Olan

Olan is a simple coconut stew prepared with black-eyed beans and white pumpkin. It is a popular Kerala / Palakkad stew, that's prepared during festivals like Onam.

The simplicity of the dish belies its wonderful and lovely taste! It can be prepared in no time and is nutritious with vegetable/fruits, and protein from the black-eyed beans. And going from recent nutrition "research", coconut is great for you too! I wish some of my grand (and great grand) relatives were alive to hear this, because it's hard not to use coconut in our cuisine, and until recently, we were scorned for the same reason, and our food used to be labeled unhealthy. Of course, moderation (and a sensible head) is the key. No research will validate deep frying pastries in coconut oil... so, moving on ;)

Last month, when I visited one of my aunts, she generously gave us some ripe vegetables/fruits from her lush garden. Amongst those, she gave me an acorn squash and suggested that I make a nice pot of olan with it. Although olan is traditionally made with white pumpkin, any vegetable or squash can be added - we make up rules as we go along :). So I came back home to make a simple and delicious pot of olan with the fresh acorn squash and some carrots.

The lovely acorn squash from my aunt's vegetable patch

Here's how I prepare this simple stew. 

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 1 cup of diced acorn squash (or white pumpkin or any squash)
2. 2 carrots, peeled and diced
3. 1/2 cup uncooked black-eyed beans
4. 1/4 cup + 3/4 cup coconut milk
5. milk, as needed (no more than 1 - 1.5 cups)
6. 2 green chillies, sliced or slit into two
7. 1 tablespoon coconut oil
8. a sprig of curry leaves
9. salt, as needed

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan pan or pressure-cooker, cook the black-eyed beans until soft and drain any remaining water (Black-eyed beans need not be soaked to cook well. They cook fairly easily)
2. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, add carrots and squash. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk and some milk - just enough to cover the vegetables. (Most people add thinned coconut milk instead of milk, but my family usually adds plain milk along with coconut milk, effectively thinning the coconut milk). To this, add salt and slit green chillies. Cook over medium heat, stirring periodically, until the carrots and squash cook.
3. Now, add the cooked black-eyed beans to the vegetables, and the remaining 3/4 cup of coconut milk and simmer over low heat for 5-7 minutes just to mix in all the flavors. Remove from heat.
4. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a small pan. When warm, saute the curry leaves in the oil for just a few seconds to infuse the flavor of the leaves in the oil and add this to the olan. 

Mix and serve with rice or rotis for a simple and delicious meal. 

Note: The taste of olan is in a class of its own if you can use freshly extracted coconut milk from freshly cracked and grated coconut. Store-bought coconut milk or frozen coconut gratings don't do much justice.