Appam Side dish Stew / Vegetable Stew (pronunc. Ishtoo)

                     Appam Side Dish Stew/ Vegetable Stew (pronunc. Ishtoo)

  
            Vegetable stew is a very good side dish for appam, it is less spicy and goes well with appam. Stew should be pronounced as Ishtoo. This mildly flavoured, yet rich stew is liked by all in our home.

Pressing and taking coconut milk is tedious for many, it may take a few more extra minutes, but the result is yummy stew.

Cuisine: Kerala 
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes 

Yields: Serves 4 to 5 persons 

Ingredients:
Carrot: 1 no finely chopped
Beans: 50 gms finely chopped
Potato: 2 nos finely chopped
Peas or Sweet Corn: A handful 
Ginger: 2 inch piece  into fine julianes
Curry leaves: A few 
Oil as needed or 2 to 3 tea spoons (I used Coconut Oil)
Salt to taste

For Grinding:
Khuskhus: 2 tea spoons
Cashew: 8 to 10 nos

Cinnamon Stick: 1 inch piece 
Cardamom: 2 nos
Green Chilli: 3 nos

For Coconut milk Extraction:
Coconut: 1/2 no - Finely chopped or scrapped
Hot Water: 1/2 litre

Method:
1. Break the coconut. Take half of the coconut and take all the coconut flesh or meat out of the shell and finely chop it.
2. Add coconut to a mixie jar and grind it to a fine smooth paste.
3. Add the hot water and extract (Filter the pulp using filter by pressing the coconut pulp) coconut milk.
4. The first extract milk will be very thick. Keep it aside.
5. Likewise make second and third extract and keep it ready.
6. Cut the vegetables as mentioned and boil it in water till tender and keep it ready.

7. Grind the ingredients mentioned for grinding, into a fine paste.
8. Place a pan on the stove, add the oil when it is hot. Add curry leaves, ginger, onion and saute it well.
9. When the onions caramelize, ad the ground paste and stir well, till the raw smell of cashews and chillies goes off.
10. Add the third extract of coconut milk and stir well.
11. Add the boiled vegetables and mix it well.
12. When it starts to boil, add the second extract of coconut milk and leave it for 2 to 3 minutes.
13. Add salt as per your taste and finally add the 1st extract of coconut milk. Switch off the flame.
14. Transfer it to a serving bowl. Serve it with appam or idiyappam.

Note:
1. The ground paste should be cooked well before adding coconut milk, otherwise raw smell will spoil the taste of the stew.
2. After adding first coconut milk extract, you should not boil the stew. If you do so, it may curdle. So immediately you should switch off the flame after adding the milk.