Valval / Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Sauce

Valval is a very popular Konkani dish. It is made of coconut milk and lots of vegetables which, along with jeera, work together to give a rich, wonderful flavor.

The vegetables that are usually used are listed below. You can use all of them or just a few of them and add your own as per your liking or availability. If you are using most of these vegetables, just a few pieces of each will suffice.

Potatoes
Carrots
Ivy Gourd / gherkins (tendle / tindora)
Yard long beans (alsando)

Ash Gourd (kuvale)

Pumpkin (dudde)

Mangalore / Yellow Cucumber (magge)
Bottle Gourd (gardudde)
Snake Gourd (poddale)
Ridge Gourd (ghosale)
Sweet Potatoes (kanang)
Green beans
You can also add -
Zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash etc. Sometimes my mother-in-law also adds corn kernels.

The vegetables should be chopped into chunks. You don't have to peel them. I usually peel only carrots and sweet potatoes.

Ingredients :
5 cups chopped vegetables
1/4 cup cashewnuts
1 can (13.5 fl oz / 400 ml) coconut milk
2 to 3 green chillies
Salt to taste

Seasoning
1 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 to 3 red chillies
6 to 8 curry leaves.

Method:
Heat 2 cups water in a large vessel and allow to boil.  Add cashewnuts, all the vegetables , salt and green chillies and cook for a few minutes with coconut milk.

You could also chop while you add, to save time. As the water is boiling, add the cashewnuts and green chillies. Quickly chop potatoes and add. Chop carrots and add. Keep repeating till you are down to the last vegetable (go in the order of vegetables that need more time to cook). Add salt.
Now pour the coconut milk, adding more water if necessary and bring to a roaring boil. Do not over-cook the vegetables. A slight crunch adds to the taste.

If homemade coconut milk is used, usually a paste of maida (or rice flour) and water is added to thicken the dish.

Seasoning :
Heat ghee, add jeera and mustard. When they splutter, add red chillies and curry leaves. Pour over Valval.

Relish with rice, dal and some spicy pickle!

Sending this dish to Divya's Show Me Your Curry.