Vegetable Stew

Yeah we love it. It is the mild taste of vegetable stew that I have now accommodated it in my brunch list. I like mild flavors for breakfast yet it still has not made it to the breakfast options simply because it takes a bit of hard work. I love coconut chutneys and coconut milk based curries but breaking the coconut and extracting the milk has always been Dad's job. As an exception I extracted the milk after he broke the coconut this one day. So as a favor I added some color to the stew by using tomato in it. Dad does not appreciate white curries so.

I remember a friend trying to decode vegetable stew when we were in school. Stew is mixed vegetable and potato cooked in coconut milk with whole spices and the special touch of smoking coconut oil.

Incase you are making stew for breakfast it is a good idea to cut the veggies and extract coconut milk at night itself.

Here is how I made the Ishtew as they call it in Kerala.

Ingredients

2 cups Mixed Vegetable cuts
2 tomatoes (Coz Dad likes it)
2 teaspoon coconut oil
2 cups coconut milk
1 green chili
4 cloves
1 inch piece of cinnamon
3 cardamoms
10 peppercorns
few curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds (accidental)

Heat a saucepan. Add the coconut oil. It should smoke add the whole spices, sliced green chili, curry leaves and immediately add the vegetable cuts. (I accidentally added mustard to the seasonings out of habit, purists please excuse me). Cook till tender or pressure cook. Once this is done. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 7-8 mins. Do not increase the heat as the coconut milk might coagulate especially when tomatoes are included. Put off the heat and serve warm with Idiyappams, Appams etc.

Subash and Ramesh tasted it from my lunch box. When it comes to praises Subash is always liberal. Hee hee with all the noises and action. I went uhh! at him as usual with a wave of the hand.

Stew on other blogs:

Valli's Kerala Vegetable Stew in Microwave!
Jugalbandi's Istu
Pachakam's Spicy Vegetable Stew