Indian
Vegan
Gluten freeVal val
Mixed vegetables in coconut gravy
वालवाल (val val): Goan Saraswat mixed vegetables simmered mild in coconut milk with drumsticks
Val val is a gentle Goan Saraswat stew of mixed vegetables in coconut milk, cooked for festive meals at Ganesh Chaturthi, weddings and temple feasts in Ponda and Margao, where it balances hot curries and fried fish-free starters on the plate. Drumsticks, pumpkin, green beans and potato cook in thin coconut milk with green chilli and cumin, then thick coconut milk is stirred in at the end for a creamy, pale, mildly sweet sauce. Eat it with rice, or with puris for a feast. The usual mistake is boiling it after the thick coconut milk goes in, which splits it into oily curds. Chef's tip: grind the cumin with the green chillies and a spoon of coconut milk; it gives a fresh warmth without colouring the white sauce.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 260 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 drumsticks (moringa pods)cut into 7 cm pieces
- 7 oz red pumpkinpeeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 potatopeeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 3 ½ oz green beanscut into 4 cm pieces
- 1 ¾ cups thin coconut milkor 200 ml coconut milk plus 200 ml water
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup thick coconut milk
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Grind 3 green chillies and 1 tsp cumin seeds with 2 tbsp of the 2 ½ tbsp thin coconut milk to a fine paste.
2 minStep 2: Put 2 drumsticks (moringa pods), 1 potato and the rest of the 1 ½ cups thin coconut milk in a wide pot with the paste and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 8 minutes.
8 minStep 3: Add 7 oz red pumpkin and 3 ½ oz green beans and simmer, covered, for 8–10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife but not falling apart.
10 minStep 4: Lower the heat to its minimum and stir in ¾ cup thick coconut milk. Heat for 2 minutes until steaming, without letting it bubble.
2 minStep 5: Warm 1 tbsp coconut oil in a ladle, add 1 sprig curry leaves for 10 seconds and pour over the stew. Serve with rice; to eat drumsticks, scrape the soft flesh off the fibrous skin with your teeth.
1 min
KrazyBadal
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