Vegetable Stew is a flavourful curry from the state of Kerala, an assortment of vegetables cooked in a coconut milk gravy. Stew, ‘Ishtoo‘ as it is popularly called in Kerala, is typically eaten with appam or idiyappam, but I think it also makes for a great accompaniment for dosa, ghee rice and roti.
I love how subtle and delicate well-made Kerala Veg Stew is, creamy but not overwhelmingly so, spiced just right so as to keep you intrigued but not make you sweat with the heat. It is a very simple dish at heart, though.
Let me take you through the Kerala Veg Stew recipe in today’s post, the way we make it at home.
What Do You Need To Make Vegetable Stew?
Kerala Veg Stew is wholesome in that it contains a lot of vegetables. I have seen stew being made only vegetables like carrot, beans, onion, potatoes, cauliflower and green peas. I prefer only these vegetables in stew, too. You can work with the vegetables you have in hand in your refrigerator, fresh or frozen. Do not use vegetables like brinjal or pumpkin, which get mushy when cooked. Green chillies, curry leaves and ginger are used for flavour.
The next important constituent in Vegetable Stew is coconut milk. You need thick coconut milk, diluted with some water. For the sake of convenience, I use store-bought coconut milk, but you can make your own at home as well. In fact, you can prepare the coconut milk a day in advance and keep it refrigerated, so the making of vegetable stew is a breeze the next day.
The use of coconut oil is a must in the making of Vegetable Stew. It gives the dish the authentic Kerala flavour and fragrance. Make sure you use good-quality food-grade coconut oil, virgin and organic would be best.
We temper the stew using just a few whole spices – cinnamon, green cardamom and cloves. Go easy on these spices, as using too much can overpower the dish. A hint of black pepper powder – or fresh coarsely crushed black pepper – is also used.
Apart from seasoning with salt, we also use a bit of sugar in Vegetable Stew. This gives a mild sweetness to the stew, rounding off the other flavours very nicely. I would highly recommend not giving the sugar a miss – it’s used in a very small quantity anyway.
Kerala Veg Stew Recipe
Here is how to make the stew.
Ingredients (serves 3-4):
Vegetables:
- 1 small onion
- 1 small carrot
- 7-8 beans
- 1 medium-sized potato
- 1/2 cup shelled green peas
- 2-3 large florets of cauliflower
- A 1-inch piece of ginger
- 2 green chillies
- A sprig of curry leaves
Other ingredients:
- 3/4 tablespoon + 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil
- A small piece of cinnamon
- 2 green cardamom
- 2 cloves
- Salt to taste
- 250 ml thick coconut milk
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
Method:
1. Firstly, prep all the vegetables. Peel the carrot, potato, ginger and onion, and chop finely. Keep the potatoes submerged in water till you start cooking the stew, to stop them from blackening. Remove the strings from the beans, chop off the tops and ends, and chop finely. Chop the cauliflower florets into smaller pieces. Cut the green chillies into halves. Keep the curry leaves and shelled green peas ready.
2. Now, we will start preparing the Vegetable Stew. Heat 3/4 tablespoon of coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add in the cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom. Let them stay in the hot oil for a couple of seconds. Then, add in the curry leaves, chopped onion and ginger. Reduce the flame to medium. Saute on medium flame for 2-3 minutes, or till the onion starts browning.
3. Add the chopped carrot, potato (drained), cauliflower, beans and green peas, along with the cut green chillies. Add a little salt and about 1/2 cup of water. Mix well. Cover and cook on medium flame for 4-5 minutes or till the vegetables are cooked through. Uncover the pan intermittently to stir, and top up the water if you feel the vegetables are drying out. Remember not to overcook the vegetables – you need to ensure that they are just done.
4. At this stage, add in the thick coconut milk to the pan, along with about 1 cup of water.
5. Add salt and sugar to taste. Mix well.
6. Cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes or till the mixture starts bubbling.
7. Add in the black pepper powder at this stage. Mix well. Reduce the flame further down to low. Simmer the mixture for about 2 minutes, then switch off gas.
8. Mix in 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Your Vegetable Stew is ready. Serve it warm, with appam, idli, dosa or idiyappam.
Vegan & Gluten-Free
This recipe is completely vegetarian and vegan. It is suitable for people following a plant-based diet.
It is gluten-free as well.
Other Recipes From The Kerala Cuisine
I have quite a few other recipes from the Kerala cuisine on my blog already. Do check out my posts on:
- Moru Curry
- Beetroot Pachadi
- Mambazha Pulissery
- Pineapple Madhura Curry
- Inji Puli
- Mathan Vanpayar Erissery
- Kootu Curry
- Beetroot Poriyal
- Instant Mango Pickle
- Cabbage Poriyal
- Pineapple Pulissery
- Nei Payasam
- Palada Pradhaman
- Paal Payasam
Tips & Tricks
1. I have used readymade coconut milk from a brand called Real Thai (not sponsored). You can make your own at home too.
2. Adjust the quantity of water you use, depending upon the consistency of the stew you require. Ideally, the stew should be runny, neither overly watery nor too thick.
3. Adjust the quantity of green chillies and black pepper, depending upon how spicy you want the stew to be. You can skip the black pepper powder completely, too, if you do not prefer using it. I have dry roasted the black pepper lightly, then powdered it slightly coarsely. We prefer the stew subtle and mildly spiced, so I use a small amount of both.
4. Chop all the vegetables in the same size, so that they cook evenly. The vegetables should be cooked through, but not overly mushy.
5. Use virgin coconut oil that is entirely natural and does not contain any additives. I usually prefer the virgin coconut oil from Akshayakalpa or Svasthya Organics.
6. You add salt twice in this dish. Be careful, to ensure that you do not over-salt the stew.
7. You may add a garnish of finely chopped coriander to the Vegetable Stew. We usually don’t.
8. Some people add cashewnuts to the stew too. We don’t. If you want to use them, soak about 10 whole nuts in enough hot water for 15-20 minutes, then drain them and add them to the pan along with the vegetables.
9. Finely chopped garlic can be added to the stew too. If using it, add it in along with the onions. I do not like adding garlic to stew.
10. Do not hesitate to add the sugar. It gives a mild sweetish taste to the stew which, as per me, is the trademark of the dish. It also rounds off the other flavours really well.
11. You can add other spices to the stew too – like star anise and bay leaves. Add them in along with the green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. We usually prefer using just these 3 spices.
Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!