Cooks prepare Olan, a traditional Kerala dish, from white ash gourd, cowpeas or black eyed peas, coconut milk and simple seasonings. They prepare it as part of the Onam Sadya. Easy to make, this delicious curry is gluten free, vegan without any onion or garlic. It is a popular dish that is offered as blogs to God during festivals. So what does one use when they don’t get any ash gourd? Bottle gourd or chayote is a popular substitute. However, if you don’t get those then go for pumpkin, watermelon rind or butternut squash. I prepared the popular dish from Kerala using pumpkin and black eyed peas. Unbelievable how easy it is to prepare this dish. With very few spices or seasonings it is absolutely delicious.
What Is Onam Sadya?
Onam Sadya is the traditional vegetarian banquet from the state of Kerala, India. It consists of 24-28 dishes all served on a banana leaf during the Onam Festival. These dishes include curries, rice, pickles, dessert, salad, etc. The food is not arranged randomly on the banana leaf. There is a system that is followed. The food prepared for this festival is all vegetarian and without any onion or garlic.
Sharing Pumpkin Olan Recipe With 2026 Alphabet Challenge Group
This Alphabet Challenge Group initiated by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, is in its third year. We’re now on letter O. I decided to share the popular Olan dish from the Kerala Cuisine. It took me longer to peel the pumpkin than to cook the curry! Buying pumpkin off season is not a good idea as the skin gets tougher over time.
O is For Pumpkin Olan
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Oatmeal Banana Quick Bread is perfect as breakfast on a busy day or as a snack to enjoy in the afternoons. Though the bread appears dense trust me it is soft, moist and hearty. An excellent way to include oats in your diet. The taste of banana is not overpowering. Cinnamon adds a subtle flavour and the walnuts add a bit of bite.
Orange Avocado Salad is a colourful, refreshing, full of flavour kind of summer salad. Enjoy it as side or as a light meal. What I like about this salad is the delicious light orange dressing. And you can add other salad ingredients like radish, beans, quinoa, orzo, rice, etc. Somehow I felt that oranges and tomatoes don't go together well.
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ZEYTIN PIYAZI | GREEN OLIVE SALAD
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BATETA RINGAD NU SHAAK | GUJARATI STYLE POTATO BRINJAL CURRY
Bateta Ringad Nu Shaak is a basic, popular, easy to make potato and aubergine curry. This Gujarati style curry, sabji or shaak is usually prepared as a side dish to khichdi and kadhi. Or when made with a bit more sauce or gravy it can be easily enjoyed with some rotli or paratha.
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Fansi Dapka Nu Shaak is a version of the traditional Dapka Nu Shaak. Generally guvar or cluster beans are used to make this dumpling like yogurt based shaak or curry. The dapka or dumplings are made of chickpea flour. Instead of guvar or cluster beans I have used French Beans. Dapka Nu Shaak can vary from region to region and home to home. Some make it without yogurt.
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Iru Puli Kuzhambu is a traditional tangy curry or gravy from the state of Tamil Nadu, India whereby both tamarind and yogurt along with a few spices are used. It is unbelievably tasty, comforting and definitely different from any other curries or gravies that I have tasted.
Can use any pumpkin of your choice for this recipe. If you get ash gourd, bottle gourd, chayote then use those. Alternately, can use watermelon rind the white part. I used kobocha pumpkin as that is what was available. Peel about 300g pumpkin and cut it into chunks.
Coconut Oil
Best to use coconut oil as adds a delicious flavour and aroma too.
Green Chillis
Add according to your taste. Slit the green chillis lengthwise. I used 2 of them.
Curry Leaves
1 sprig or 8-10 leaves. Use fresh if possible. If not use frozen or dried ones.
Black Eyed Peas
Have to soak and cook them before adding to Olan. I usually cook a big batch and keep them in the freezer in a ziplock. Check out this recipe to know how to cook black eyed peas. Alternately, used canned black eyed peas. Can replace them with red cowpeas.
Salt
Add according to your taste.
Coconut Milk
For this recipe we need thin and thick coconut milk. Traditionally, coconut milk was and is extracted from grated fresh coconut. Coconut is added to a blender with little water and processed. The mixture is strained through a sieve or a muslin cloth. This is the thick milk. The grated coconut is transferred back to the blander jug with some water. Process it again and strain. You get thin milk. I used canned coconut milk which usually is thick. Add about ¾ cup water to ¼ cup thick coconut milk to make the thin one.
PUMPKIN OLAN
mayurisjikoni
Olan is a traditional Kerala dish, from white ash gourd, cowpeas or black eyed peas, coconut milk and simple seasonings.It is prepared asa part of the Onam Sadya. Easy to make, this delicious curry is gluten free, vegan without any onion or garlic. Instead of ash gourd I have used pumpkin.
Just in case we haven’t met before I’m Mayuri Patel from the coastal sunny town of Mombasa. In fact more of a global citizen now as I spend time between Canada and India. I’m the creator and writer of Mayuri’s Jikoni. Jikoni is kitchen in Kiswahili. Love cooking up a storm in my jikoni. When I’m not in the jikoni then you may find me reading fiction books, watching romantic movies, listening to Bollywood songs or enjoying God’s creation, nature. If my recipes can inspire you to cook at home then my job is done here. Cook up a storm in your kitchen with easy to follow vegetarian recipes right from soups to desserts.
