Yam / Suran / Sennaikizhangu Roast Curry

Yam / Suran / Sennaikizhangu is probably one of the ugly looking root  vegetables but it is packed with a lot of nutritional value .Yam has a good source of dietary fiber, vit C , vit B6 along with manganese and potassium .  The vegetable is a little difficult to handle as it has a thick skin layer which appears like a  bark of a tree and is generally coated with mud . You need a sharp knife to chop that off and then the vegetable can be cut into slices or diced as per recipe.

Today's recipe is my maternal grandma's signature recipe which was passed on to my mom and then now I have taken to it . Unfortunately I have not tasted the version  made by my grandma , but have eaten the preparation by mom N number of times .  The final product has  a burst of flavors in your mouth due to the spicy and tangy marination used to coat the yam cubes .

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Complexity  : simple

Ingredients
250 gms yam / suran/ sennai
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp rasam powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tablespoon thick tamarind extract
1 tsp jaggery powder
Salt as needed
Asafoetida / hing as needed
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves .

Method

• Chop the hard skin off the yam and wash it thoroughly. 
• Grease your palms and cut the yam into small cubes and wash them well . ( greasing with coconut oil prevents itching )
• Drain the water and in a mixing bowl , add salt , turmeric, rasam powder, chilli powder and the tamarind extract and toss the yam cubes well until these spices coat each cube well . Let it rest for 10 mins. 

• In a frying pan (preferably nonstick) , heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds along with curry leaves and asafoetida.  
• Add this marinated yam cubes in the oil and toss it well . 
• Sprinkle some water and keep covered for about 8-10 mins . Open the lid occasionally and stir it.  

• Once it is 3/4th done , add the jaggery powder and toss it again with a spoon of oil and cook until they turn crisp and crunchy. 
• Turn off the stove and serve hot with rice and sambar or rice and kootu . 

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Erissery | Mathan Erissery | Mathanga Erisery - Kerala Sadhya (vegan & GF)

Avial,Kalan,Olan,Erissery,More Kootan,Pappadam,Paal Payasam ...oooh my mouth is watering :-)

By now you all must have guessed that I am talking of typical Palakkad/  Kerala /Mallu cuisine

**photos and write up editted on 19/10/2020

D,my best friend is a malayali and I was introduced to all of these food right from my childhood .Her grandma,whom we lovingly call as AMMAMA is a wonderful cook.D would love to eat food cooked by my Mom and I would love Ammama's food.Days are countless when we have had food in each other's home.Holidays or vacations were the times we would just wait for..Playing around all the time in either of our homes and then lunch would be a sudden plan depending on our mood and the home where we are playing.We would immediately inform our parents about our lunch plan.Our parents were so nice that they would immediately oblige to our request and we would enjoy the simple meal as a huge feast :-)

Oh !! I just got nostalgic and went down the memory lane. Well,a long story short,this recipe of erissery has been given to me by my dear D's MIL.

I followed exactly the same steps as told by her and it just turned out well. She gave me the recipe using pumpkin (orange variety). Mathanga / Mathan Erissery as it called is malayalam. 

I am also including in the recipe how to make using yam or Vazhakkai/ Kaaya ( raw banana) in case you don't have red pumpkin on hand .

Jain version :  Use red pumpkin (laal bhopla) or Raw banana (kaccha kela/vazhakkai)

Preparation Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 35 - 40 mins
Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

Jain version :  Use red pumpkin (laal bhopla) or Raw banana (kaccha kela/vazhakkai)

250 gms pumpkin/yam
1/2 cup karamani /black eye peas
1 cup grated coconut
3-4 dry red chillies (spicy variety)
1 tsp cumin seeds /jeera
pinch of turmeric
salt
For seasoning
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
few nos fresh curry leaves
2-3 tsp coconut oil

Method

•  Cut the yam/ pumpkin into cubes and boil it using a little turmeric and salt
•  Soak the karamani over night and pressure cook it until soft with a little turmeric and salt.
•  Grind 3/4 cup of coconut,red chillies and jeera into a fine paste.
• Add the paste to the boiled veggies ,karamani and mix well and bring to a boil.Adjust salt as per taste.
• Do not add too much water,the gravy has to be a little thick in consistency. 
• Prepare the seasoning by spluttering the mustard seeds in coconut oil.
• Add the fresh curry leaves and remaining coconut scrapings and saute until the coconut turns a little brown.
• Pour this over the erissery and mix well.Serve hot

 
Notes:

• The main essence and flavor of erissery is in the usage of coconut oil,so please do not skip that.
• If using Raw Plantain replace yam or pumpkin by these two ingredients.
• I have seen recipes that say a combination of Raw Plantain and yam can be used in 50-50 proprtion.

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