Yam Curry is a regular dish that my mom prepares for lunch. I was not very fond of it when I was younger. While I was living with my mompa, I realized that he prepares it often too, and I liked his curry better than my mom’s. My mom is an excellent cook. I am just biased as I learnt cooking mostly from my mompa. One of the main difference between their versions of Yam Curry is that my mom mashes the yams into chunks, whereas my mompa slices them. It is not the exact recipe of his. I have modified it a bit for my taste.
Ingredients:
- 250 grams Yams
- 1 cup Shallots, peeled and chopped
- 6 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 Tomatoes, chopped
- 2 Green chillies, slit
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
- 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 3 tbsp Curry powder
- Tamarind small lemon sized
- 4-5 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Salt or as needed
- 3 cups Water
Preparation:
Wash the yams and boil them in a pressure cooker on a medium to high heat with 1 1/2 cup water for 4 whistles. Let the steam settle, take them out. Once it cools down, peel and discard the skins from the yam. Slice them into 1 cm thick pieces. Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup water for 15-20 minutes. Extract the water and discard the pulp.
In a wok or skillet, heat oil over a medium to high heat and add mustard seeds. After it crackles, add fenugreek and cumin seeds. Allow it to brown and add in the shallots, garlic and green chillies. Sauté them in oil. Let the shallots turn translucent.
Then add, curry leaves and tomatoes followed by salt and turmeric. Once the tomatoes are fried, add in the sliced yams.
Add the tamarind extract along with a cup of water. After it boils add the curry powder and mix well.
Reduce the heat and cook until it reaches the desired consistency.
Switch off the heat and serve with rice.
Notes:
- If you prefer, you can mash the yams instead of slicing before adding it to the curry.
- But, keep in mind that mashed yams tend to make the curry thicker, even more, so adjust water accordingly.
