Karunai Kizhangu Varuval / Elephant-Foot Yam Fry

Karunai Kizhangu Varuval / Elephant-Foot Yam Fry

This karunai kizhangu varuval / elephant foot fry is my favourite from my childhood. I wait for my mother to move out of the kitchen after making this.
Then, I quietly sneak in, take a spoon, and start digging out the karunai kizhangu pieces one by one from that kadai. When my mother comes back she will be like.. " where did the karunai kizhangu go?!" 😈.. And yes.. my mom knows where it went.. :)

My grandmom makes it as nice and firm pieces. But my mom makes the yam little over cooked. I prefer my grandmom's. Always in-shape pieces.

The karunai kizhangu varauval is again another dish with minimum ingredients. To make it crisp is what takes time. But its worth it.

Lets go to the recipe.

For more stir fries and roasts click - Stir fries / roasts / curries

Ingredients:

• Karunai kizhangu / elephant foot yam - 500 grams
• Garlic - 8 cloves
• Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt as required
• Mustard - 1 teaspoon
• Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 2 pinches
• Curry leaves - 2 sprig

Procedure:

• First let us get ready with yam. Remove the outer skin of yam and cut into small 1 and 1/2 cms cube. Wash it and take it in a big container. Add enough water to immerse it. Add salt and turmeric powder to this and let it cook. Cover it to fasten the cooking. Once it is cooked, yet firm, remove from heat and drain the water. Keep this aside.
• Heat some oil in iron kadai. 
• Add the mustard, urad dhal and asafoetida to the hot oil. 
• Crush the garlic and add to the tempering ingredients.
• Once it starts emitting nice aroma of roasting garlic, add the boiled yam pieces.
• Add the chilli powder and coriander powder. Stir well

• After a minute, add the 2 sprigs of fresh curry leaves and keep stirring once in a while till the yam is fantastically roasted with excellent aroma of fresh curry leaves and garlic. Yum! DO you know that garlic and curry leaves in hot oil is a duet!
• Roast.. roast.. roast.. till it gets a nice red and crunchy crust on top of at least few pieces of yam. 

Now allow yourself to check salt by throwing few pieces of karunai kizhangu varuval into your mouth when it is still piping hot. 😋

Thus, the yummy crunchy roasted yam is ready.

This karunai kizhangu varuval is excellent to go with any light kuzhumbu like sambar or paruppu kuzhambu or rasam or curdrice or keerai kuzhambu.

Happy cooking !!