Kerala Vegetable Stew Recipe (Vegetable Ishtu) | Veg Stew for Appam, a popular vegetable based curry from the Kerala cuisine which is also known as ishtu, where veggies are cooked in coconut milk and very mild spices. It pairs well with appam, idiyappam or even just rice.
kerala cuisine is very famous for coastal and seafood recipes which are predominately prepared with coconut flavour. I’m a fan of both seafood & coconut, so it’s one of my top favourite cuisines. The recipes are generally prepared with either freshly grated coconut or with coconut milk. One such popular kerala style curry is a vegetable stew prepared with veggies.
This simple dish is aromatic and mildly spiced with subtle flavour and tastes so delicious. This goes so well with appam and idiyappam, but I must say, you can even pair it with idli, dosa, roti, puri, kerala parotta, and many more.
The best part about this Kerala Vegetable Stew Recipe is that it’s easily customisable based on what you’ve got at home or your choice of veggies. Don’t have a lot of veggies at home? Use what you have or just make the stew using potatoes and it turns out so well.
This Kerala Vegetable stew tastes very different to my Chettinad Vegetable Kurma. Though both are great vegetable based recipes, this stew is meant to be a milder dish and calls for simple spices which gives it a different flavour profile.
Ingredients Needed for Kerala Vegetable Stew Recipe:
Coconut Oil – For authentic taste, try to make this stew in coconut oil.
Spices – It has whole spices such as bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon & cloves, which add a subtle spice & flavour to the curry.
Vegetables – This dish is a great way to use up your leftover vegetables. Adding vegetables is completely your choice. Today, I have used Potato, Carrot, Beans & Peas. This is the best combination I like….May be I wouldn’t mind including cauliflower to this combo but you can explore & add more vegetables as per your taste and preference. There is no fixed ratio of the veggies…I usually keep everything equal except the potatoes, which I usually double up!
Coconut Milk – Both, thin and thick coconut milk are used in the curry to get the right consistency of the gravy. The coconut milk can be either be freshly prepared at home by grinding coconut or you can use store bought coconut milk. If you do want to make your own coconut milk, I have a detailed POST & a VIDEO where I show you exactly how to extract thin & thick coconut milk. You can check it out! But, today I’m using store bought coconut milk. I have added water to it for the thin coconut milk variation and used it as such for the thick coconut milk. And it worked completely fine.
Other Ingredients – You will also need Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Green Chillies, Curry Leaves, and Salt. Green chillies is the only source of main spice to the curry, so adjust the quantity to suit your spice levels.
Steps to follow for
Kerala Vegetable Stew Recipe:
Prep Work:
- Wash all the the vegetables well and cut into cubes of 1/2 inch. Thinly slice onions, Julienne the ginger and slit green chillies lengthwise. If using frozen peas, just remove and defrost or just leave them on the counter top for about 20 min. If using dried peas, you will have to soak overnight and then use. When using fresh peas, use them directly. Have 2 curry leaf sprigs washed & ready.
Let’s make Vegetable Stew:
- Heat a large pan with oil (Preferably Coconut oil, but if you don’t like, then add any neutral oil). To this add in the dry spices. Sauté for a minute until you get a nice aroma.
- Now, add in green chillies and ginger juliennes along with thinly sliced onion. Add a few curry leaves and a little salt to soften the onions. Sauté until the onions turn translucent. Make sure not to brown the onions.
- Now, add in the veggies one after the other.
- Give it a nice stir and cook covered for a minute until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add 1 cup water and the 1.5 to 2 cups thin coconut milk. Adjust the ratio of water: coconut milk as per your preference nut make sure that the veggies are immersed completely in the liquid.
- Simmer and cook covered until the veggies are cooked completely. It takes about 12 to 15 minutes depending mainly on the size you cut the veggies & of course few other factors.
- Finally add thick coconut milk, a few curry leaves and a teaspoon of coconut oil (Don’t miss to add this even if you have not used coconut oil in the start). Give it a nice mix and turn off the heat after one minute. Do not boil once you have added the thick coconut milk otherwise it may curdle. This stew is supposed to be runny, so that when you dip the appam, it absorbs the liquid and tastes great.
- Serve Kerala Style Vegetable Stew with Appam or Idiyappam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vegetable Kurma Vs Vegetable Stew
Both these dishes belong to the South Indian cuisine and have coconut in it, but the preparation is completely different from each other.
While the base of Vegetable Stew is just made with coconut milk and is flavoured with whole spices, the base of Veg Kurma is made with fresh coconut, poppy seeds and a few spices.
Because of the use of only coconut milk, Vegetable Stew is white in colour, while Vegetable Kurma has a yellow orangish hint to it due to the addition of red chilli powder. Click HERE to check out Chettinad Vegetable Kurma.
Which vegetables can you add to the Stew?
I have added Potato, Carrot, Beans and Peas, but you can go ahead and add vegetables of your choice.
How to prepare fresh coconut milk at home?
I have a detailed POST & a VIDEO where I show you exactly how to extract thin & thick coconut milk. You can check it out!
