Valval or Koot Humman

Valval

A very popular dish in Konkani Cuisine of Cochin GSBs, vegetables cooked in coconut milk with green chillies and no spice powder used. Good combination with rice.

Serves: 3

You will need

400 g vegetables (400 g net weight after cutting the vegetables)

These are the vegetables

100 g ash gourd
100 g pumpkin
1 potato
10 cashew nut (splits)

3 colocasia (chembu / mande)- soak colocasia in 1 cup water for half an hour. Then you can clean it very easily.

5 long beans (chawli / payaru)

225 ml thin coconut milk
4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
50 ml thick coconut milk
2 pinches hing (asafoetida)
1 teaspoon oil

Tip - If using Maggi Instant coconut milk, mix 25 g Maggi Coconut milk powder with 225 ml water. Mix well and make a smooth solution. No need to add extra thick milk during the final stage of cooking.

Pressure cook potato, cashew nut splits and colocasia slices together with 50 ml water. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on high heat. Switch off the heat and allow the cooker to cool naturally. Or you can cook potato and colocasia slices directly with other vegetables. But I’m not very sure about the cooking time of potato and colocasia. Other vegetables (ash gourd, pumpkin & long beans) will cook very fast.

Method

Wash and clean vegetables. Cut vegetables into same shape and size.

In a wide pan, mix vegetables (except potato and colocasia) with coconut milk, salt and green chillies. Cover with a lid and cook on a low to medium heat for 12 - 15 minutes or until 3/4 done.

Add boiled potato, cashew nut splits and colocasia slices and cook again on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes or until done / vegetables softens / reduction quantity. Switch off the heat. If using homemade coconut milk, add 50 ml thick milk and stir well. Do not heat again.

Finally, add hing (asafoetida) and 1 teaspoon coconut oil.

Serve with rice.