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Spiced Elephant Foot Yam – Suran Masala

by Camellia Panjabi from Vegetables: The Indian Way

Serves 3

This rich and warming yam curry from Camellia Panjabi is the perfect dish to make for Diwali celebrations. You can buy elephant foot yam online or try local greengrocers or world food shops.

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Vegetables: The Indian Way

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Introduction

Elephant foot yam is known as zaminkand or jimikand in northern India, and as suran in western and southern India. It is a nutritious vegetable, good for digestion (particularly helpful for gut microbes), and filling.

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Ingredients

500gelephant foot yam
1 tspsalt
2 tsplemon juice
345mloil of your choice
3cassia leaves or bay leaves
1dried red chilli, broken into pieces
1 tspcumin seeds
¹⁄₈ tspasafoetida
75gchopped onions
1 heaped tbspchopped garlic
1 level tbspchopped ginger
½ level tspchopped green chilli
½ tspground turmeric
1 level tspred chilli powder
1 level tspgaram masala
2 tbspyoghurt, beaten
2tomatoes, finely chopped
1½ tspteaspoons salt
½ teaspoonsugar
60mlcream
15gchopped coriander leaves
grated ginger, for garnish

Method

The elephant yam is often sold with some soil around it to keep it moist – that way it can be stored unpeeled for a while. So you should wash it thoroughly before you use it. Once washed, wipe it and peel it – you will be left with about 440g. Cut it into bite-size pieces. Once peeled it will oxidize, so put the diced yam into a bowl of water with a teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of lemon juice.

Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan, and when hot, deep-fry the diced yam for about 7 minutes, turning from time to time. It will get a nice autumn brown hue.

Pour away most of the oil, keeping it for another use, leaving about 75ml in the pan. Set the yam aside in a bowl.

To the oil in the pan, add the cassia or bay leaves, red chilli pieces, cumin seeds, asafoetida and the chopped onions, and sauté for about 10 minutes. Now add the garlic, ginger, green chilli and ground spices, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the yoghurt, tomatoes, salt, sugar and 225ml of water and cook for 5 minutes on a very low heat, stirring from time to time. You now have a nice thick spice mixture.

Add the deep-fried diced yam and another 225ml of water and let it simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cream. Add the coriander leaves, stir and taste for seasoning.

Serve, garnished with grated ginger. This is a tasty dish – vegetarians love it for its hearty flavour.

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Ingredients
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