Thursday, April 30, 2015

ELEPHANT FOOT YAM KOOTU

ELEPHANT FOOT YAM KOOTU

We spent some days in Chennai recently and enjoyed typical Tamilian food. I love their "kootu" and here in this blog you will find recipes for Podlangai (Snake Gourd) Kootu and Mixed Vegetable Kootu.

Since we got some Elephant Foot Yam ( Suran in Hindi, Surnu in Konkani, Senai Kizhangu in Tamil, and Suvarna Gedde in Kannada) from the market I wanted to make some dish using this. You can read about the health benefits of Elephant Foot Yam in this article in OmTimes.

I have adapted this recipe from Senai Kizhangu Kootu in Padhu's Kitchen. It came out very well and we had it, as suggested, with steamed rice.

Important Tip : Fairly often, Elephant Foot Yam tends to cause itchiness when you skin and cut it, so it is advisable to wear some kind of gloves. Alternatively, you may also apply oil on your hands before peeling and cutting the elephant foot yam.





Ingredients:
  • Elephant Foot Yam, chopped, 2 cups
  • Tur Dal, (Split Pigeon Peas), 1/3 cup
  • Tamarind, small gooseberry sized ball
  • Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
  • Salt, as per taste
To Grind To A Paste:
  • Coriander Seeds, 1 tbsp
  • Channa Dal (Bengal Gram), 2 tsp
  • Byadgi Red Chillies, 4
  • Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup
  • Raw Rice, 1 tsp
For the Seasoning:
  • Oil, 1 tsp
  • Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
  • Hing, (Asafoetida), a pinch
  • Curry Leaves, a few
Preparation: 

Peel the elephant foot yam, wash it thoroughly and cut it into small cubes. Keep aside.
Soak the tamarind in a cup of water for 15 minutes and extract the juice. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadhai, add coriander seeds, channa dal, red chillies, raw rice, and saute till dal turns golden brown. Add coconut gratings and fry for a few seconds.
Switch off the gas and saute it in the heat of the pan itself.
Once it cools, transfer to a mixer and grind to a smooth paste using just the required amount of water. Keep aside. 
In a pressure cooker, cook the tur dal till it is soft. Mash it well and keep aside.

Method:

In a pan, cook the yam in 1 cup of water adding salt and turmeric powder. 
Once the yam is half-cooked, add the tamarind extract and cook till the raw smell of the tamarind goes and the yam becomes soft
Next add the ground paste that you have already prepared
Add the cooked and mashed tur dal, 1/2 cup of water, mix well and cook on low flame till everything gets well blended
Check for salt
Finally season the kootu with mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves
Serve the kootu with hot steamed rice





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