Olan - Cow Peas with Ash Gourd

 Another popular Onam delicacy, this is an easy dish to make.  I have never seen cow peas in a tin - so if you want to make this dish, you will need to soak the peas over night and then cook it in a pot.  Other than that, it is a very easy dish to make.  The spices are mild and it is vegan. So lets see how to make this dish.  

Ingredients: 

1 cup raw, soaked cow peas

3 cups ash gourd (winter melon), peeled, de seeded and cut into cubes.

1 tin coconut milk

2 green chillies

1 sprig curry leaves

salt to taste

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 tablespoon oil

Method:

In a saucepan, add enough water (start with two cups of water, adding half a cup at a time if needed) and cook the cow peas.  Reserve 1 cup of cow peas for the dish.  You can freeze the rest for use another time.  Cook the peas until all of the water evaporates and the peas come out cooked but almost dry.

In a separate pan, cook the ash gourd with the green chillies, 1 cup water and 1/2 of the tin of coconut milk. Add salt to taste and cook till the gourd is tender.

Mix the cooked cow peas to the ash gourd and the remaining coconut milk.  This should only take a couple of minutes, as both the gourd and the cow peas are already cooked. Add salt to taste.

In a saucepan, heat oil and when it gets hot, add mustard seeds.  When the seeds crackle, add the curry leaves. Turn off the stove. Add the spiced oil to the ash gourd curry.  Serve hot.