Vegetable Ishtu is a flavorful vegan Kerala-based tasty side dish prepared with mixed vegetables and coconut milk. Stew is a tasty combo for Tiffin items like Appam, coconut Appam, and idiyappam.
Ever since my childhood days, whenever I think about Appam and idiyappam, Amma usually makes coconut milk as a side dish (she knows my sweet tooth).
Once we spent summer vacation at my Uncle's place. My aunt cooked idiyappam and vegetable stew for breakfast and I loved it. From that day onwards stew has become one of my favorite side dishes. I started cooking stew as an alternate side dish option to coconut milk for Aappam and idiyappam.
For years I used to make Vegetable Ishtu in a pan, but recently I have been using my pressure cooker and instant pot for making stew.
Ingredients
- Carrot – 2 peeled and cut into slightly big chunks
- Potato – 1 big peeled and cut into big chunks
- Beans - 6 about 1 inch
- Cauliflower - 1/4 cut into florets
- Green Peas - 1/4 cup
- Onion – 1 sliced finely
- Green chilly - 2 Adjust According to your spice level
- Whole black pepper - 1/4 tsp optional or pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
- Cloves - 2
- Cardamom – 2 or 1/4 tsp
- Thick coconut milk - 1 cup + 1/4 cup
- Curry leaves - few
- Salt - as needed
- Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Instructions
For the instant pot version
- Add coconut oil and when the oil is hot add bay leaves and clove
- Add onions, green chilies, and pinch of salt; saute
- Add pepper powder and cardamom powder
- Cook for 2/3 minutes or till onions are translucent. Sprinkle little water if required
- Turn off IP
- Add vegetables, remaining salt, 1/4 coconut milk, and 1/2 cup of water
- Cook for 1 min, high pressure, and natural release
- After the pressure settles down gently open the lid; mix well
- Add 1 cup of thick coconut milk, cook for a minute, and switch off
- Add little coconut oil in a small pan and sauté curry leaves; add it to the stew
To cook in the pan
- Add oil to a pan. When the oil is hot add clove and bay leaf
- Add onion, green Chilli, pepper powder, cardamom powder, and salt; sauté
- Cook for 2/3 minutes
- Add the cubed vegetables & combine well. Add 1/4 cup of coconut milk and water, bring to a boil, and simmer to medium
- Cover and cook till vegetables are cooked; sauté once in a while
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk and cook for 30 seconds and switch off
- Add little coconut oil in a small pan and sauté curry leaves; add it to the stew
Video
Notes
- Can add garlic and ginger
- Frozen veggies can be used for making stew
- I have used store brought coconut milk but coconut milk can also be made at home
- Add water to 2 cups of coconut and grind it. Filter the ground coconut, and the resultant milk is the thick coconut milk. Add water once again to the coconut residue and grind once more. Filter it again, and the resultant milk is the thin coconut milk
- For the pressure cooker method repeat the same process in a pressure cooker and cook for one whistle, manual/natural release
- Coconut cream can be used instead of coconut milk
Ingredients:
Carrot – 2 peeled and cut into slightly big chunks
Potato – 1, big peeled and cut into big chunks
Beans - 6 about 1 inch
Cauliflower - 1/4 , cut into florets
Green Peas - 1/4 cup
Onion – 1, sliced finely
Green chilly - 2 (Adjust According to your spice level)
Whole black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon (optional) or pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 2
Cardamom – 2 or 1/4 tsp
Thick coconut milk - 1 cup + 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - few
Salt - as needed
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
How to make Vegetable Ishtu with step-by-step pictures:
For the instant pot version
- Add coconut oil and when the oil is hot add bay leaves and clove
- Add onions, green chilies, and pinch of salt; saute
- Add pepper powder and cardamom powder
- Cook for 2/3 minutes or till onions are translucent. Sprinkle little water if required
- Turn off IP
- Add vegetables, remaining salt, 1/4 coconut milk, and 1/2 cup of water
- Cook for 1 min, high pressure, and natural release
- After the pressure settles down gently open the lid; mix well
- Add 1 cup of thick coconut milk, cook for a minute, and switch off
- Add little coconut oil in a small pan and sauté curry leaves; add it to the stew
To cook in the pan:
- Add oil to a pan. When the oil is hot add clove and bay leaf
- Add onion, green Chilli, pepper powder, cardamom powder, and salt; sauté
- Cook for 2/3 minutes
- Add the cubed vegetables & combine well. Add 1/4 cup of coconut milk and water, bring to a boil, and simmer to medium
- Cover and cook till vegetables are cooked; sauté once in a while
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk and cook for 30 seconds and switch off
- Add little coconut oil in a small pan and sauté curry leaves; add it to the stew
Is that big brown cylinder a cinnamon stick? That is a big one! Sounds great as always; thanks for sharing!
D
Ya thats cinnamon:) after cooking it became like that:) thanks
How pure white it is, its looks great Vidya 🙂
Thanks Malar:) Coconut milk does the magic
So many good ingredients Vidya!
Thanks Lori:)
Colourful stew vidya.....love appams...and this combo is super duper.....
Thanks Chitra:) ya stew goes well with Aappam
Now that is nice and warm and healthy. .yummy
Thanks:) ya tasty and healthy
I keep being amazed by the variety of spices you use...quite an inspiration!
ela h.
Thanks a lot Ela:) your words are encouraging
Never make stew in coconut milk. I will definitely give it a try. 🙂
Sure Jayeeta:) waiting to hear from you
Woww... vegetables in coconut milk sounds perfect... Looks and sounds so delicious.. 🙂
Thanks Arpita, yes veggies tastes amazing with coconut milk flavor:)
The veggie stew looks most delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Happy to know that you liked Vegetable Stew:) thanks Liz
Your stew sure sounds delicious Vidya!!
Thanks Shannu:)
Appam and vegetable stew, the comfort food! <3 Love it! 🙂
Totally agree Aiswarya:)one of the best combo right?
ya, the best combo!
have not considered using coconut milk before; must give it a try!
Do try and let me know how it turned out:)
healthy and yummy stew
Thanks Gayathri:)
That looks so delicious! I really love coconut milk in dishes, but have never made it myself.
Thanks:) Do try its one of the easy recipe
Nice recipe. Question for you: is desiccated coconut dry coconut? Thanks for the share.
Thanks:) as far as I know both are slightly different. Dessicated coconut doesn't have moisture but dry coconut have moisture
thanks!
Anytime:)
Nice. I didn't use ginger in mine. For Appam, I make black Konda-kadalai curry. 🙂
Oh ok Srividhya:) yes kadala curry also nice combo
This healthy combo looks so good...
Thanks Nora:)
Stew with Appam would taste heavenly! thanks for two awesome recipes!
Regards,
Sindhu
Tantu
The Arts & Me
Ya Sindhu true:)
so much color infused in the white gravy 🙂 tempting !!
Thanks Andy:) yes veggies make the white coconut milk gravy colorful
Love your vegetable stew with the Aapam, I love using coconut milk in soups and stews.
Thanks Suzanne:)never tried coconut milk on stew thanks for the awesome idea
another great recipe! thanks for sharing!
Thanks Thalia:)
Yum! Looks delicious, and healthy too!
Thanks for your lovely comment:)
That stew looks great. I am going to get the appam n come
Sure Shella:) Anytime