cooked, take ½ cup tightly packed fresh grated coconut in a grinder jar. Add 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped) and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.
8. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth paste and keep aside.
9. Take 1 cup sour curd 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. When the suran cubes are getting cooked, do check at intervals. In case the water dries up and the suran pieces are not cooked, then add some more water. Cover the pan with its lid 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. There should be no water in the pan, before you proceed to the next step.
Making Kalan Curry
13. Now add the ground coconut paste. Keep the heat to a low while adding coconut paste.
14. Stir and mix very well.
15. Then add the beaten curd.
16. Stir and mix again.
17. If the gravy looks very thick, then you can add ¼ cup water. Mix well.
18. Season with salt as required. Do keep in mind that while cooking suran, some salt was added.
19. Bring the kalan curry to a boil. Once the curry comes to a boil, then switch off the heat. The curry will also thicken. Do note that the curry will thicken more, once it cools. So, adjust the water quantity in the curry accordingly.
Making Tempering
20. In a tadka pan or a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Keep the flame to a low and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
21. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
22. Then add 1 to 2 red chilies and 10 to 12 curry leaves. Fry till the red chilies change color. Do not burn them.
23. Next add ¼ teaspoon methi seeds which have been slightly crushed in a mortar-pestle.
24. Mix and switch off the heat.
25. Pour the tempering mixture in the kalan curry. Cover with a lid and let the flavors mingle for 4 to 5 minutes.
26. Later mix well and serve kalan curry hot with steamed rice.
More Kerala Recipes
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Kalan Recipe | Kerala Kalan Curry
Ingredients
For cooking veggies
- 1 to 1.25 cups chopped elephant foot yam (suran) or 150 grams suran
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon crushed black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water or add as required
- salt as required
For coconut paste
- ½ cup fresh grated coconut – tightly packed
- 2 to 3 green chilies – chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ to ⅓ cup water – for grinding
Other ingredients
- 1 cup sour curd
- ¼ cup water – to be added later, add only if required and if the gravy is very thick
For tempering
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds – lightly crushed
- 1 to 2 dried red chilies
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
Instructions
Cooking veggies
- Firstly peel, rinse and then 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.
- Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ to ¾ teaspoon crushed black pepper. Also add ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Pour ½ cup water. The water should just about cover the suran cubes.
- If using plantain (unripe banana), then you can add ¾ cup of plantains along with ¾ cup of yam.
- Add water just about covering them.
- Now continuing with step 3 – after adding water in the pan, cover the pan with a lid and keep it on a stove top. Cook on low to medium flame till the suran becomes tender and gets cooked.
- Do check at intervals. In case the water dries up and the suran pieces are not cooked, then add some more water. Cover and continue to cook.
- 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.
Grinding coconut paste and whisking curd
- Meanwhile whilst the suran is getting cooked, take ½ cup tightly packed fresh grated coconut in a grinder jar. Add 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped) and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.
- Add ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth paste and keep aside.
- Take 1 cup sour curd in a bowl and beat it with a spoon or wired whisk till smooth. You can also use fresh curd instead of sour curd.
Making kalan curry
- Once the yam is cooked and tender, then its time to add the coconut paste. If there is water in the pan, then evaporate it without the lid. There should be no water in the pan, before you proceed to the next step.
- Now add the ground coconut paste and mix very well. Keep the flame to a low while adding coconut paste.
- Then add the beaten curd and mix again.
- If the gravy looks very thick, then you can add ¼ cup water. Mix well.
- Season with salt. Do keep in mind that while cooking suran, some salt was added.
- Bring the curry to a boil. Once the curry comes to a boil, then switch off the flame.
Making tempering
- In a tadka pan or a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Keep the flame to a low and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
- Let the mustard seeds crackle.
- Then add 1 to 2 red chilies and 10 to 12 curry leaves. Fry till the red chilies change color. Do not burn them.
- Next add ¼ teaspoon methi seeds which have been slightly crushed in a mortar-pestle.
- Mix and switch off the flame.
- Pour the tempering mixture in the kalan curry. Cover with a lid and let the flavors mingle for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Later mix well and serve kalan with steamed rice.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Kalan Recipe from the archives, originally published in August 2017 has been updated and republished on February 2023.
Being married to a Malayalee (and not being one myself) I always wanted to try making Kalan for the Onam meal. Today I tried your recipe and it turned out so well that the whole family relished it. Thanks for your recipes. I love the way you present your recipes and they are always very clear and easy to follow. Have made several items from your list and look forward to trying even more.
Thanks a lot Kavita for sharing the experience and the feedback. Glad that you like the presentation of the recipes. Happy Onam festival to you.
Tried today, excellent receipe. Just wanted to know how fine the Coconut has to be churned in the mixer. My stuff turned out to be a bit coarse.
thank you. coconut has to be ground finely. hope this helps.
Super recipe. Made and loved it.
thanks akhil for the positive review on kalan recipe. happy cooking.
I’ve never cooked plantain before.
Please let me know how to clean and use it in the dish.
rinse the plantains first. then lightly scrape off or you can remove the peels if you want. after you chop them add them in a bowl of salted water or plain water so that they don’t discolor. if you have kept the pan etc ready, then after chopping you can directly add them in the pan and no need to soak.