A gentle Keralan vegetable stew of beans, carrot, potato and baby turnip simmered in coconut milk with cardamom, cinnamon and curry leaves. Quiet on the heat, generous on the aromatics. Serve with appam or steamed rice for a clean, comforting plate.

Ishtu is the Keralan adaptation of the English word stew, a leftover linguistic legacy of the British presence in the region. The dish itself is purely Indian (coconut milk base, whole spice tempering, no chilli) but the name and the structural intent (a mild, soothing one-pot vegetable simmer) hint at the colonial-era culinary cross-pollination.

The whole-spice tempering at the start of the cook is the technique that defines the dish. Cloves, cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods all bloomed in coconut oil for thirty seconds before any vegetables go in; the spices stay in the pot throughout the simmer and infuse the coconut milk with their fragrance. Pick out the larger pieces (the cinnamon stick especially) before serving.

Baby turnips (the small, white, sweet variety with the tops still on) are the unexpected vegetable that lifts this past the standard mixed-veg curry. Cut into quarters and added with the harder vegetables (carrot, potato) so they cook through; soft enough to eat with a spoon but holding their shape. Green chilli sliced lengthwise (rather than chopped) adds heat without dominating. Coriander leaves over the top to finish. Serve with appam or steamed basmati, with a small dish of mango pickle on the side.