Olan | Olan Recipe – Sharmis Passion

Olan is a very essential side dish in Onam sadya menu which is made with bottle gourd, cow peas and fresh coconut milk as main ingredients. Olan is simple, easy and quick to make but delicious in taste. Learn how to make Olan recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Olan is my favorite among all the other items in the Onam sadya lunch menu. I’ve been a fan of olan ever since I first tried it. Olan with coconut milk is very light and I love the taste. Try and enjoy!

About Olan Recipe

Olan is a classic Kerala dish, it is a light curry prepared by boiling bottle gourd, cow peas with coconut milk. Onam can be incomplete without Sadya Olaan. Olan is a simple home-style stew with coconut milk as the main flavor along with bottle gourd and cow peas.

Olan is a mild spicy simple curry made with bottle gourd, peas, curry leaves, green chillies and fresh coconut milk. The taste of curry is so mild and delicious that it soothes your stomach.

Ash gourd is also called Kumbalanga in Malayalam. It is a common custom when shops use these to drop and break them as offerings to ward off Drishti (evil eye). I’m sure ash gourd was most likely sold for this purpose rather than cooking. Although I recommend taking the white pumpkin into pieces for this recipe, you won’t regret it even if you get the whole pumpkin – the rest can be used to make Kashi Halwa.

Olan is creamy and thick so it is easy to serve when served in a banana leaf. If Sambar is the king, Olan is the minister – this is a saying in Kerala. I got this recipe from my friend and I tried it immediately and we all loved it.

Have you ever craved for a dish that you have never tasted in your lifetime? Yep, that’s what happened to me – I don’t really know where I got attracted to this Olan, either its looks or the influence of my friends, not really sure, but just like it.

olan video

olan material

• ash gourd – Ash gourd or white pumpkin is used for Olan.
• cow peas – Cow peas also known as Thattapayer in Tamil, is used in conjunction with ash gourd for olan.
• coconut milk – Coconut milk forms the base of the curry.
• Curry leaf – Curry leaves enhance the taste of curry.
• Green chilly – Green chillies add spice and flavor to the curry.
• coconut oil- Raw coconut oil is added in the last step for best taste.

similar recipe

How to draw olan step by step

1. Take half a cup of cowpea, wash it thoroughly and soak it in water overnight. Next day drain the water and put it in a pan.

2. Add water slightly above submersion level.

3. Cover and cook until the cowpeas become soft.

4. Check by pressing, it should be soft and mushy only when pressed hard.

5.Now add 1 and ½ cup bottle gourd, some curry leaves and 2 green chillies, cut in half lengthwise. Add salt as per taste.

6.Now add 1 cup thin coconut milk to it.

7.Give a quick mix.

8. Cover and cook until bottle gourd becomes soft.

9. Bottle gourd and cowpea are cooked well. Switch off the stove.

10. Add 1 cup thick coconut milk.

11.Add some curry leaves and 1 teaspoon coconut oil to it.

12.Give a quick mix.

Olan is ready!

Expert Tips

• Make sure you cook both the bottle gourd and the bean a little soft so that it absorbs the flavor of the coconut milk properly and gets mixed well.
• Close and then add coconut milk otherwise there are chances of it curdling.
• You can cook peas in a pressure cooker or in an open vessel. But if you want to cook uncovered, soak the beans overnight. If you forget soaking then pressure cooking is the best and easiest option.
• Let the vegetables and beans rest for at least an hour to absorb the curry properly.
• I used homemade coconut milk, you can use coconut milk powder or prepared coconut milk which also comes in cartons.
• You can also use yellow pumpkin along with bottle gourd for this curry.

service and storage

Olan can be served as a side dish in vegetarian meals and thali. Also goes well with Olan Appam and Idiyappam. It is advisable to consume it on the same day of preparation as coconut is added to the recipe which may spoil the curry if stored the next day.

general questions and answers

1.Are Olan and Thoren the same?

No – even when they rhyme the same. While Olan is a white pumpkin, beans and coconut based light curry, Thoran is a vegetable stir fry dish!

2.Can I cook olean without black eyed peas?

Yes, you can use black eyed peas too. However, it will not taste like traditional olan and will not yield the authentic taste.

4.Do you know?

The low calories, high fiber and high water content of bottle gourd helps improve digestion and helps people lose weight.

If you have any further questions about this Olan Recipe Mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. Also, follow me Instagram, Facebook, pinterest ,youtube And Twitter .

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