Can we thicken the Vegetable Stew?
Cashew Nut Paste – If you want to make the gravy very thick, add 1 tbsp of cashew paste. To make cashew paste, soak cashews (around 6,7) in hot water for 5-10 mins. Grind it into a smooth paste. Mix the cashew paste with thick coconut milk & add to the curry at the end. It gives a thick gravy & also make it rich & creamy. It is completely optional.
Corn Starch – You can make this nut-free by replacing cashew nuts with 2 tbsp corn starch. Simply, mix corn starch with coconut milk add it in place of cashew-coconut paste to thicken the gravy.
But, this stew is supposed to be runny, so that when you dip the appam, it absorbs the liquid and tastes great.
Is this Vegetable Stew Vegan?
YES, this stew is vegan & gluten free.
Vegetable Stew Instant Pot Recipe
- Turn on the Sauté button of your IP. Add coconut oil in the Pot. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon & cloves. Fry for a few seconds.
- Add ginger, green chillies, sliced onions and a few curry leaves. Fry for a minute. Now add the veggies, water, thin coconut milk, and salt.
- Close the Instant pot with locking lid. Turn off IP. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for about 3 minutes with a pressure valve in the sealing position.
- Once the Instant Pot beeps, turn it off and quick release the pressure. Open the Instant Pot and give it a mix.
- Now, add thick coconut milk, 1 tsp coconut oil and a few curry leaves. Mix everything well and turn on the Sauté button and cook it for 1 minute. Switch off the IP.
- Vegetable Stew is ready. Serve hot.
Storage Suggestions
- You can store Kerala Vegetable Stew in an airtight container for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
- I would definitely not recommend freezing it though, because coconut milk will be grainy once you thaw it and it won’t taste that good.
Serving Suggestions
- Traditionally, Vegetable Stew is served with appam for breakfast or even for meals.
- But, you can also pair it with even plain rice, jeera rice, idli, dosa, roti, puri, kerala parotta, and many more.
Kerala Vegetable Stew Recipe (Vegetable Ishtu) | Veg Stew for Appam
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Oil Coconut Oil or Any neutral Oil
Dry Spices:
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Cardamom Pods
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 2 Cloves
Other Ingredients:
- 1 Large Onion Sliced
- 3-4 Green Chillies Slit
- 1 inch Ginger julienne
- Few Curry Leaves Divided
Vegetables:
- 10 Beans Chopped
- 1 Carrot Chopped
- 2 Potatoes Peeled & Cubed
- 1/2 Cup Peas Frozen or Fresh
Remaining Ingredients:
- 1 tsp Salt Adjust to taste
- 1 Cup Water Adjust for consistency
- 1 Cup Thin Coconut Milk
- 1/4 to 1/2 Cup Thick Coconut Milk Adjust to taste
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Heat a large pan with oil (Preferably Coconut oil, but if you don't like, then add any neutral oil). To this add in the dry spices. Sauté for a minute until you get a nice aroma.
- Now, add in green chillies and ginger juliennes along with thinly sliced onion. Add a few curry leaves and a little salt to soften the onions. Sauté until the onions turn transparent. Make sure not to brown the onions.
- Now, add in the veggies one after the other.
- Give it a nice stir and cook covered for a minute until the raw smell goes away.
- Then add 1 cup water and the 1.5 to 2 cups thin Coconut Milk. Make sure that the veggies are immersed in the liquid.
- Simmer and cook covered until the veggies are cooked completely.
- Finally add thick Coconut Milk, a few curry leaves and a teaspoon of coconut oil (Don't miss to add this).
- Give it a nice mix and turn off the heat after one minute. Do not boil once you have added the thick Coconut Milk otherwise it may curdle.
- Serve Kerala Style Vegetable Stew with Appam or Idiyappam.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Coconut oil adds a nice authentic flavour to the stew but if you do not like it you can use regular oil and make it. But, do not skip it at least in the last step even if you don’t make the complete stew with coconut oil.
- You can also completely omit oil to make it oil free recipe.
- Remember green chilli is the only element of heat/spice in the recipe, 3 to 4 should be good enough for medium spicy but feel free to add more if you want extra spicy. Also remember spice levels of chillies can vary depending on the variety.
- Do not brown the onions, otherwise it will change the colour of the stew.
- Mixed veggies, you can use anything that you like but basic is carrot beans, potato and peas. You can also include cauliflower to this combo. Cut all veggies in big pieces.
- Making Coconut Milk fresh at home does give the best taste. But if you are pressed for time, you can use canned coconut milk well.
- If you want the stew gravy to be still runny, you can add 1/2 cup of plain milk too.
- Cashew Nut Paste to Thicken Gravy – If you want to make the gravy very thick, add 1 tbsp of cashew paste. It is completely optional. You can make this nut-free & still thicken the gravy by replacing cashew nuts with 2 tbsp corn starch. Simply, mix corn starch with coconut milk add it in place of cashew-coconut paste.
Other Kurma recipes on blog:
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
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Happy Cooking 
Cheers!!
Padma.
