The season of lent has started and so has the request for posting vegetarian recipes :) I’m sharing the recipe of one of my absolute favorite veggie dishes, chena mezkukkuperatti. I’m not sure how and when my love affair with this dish started, but it’s a relationship that I cherish very much. I’m surprised that it took me this long to post the recipe here. Anyways, without further ado, I’ll introduce you to this wonderful dish. I must tell you that it’s supposed to be a super healthy food.
Hope you too will also enjoy it as much as I do..
Step by step pictures…
Heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the crushed small onion and garlic and curry leaves. Fry it till it turns golden brown. Add chilli,turmeric, pepper and fennel powder and salt. Fry it till the raw smell goes, about 2 mins…
Add hot water and mix well. Add cooked chena and mix well. Make sure the chena pieces are coated well with masala. Continue to cook on low flame for 5-10 mins, stirring in between,till it is roasted well.
- Chena/Suran (Elephant Foot Yam) – 400gms, cut into bite size pieces (measured after cleaning)
- Whole small onion – ½ cup
- Whole garlic – 3, big cloves
- Red chilli powder – 2-21/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Pepper powder – ½ tsp
- Fennel (perumjeerakam) powder – a pinch
- Hot water – 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – ¼ -1/2 tsp
- Salt
- Curry leaves
- Coconut oil
- Cook the cleaned chena pieces with salt till it’s tender (refer notes). Make sure you dont overcook them. It should retain a crunchy texture.
- Crush together the whole garlic and whole small onion using a mortar and pestle. Keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the crushed small onion and garlic and curry leaves. Fry it till it turns golden brown.
- Add chilli,turmeric, pepper and fennel powder and salt. Fry it till the raw smell goes, about 2 mins. Add hot water and mix well. Add cooked chena and mix well. Make sure the chena pieces are coated well with masala.
- Continue to cook on low flame for 5-10 mins, stirring in between,till it is roasted well. Remove from fire and serve hot with rice.
