After a week of revelry and eating out, we were in need of a home cooked meal. And while we wanted it to be light, we still needed it to be flavourful and fulfilling. And when the idea of a Kerala Vegetable Stew sprang into our minds, it seemed just perfect.
But then again, that week of revelry meant we were still not up for any elaborate cooking. So who do we call? Marshmallow! She has a way of simplifying recipes and making them incredibly easy and quick. She even gave us this fantastic recipe for Avial that was microwave friendly. Not a very traditional cooking method, but you’d never know from tasting it.
And she didn’t fail us. Her Kerala Vegetable Stew recipe takes only about 10 minutes to cook and about that much to prep before.
The Vegetable Stew is usually eaten with fluffy appams or stringy idiyappam for breakfast but we love it on its own or even with rice or idli and we have a feeling it would be pretty delicious with noodles too although we suspect this particular unconventional pairing might not be for everyone.
Kerala Style Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
2 Potatoes, diced into medium sized cubes
1 Carrot, diced into medium sized cubes
100g Green Beans, cut into thirds
Half a fistful of peas
1 Onion ( or 6-8 Shallots, AKA Kerala Onions or Sambar Onions), thinly sliced, not too thin though
1 Green Chili, slit
6-7 Curry leaves
1 inch Ginger, julienned
1 cup Coconut Milk
Salt to taste
Directions
Place the potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas and onions in a microwave safe bowl. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Don’t add too much water because we want the stew to be a thick consistency. Add some salt. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Pierce the potato and the carrot with a knife, to check if done. If not, cook for another minute or two.
Now, remove from the microwave and add the curry leaves and coconut milk. Pop it back in the microwave and cook for a minute. Volila! Veg stew is ready.