Elephant Yam or Senai Kizhangu Curry

ELEPHANT YAM OR SENAI KIZHANGU CURRY
Curry or Porial is a vegetable prepared as a side dish. Its does not contain any gravy. A great many varieties of currys can be cooked with any vegetables under the sky! Two or four varieties of curries, are usually prepared in great luncheons. Varieties include the mildly seasoned sautéed or boiled vegetables. Fresh grated coconut may or may not be added. The second is the roasted or fried variety. Senai Kizhangu curry is a mix of both, and is first boiled and then roasted.

Ingredients:
Elephant Yam – 250gms
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Tamarind – 1 small marble size
Salt – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds- ½ tsp
Black Gram Dal – 1 tbsp
Red Chillies – 4
Curry Leaves – A few
Method
1. Rub your palms with oil (beware, if you don’t do this, yam causes itching!) and cut the yam into small pieces, discarding the rough skin.
2. Boil the yam in adequate water with tamarind, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
3. When the yam is cooked add salt and boil it for a few more minutes and drain the water.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
5. After it splutters add the black gram dal until it turn golden.
6. Add broken red chillies and fry till crisp.
7. Add curry leaves and then the cooked and drained vegetable.
8. Saute it with a spatula until it becomes dry.
9. If you want the curry to be crisp add 2 more spoons of oil. Cook this on low flame till it becomes crisp, mixing occasionally.
Enjoy as a side dish with the main course.

AVIAL – Vegetables in Coconut and Curd Gravy

AVIAL – VEGETABLES IN COCONUT-CURD GRAVY

Avial is a mixture of selected boiled vegetables cooked in coconut-curd base. A curry-like thick Avial (Variation 1) can be relished as a side dish with the main course. The gravy-like Avial (Variation 2), can be mixed with rice. This type of Avial is served with Aapams and Adais (both are variations of pancakes) in many restaurants.

Avial lends a special festive touch to even a simple meal. Poosnikai (Ash gourd), Murungakai (Drumstick) and Chena Kizhangu (Elephant yam) are the key vegetables in the preparation of Avial. In addition, you can also use one or more of these vegetables as well - brinjal, marrow, french beans, carrots, raw banana, potatoes, field beans, cucumber, and broad beans.

Care has to be taken while cutting the yam to prevent itching and irritation. A thin coating of oil on the hand, or rubbing the hands with tamarind juice will help. A friend who tried in earnest to help out in the kitchen, created a ruckus when she saw what she thought was her skin peeling off after cutting marrows. It’s just the juice of marrow that had dries into a thin film on hands, which can be virtually peeled off! Beet roots and Raw Bananas will leave a black stain on the finger tips after cutting. Guarding your hands before chopping vegetables prevents a lot of unpleasantness after good cooking. Happy cooking without stains and pains!

AVIAL - Variation 1

Ingredients
Vegetables:
Cut the following vegetables into two inch long strips.
Ash gourd -1 cup
Drumsticks - 1 cup
Elephant Yam – 1cup
Carrots -1 cup
French Beans – 1 cup
For the gravy:
Curds – 1 cup
Freshly grated coconut – 1 cup
Green chillies – 2
Salt - 1 ½ tsps
For seasoning:
Coconut oil – 2 tsps
Curry leaves – a few

Method:
1. Grind grated coconut and green chillies into a smooth and thick paste.
2. Boil the chopped vegetables with just enough water and salt, to ensure that the shape of vegetables is retained, and water is evaporated. Avoid overcooking as the vegetables to a mash!

3. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add the curry leaves.
4. Add the ground coconut paste and toss for a minute.
5. Add the cooked vegetables and salt and toss till you get a pleasant aroma.
6. Remove from flame and mix in the curd.
Enjoy this a side dish or a curry.

AVIAL - Variation 2 - with gravy

Ingredients
The ingredients for this avial are the same as above. The only additional ingredients, in this Avial are 1tsp of rice flour, and additional cups of water.

Method
1. Boil all vegetables, with salt as the recipe above, in a larger quantity of water.
2. Grind grated coconut and green chillies with a tea spoon of rice flour.
3. Mix the ground paste with curd, and an additional cup of water.
4. Remove the boiling vegetables from the flame, and mix in the coconut-curd paste.
5. Add salt to taste, if required.
6. Set this on a low flame again. Simmer up to boiling point, and immediately remove from flame. Note: Over boiling causes the curd to break.
7. Heat the coconut oil, fry the curry leaves, and season the Avial.
Enjoy with aapam, adai , steaming hot rice or puligare.

Idiyappam & Kurma

Roasted rice flour - 2 cup
salt
hot water - 2 cups

I used store bought rice flour sold specifically for idiyappam. If you have fresh rice flour at hand, slightly roast and use. Add salt to the water while boiling. Slowly add the hot water to the rice flour, mixing it using a spatula. Adjust the water to get a soft dough. Pinch a golf ball size dough and with the help of a idiyappam press, press on to idli/idiyappam moulds. Steam cook for 10 minutes.

For side, I prepared kurma following Mallika Badrinath's recipe of Kurma for Idiyappam. I haven't made much changes to the original recipe.

Big onions - 3 nos

Tomatoes - 3 nos

Mixed vegetables, diced - 2 cups (carrot/french beans/cauliflower/potatoes etc)

dhania powder - 2 tspn

chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn

salt

Fresh thick curds - 1 cup

milk - 1/2 cup

oil - 3 tblspn

Green chillies - 2 nos

cardamom, cinnamon,cloves - few

Grind together

Grated fresh coconut - 3 tblspn

poppy seeds - 2 tspn

cashewnuts - 10 ( I didnn't add)

Slice chillies lenghtwise, finely chop onions and tomatoes.

Steam cook /MW the vegetables.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the spices (cardamon,cloves and cinnamon), slit green chillies and onions.

Fry till onion turns golden brown and add chopped tomatoes. Stir till the tomatoes becomes pulpy and add dhania powder and mix well.

Add ground paste along with cooked vegetables, salt, turmeric and chilli powder

Cook till it becomes thick.

Add whipped curds and boil for a minute.

Remove from fire and stir in 1/2 cup milk.

Serve with idiyappam. This kurma can be paired with idli/dosas too.

Note: It tastes equally good if you omit the mixed vegetables. This makes a yummy side dish with only onions and tomatoes too.

My kurma goes to Srivalli's Curry Mela

The combo goes to WBB-Combi Breakfasts, hosted by Latha for the month of August.