Elephant Yam Stir Fry or Senai Kizhangu Varuval is an absolute favourite dish of mine from childhood. It goes well with any dal or just curd rice. The yam is itchy by nature, but taking a few measures like using a week old yam, will help in avoiding it. The cleaning procedure is as follows:
- Apply oil to your hands or wear a glove before starting with the yam.
- Do not wash the yam before peeling or chopping it.
- Use a knife to peel off the skin as it might be quite hard with a peeler.
- Soaking in tamarind water helps in reducing the itchiness.
Ingredients:
- 350g Elephant Yam, peeled
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Urad dal
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 3 cups Tamarind water
- 4 tbsp Oil
Recipe:
Chop the peeled yam into small cubes and wash them in the water a few times to get rid of any mud or dirt. Soak them in the tamarind water for about 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadhai over a medium flame and add mustard seeds. Once it sputters, add the urad dal and allow it to brown. Add curry leaves.
Drain the tamarind water and add the chopped yam in the pan. Stir, so that the oil coats well through the yam. Reduce the flame to a low, cover and cook the yam till they are tender. Stir in between. Make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the kadhai.
Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Mix them well.
Remove the lid and fry the yam till they turn golden and crisp.
Serve it with rice, sambhar or dal.
