Chettinad Style Senai (Elephant Yam) Curry

Ingredients

 250grams yam, skinned and cut into roughly cubes 2 cm

 2cups water
 1/2tsp salt
 Pinch turmericpowder
 1/2 – 1tsp red chillipowder
 1tsp corianderpowder
 1/2tsp salt
 2 – 3tsps coconutdesiccated or fresh
 Handful mint leaves(optional)

For tempering

 2tsps oil
 Pinch asafoetida
 2sprigs curry leaves
 3 chilliesdried red , broken
 1/2tsp mustard seeds
 1/2tsp fennel seeds
 2tsps chana dal
 1tsp daludad

Instructions

1. In a vessel, place 2 cups of water with 1/2 tsp salt and pinch of turmeric powder. Bring it to a rapid boil.
2. Add the cubed yam to this, cover with a lid, leaving a small opening for the steam to escape.
3. Check with a knife to see when it is nearly tender. This should take around 6-8 minutes depending on the variety of
yam.
4. Remove this in a colander / sieve and allow to drain well.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat the oil in a non stick kadai (wok). Add all tempering ingredients one after
the other, and stir on medium flame till the udad dal and chana dal turn golden brown.
6. To this add the drained yam cubes, red chilli powder, coriander powder, coconut and mint leaves. Toss gently to
coat well. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp salt as per taste. On a low flame, let this crisp up a bit.

Recipe Notes

Serve hot with roti or with any sambar or mor kozhambu and rice.

Variations

Most starchy vegetables like colocassia (seppankizhangu), potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains (vazhakkaai) or a mix of
these can be prepared in this manner.

Karunai Kizhangu Puli Kuzhambhu

Ingredients:

Karunai Kizhangu / Suran / Elephant Foot Yam - 200 gms

Madras Onions / Sambhar Onion / Small Onion - 8
Garlic - 5 cloves
Tamarind - a small lemon size
Chilli Powder - 2 tbsp
Corriander Powder - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida Powder - a pinch
Curry Leaves - 8

Method:

Remove the Outer Brown skin of the Karunai / Suran / Yam. Wash and Cut them into small cubes. add a
pinch of salt, 1/4 cup of water, a pinch of turmeric powder and boil it for 4 minutes till they are half-cooked.

Soak the Tamarind in a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes and squeeze the tamarind out. Add a pinch
of turmeric powder, 2 tbsp of chilli powder, 2 tbsp of corriander powder to the tamarind water and mix
well.

Heat Oil in a Wok or Pan, add mustard and let it pop, add asafoetida powder and curry leaves. Now add the
Shallots / Small onions and Garlic and saute them for about three minutes, till they are semi-cooked.

Add the Boiled Suran / Karunai Kizhangu / Yam to the Pan and mix well with Onions. Now add the
Tamarind water to the pan and mix well. Add salt to taste and add 1/4 of water and let it boil. after it starts
bubbling, slow the flame and close the pan with a lid, and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Serve it Hot with Rice and Pappad. Cabbage Thoran makes a great side-dish for this.

SENAI KIZHANGU (ELEP H ANT Y AM) KUZH AMBU

RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
 Senai kizhangu – 1/4

 Tamarind – 1 tbsp, packed

 Small onion – 8

 Garlic flakes – 8

 Sambar powder – 2 & 1/2 tsp

 Red chilli powder(optional) – 1/2 tsp

 Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp

 Turmeric – 1/4 tsp

 Jaggery – 1/4 tsp

 Salt – as needed

 Sesame oil – for topping

TO TEMPER
 Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

 Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp

 Mustard – 1/2 tsp

 Urad dal – 1 tsp

 Toor dal – 1 tsp

 Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

 Curry leaves – 1 sprig

METHOD
1. Soak tamarind in hot water for 1/2 hour and extract tamarind juice.

2. Slice off the skin of the yam and cut into small, thin squares.

3. Heat the tamarind extract with more water (total 4 & 1/2 cups) and add the chopped yam to
it. Let it get cooked atleast half.

4. Add sambar powder, turmeric, salt and red chilli powder (if adding) to the boiling kuzhambu.

5. Mean while, heat a kadai with oil and temper with fenugreek, mustard, urad dal, toor dal,
cumin seeds and curry leaves in order. Add roughly chopped onion and garlic to it and fry for
2 minutes in medium flame.

6. Add it to the boiling kuzhambu. let it boil until the vegetable gets cooked properly a nd the
volume reduces.

7. Lastly add jaggery, pepper powder. Once thick, add sesame oil and switch off the stove.

NOTES
 Yam takes time to cook, so slice thinly. Also make sure it gets cooked soft in the gravy.

 If you do not have sambar powder, you can use store bought (shakthi or aachi sambar powder).

 Adding red chilli powder gives good colour, but make sure to use mild in spice, bright in colour
ones

 Jaggery, pepper powder adds flavour, you can skip it too.

 Make sure to balance the taste of tamarind, spice powder and salt.