Ethakka Kaalan (Plantain in Curd)

Did you know that Jains don’t eat vegetables grown under the earth? I was friends with a young couple in Bangalore and oh boy!, the pains of ‘creativity’ I underwent when I invited them for lunch or dinner. I mean no onions, ginger, and garlic!

That’s when I found out some typical traditional Kerala curries are a perfect fit for followers of Jain religion. There is a piece of ancient religious history that Kerala was the seat of Jainism and then later to Buddhism. I don’t know whether there is this religious influence in these types of dishes.This is an easy, lip-smacking dish made of plantains and curd and a very must item for the famous Onam Sadya. No onion,ginger or garlic,yet delicious to the last drop!Recipe for Kaalan: (The ‘L’ in Kaalan should be pronounced by twisting and touching the tongue on the upper jaw closer to the throat and not near the teeth. If pronounced otherwise, it will mean ‘Yama’ in Malayalam :-).There is no proper translation for Kaalan, sorry.)

There are myriad recipes for this, it depends on whom you ask. I am posting my version.

Ethakka Kaalan (Plantain Kaalan)Semi-ripe plantain diced – 2 cups (Use semi ripe)Cook plantain with 1tsp pepper powder, salt and turmericWhen almost cooked, add 4 cups of sour curd and salt, lightly beaten with a spoon. Don’t use the blender. This should be boiled in low heat until the curd reduces to almost half. Stir occasionally to prevent the curd from curdling.pic of coconut mixtureGrind fine a paste of 2 cups of coconut, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 6 green chilies and add to the dish. When it boils, add 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds powder and take off from flame. Add water with the coconut ,if you find it too thick. The dish preferably is on the thicker side.

Heat 1 tsp of coconut oil, splutter 1 tsp of mustard seeds, sauté 2 red chilies split and 2 springs of curry leaves.Add to the dish. Let it sit for sometime.Serve it with rice. This stays good overnight.