Watermelon Olan തണ്ണിമത്തൻ ഓലൻ

Kerala Olan is an easy yet essential side dish in Kerala Sadhya – A dish that gives out the unique tastes of Kerala. This simple delicious coconut milk curry is mildly spiced with green chilies and has the flavor of coconut oil and curry leaves.

Traditionally, Olan is made using vegetables like ash gourd or pumpkin. When I tried olan with watermelon rinds, it came out surprisingly delicious. The flavors are very delicate as the watermelon rinds, cowpeas and plantain are simmered in coconut milk and green chilies. 

This easy-peasy one pot recipe is rich in flavors and can make your meal looks divine.  This simple, healthy, vegan, gluten free dish pairs well with steamed rice or Kerala matta rice. 

How to make Watermelon Olan in a Pressure Cooker?

Begin with soaking half cup of red cowpeas/ red chori for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Rinse and wash the cowpeas in running water and take in a pressure cooker.

Clean the outer skin of the watermelon in running water. Cut open the watermelon into 2 halves and divide one half into 4 parts. Slice each pieces into wedges. (Refer the recipe video by clicking here) Separate the white rinds by removing the green skin and red flesh. Take the white rind and cut this into small cubes. Take 1 cup of cubed rinds and add this in the pressure cooker along with red cowpeas. Add 1/2 or 1 cup of cubed green plantain into it. 

Take 2 to 3 green chilies, split it in to two and add this to the cooker. Pour 2 cups of thin coconut milk. Close the pressure cooker lid and put on the weight. Cook it on medium high heat for 2 to 3 whistle.

Once the pressure cooker has been cooled down, open its lid. Then, turn on the heat and boil it for 5 more minutes stirring in between. 

Add salt according to taste. Pour 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Turn off the heat and stir the olan well. Add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil and curry leaves. Close the cooker lid and allow it to sit for few minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice or Kerala matta rice.

No Pressure Cooker? No worries… Olan is indeed a One Pot Recipe.

Wash and drain the soaked Cowpeas and take it in a cooking pot or any cookware. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water with a pinch of salt into the pot. Put the lid on and allow the water to boil on high heat. Once it starts boiling reduce the heat to medium low and cook the peas until it is soft. It will take 15 to 20 minutes. 

Add the cubed watermelon rinds, green plantain and green chilies into the cooked cowpeas. Pour 2 cups of thin coconut milk and cook everything on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Then pour in 1 cup of thick coconut milk and  add salt if needed. Turn off the heat and stir in the coconut oil. Cover the pot and allow it to rest for few minutes before serving. Garnish the Kerala Olan with curry leaves.

What To Use?

Watermelon Rinds : Kerala Olan, in traditional way, is prepared by adding ash gourd, pumpkin or yam. Watermelon rinds taste just like any other water or melon vegetables and are super healthy. We can store the remaining rinds in an air tight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. It is good for stir fries, curries, salads and soups.

Green Plantain : About half of 1 green plantain is used in this recipe. But this is purely optional. It can substitute with yams, pumpkin or ash gourd. Or just add 1 more cup of cubed watermelon rinds.

Red Cowpeas/ Red Chori/ Vanpayar : Cowpeas is one of the ingredients that cannot be substituted in this dish. But we can use any varieties of cowpeas. Brown cowpeas are traditionally used in Olan recipes. However, we can make olan using red, and/or white cowpeas, popularly known as lobia.

Coconut milk : To make fresh coconut milk we need 1 cup fresh grated coconut. Add 1 cup of warm water and grind in a mixer grinder or blender for few seconds. Pour this into a strainer or to a muslin cloth-lined mesh sieve, and squeeze the milk to a bowl using your hands. This first milk is the thick milk of coconut

Put the leftover grated coconut from the strainer back to the blender bowl and add 2 cups of warm water and repeat the above steps. The milk we squeeze out is called the second milk which is the thin coconut milk.

