Colocasia/Arbi Stir Fry

I have lot of memories associated with this dish. My mom used to make it quite often during my childhood days. She had learnt this from a  Sindhi neighbour. Many years back (maybe 12-13 years), when I made it in my home for the first time, hubby made a face and told me that he didn’t like it at all. So, that was an end to an attempt to try it again in my home. He said that these roots had no taste of its own and somehow it didn’t taste good at all 🙁 So, the only time I would get to eat these were during my visit to my mom’s place 🙂 Amma would always remember to make this for me. That reminds me,  I shall make this for her next month when she will be visiting me for 3 weeks.

But after few years, when my daughter was big enough to try out different vegetables, I tried making this again and to my pleasant surprise, she liked it. So since then I make it when she is at home during lunch time and we both relish it. Today being an exam study leave ( her final exams are going on ) for her, she was at home during lunch hours and I made these again along with her favourite Basmati rice and Dal makhni 🙂

Ingredients:

• Colocasia 12-15
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder 3/4 tsp
• Coriander powder 1 tsp
• Amchur powder 1 tsp
• Rice flour 1-2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
• Carom seeds/Ajwain 1/4 tsp
• Onion 1 small (optional)
• Coriander leaves 2-3 springs
• Oil 2-3 tbsp

Method:

• Wash the colocasia well and boil it in a cooker with little salt.
• Peel the skin and cut into half if they are big ones or simply flatten them in your palm.
• Dust the pieces with little rice flour to reduce the stickiness.
• Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a non stick flat pan and stir fry the pieces till they are crisp. Drain and keep aside.
• Slice the into thin pieces.
• Now heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and add cumin and carom seeds.
• When they splutter, add the onion slices and saute well.
• Add the spice powders and mix well. 
• Now add the fried colocasia pieces and sprinkle a tablespoon of water and mix gently.
• Cook over medium flame for a minute or two till all the pieces are coated well with the masala. Sprinkle amchur powder and mix.
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot as an accompaniment with rice or rotis or simply relish it like a starter.