A couple of months back, we went to this fusion restaurant to celebrate S’ birthday. This restaurant took traditional South Indian recipes and presented them in a contemporary format, which was very interesting. One of the recipes, we had was Alleppey Curry. I loved it and immediately tried to replicate it.

Alleppey Curry originates from the coastal town of Alleppey or Alappuzha, in Kerala. Known for its backwaters and vibrant culinary scene, Alleppey is celebrated for this curry’s unique blend of local spices and coconut-based gravies. This curry typically features an assortment of fresh vegetables, often including carrots, beans, potatoes, and peas, cooked in a coconut milk-based sauce. It’s frequently served with rice, appam, which are rice pancakes, or parotta, offering a delicious and wholesome vegetarian option.

Now, I don’t like the smell and taste of coconut milk, so instead of using that, I used freshly grated coconut and blended it with some spices to make the sauce. So here’s how I made it.

Vegetable Alleppey Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mixed vegetables, chopped into medium-sized pieces. I used a mixture of carrots, beans, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and peas
• 2 raw mangoes, peeled and chopped into medium-sized pieces
• ½ cup freshly grated coconut
• 5-6 dried red chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp oil or ghee
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 5-6 curry leaves

Method:

• In a blender, blend the coconut, dried red chillies, cumin seeds and ¼ of the chopped mangoes into a fine paste. Keep aside.
• In another pan, add the chopped vegetables and the remaining raw mango pieces. some salt and turmeric powder and cook until about 80% done. Heat the oil and when it warms, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add the curry leaves, pour the tempering into the curry and cover immediately to trap the flavours.
• Serve hot with rice.