If using canned coconut milk just as I did in this recipe, take 1 can of coconut milk (13.5 oz./400 ml). It contains 2 cups of thick coconut milk. 

Shake the can well before opening. Reserve 1 cup of thick milk from the can. Mix the remaining 1 cup milk with 1 cup of water to make thin milk.

For coconut milk powder, please follow the instructions on the package.

Green Chili : Olan is a mildly spiced dish. So, adding green chilies in this dish is always based on ones accordance.

Curry Leaves & Coconut Oil : For the authentic flavor, it is a must to add coconut oil and curry leaves into the dish. As a final touch garnish the olan with coconut oil and curry leaves. Then cover and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. This brings out a nice aroma which makes olan a pleasant dish.

Watch How To Make Video of Watermelon Olan : 

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Watermelon Olan തണ്ണിമത്തൻ ഓലൻ

Olan, a traditional Kerala side dish, prepared with Watermelon rinds, Red cowpeas and coconut milk.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Soaking Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 50 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, Kerala, South Indian
Keyword: kerala olan recipe, olan recipe, sadhya recipes, sadhya side dish, watermelon, watermelon rinds olan
Servings: 6 people
Author: Winnie Ann Koshy

Equipment

  • 2 Medium sized bowl
  • 1 Pressure Cooker or Pot

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Red Cowpea/ Red Chori/ വൻപയർ
  • 1 cup Watermelon rind/ തണ്ണിമത്തൻ തൊലി (white flesh)  (cut into small cubes)
  • ½ – 1 cup Green Plantain/ പച്ച ഏത്തക്ക (cut into small cubes)
  • 2 – 3 Green chilies/ പച്ചമുളക്  (split into 2)
  • 2 cups Thin Coconut milk/ നേർത്ത തേങ്ങാപ്പാൽ
  • 1 tsp Salt/ ഉപ്പ് or to taste
  • 1 cup Thick Coconut milk/ തനിപ്പാൽ
  • ½ tbsp Coconut Oil/ വെളിച്ചെണ്ണ
  • 1 – 2 sprigs Curry leaves (to garnish)

Instructions

  • Begin with soaking half cup of red cowpea in water for 6 hours or overnight. 
  • Next day, wash and drain the red cowpeas in running water for 3 to 4 times. Take this in a pressure cooker and set aside. ( Refer Note 2 )
  • Clean the outer skin of the watermelon in running water. Cut open the watermelon into 2 halves. Slice one half into 4 parts and cut up it into wedges. Remove the green skin and separate the red flesh. Take the white rind and dice this into small cubes. ( Refer Note 1 )
  • Take 1 cup of cubed rinds and add this in the pressure cooker along with red cowpeas. ( Refer Note 4 )
  • Take half portion of one green plantain ( Refer Note 3 ). Remove the skin and dice into small cubes.
  • Wash the cubed plantain and add into the cooker.
  • Take 2 to 3 green chilies and split it in to two and add this in the cooker.
  • Pour 2 cups of thin coconut milk into the pressure cooker. Close the cooker lid and put on the weight. Cook it on medium high heat for 2 to 3 whistles.
  • Open the cooker once it is cooled off and the internal pressure has been reduced. Turn on the heat and boil it for 5 minutes stirring in between to get the right consistency. Or add a little water to make it thinner.
  • Add salt according to taste. Pour 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Turn off the heat and stir the olan well. Add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Close the cooker lid and allow it to sit for few minutes.
  • Garnish the olan with fresh curry leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or Kerala matta rice.

Video

Notes

  1. Please refer the Watermelon Olan Recipe video to see the step-by-step instructions for cutting the watermelon.
  2. Olan can also prepare in a pot. Please read ‘No Pressure Cooker? No worries… Olan is indeed a One Pot Recipe’ section in the blog.
  3. Adding green plantain is optional. Ash gourds, yam, or pumpkin can also be used.
  4. Refrigerate the remaining white rinds in an air tight container and it will stay fresh for up to two weeks. Rinds can use like any other melon vegetables.

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