Suran fry with rice
Elephant foot yam (suran, jimikand, senai) cut into thick slices, parboiled with tamarind and turmeric to take away the itch, rubbed with chilli and spices, pressed into rava and shallow-fried on the tawa until crisp, the Konkan and Maharashtrian way. Eaten with hot rice and usually a dal. Wear gloves or oil your hands when you peel it. In Tamil Nadu it becomes senai roast, and in Bihar jimikand is cooked on Diwali for luck.
- 45 minTime
- 40 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 11 gprotein per portion
- 620kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 500 gSuran (elephant foot yam), peeled, in 1 cm thick slices
- 1 tbspTamarind
- 3 mlTurmeric
- to tasteSalt
- 2 tspRed chilli powder
- 1 tspCoriander powder
- 1 mlHing (asafoetida)
- 6 tbspSooji (rava)
- 2 tbspRice flour
- 5 tbspRefined oil, for shallow-frying
On the side
- 300 gRice
- ≈ 700 mlWater, for the rice
Method
- Put on gloves or oil your hands. Peel the suran thickly, cut it into 1 cm thick slices about 5 cm across and wash them well.
- Put the slices in a pan with water to cover, the tamarind, half the turmeric and salt and bring to the boil.
- Simmer for 6–8 minutes, until a knife goes in but the slices hold their shape. Drain and spread them out to dry.
- Meanwhile, wash the rice two or three times, put it in a pan with the water and bring to the boil.
- Cover, turn the flame to low and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Keep it covered until you serve.
- Mix the red chilli powder, coriander powder, hing, the rest of the turmeric and salt with a few drops of water to a paste and rub it over the slices.
- Mix the rava and rice flour on a plate and press each slice into it on both sides.
- Heat half the oil on a tawa and fry the slices in batches on a medium flame, 4–5 minutes a side, drizzling the rest of the oil around the edges as you go, until golden and crisp outside and soft inside.
- Serve the suran fry hot with the rice.
