Sukhi Masala Arbi

We all trust our moms, don't we? But what if one day when you are grown up and your grandmom tells you that your mom used to make you eat something in the name of something else when you were a kid? Yep! My mom used to pass off Arbi (Taro root) as potatoes to me all the time. When confronted, my mom said that she only did that because I was a fussy eater and wanted potatoes for every meal. Well, O.K. mom, but I still don't think it was fair. Poor me. God knows how much arbi I ate in the name of potatoes. I wish I was a smarter kid to see through her trick. That's the past and now I am not a kid and she cannot pull off such tricks on me anymore and I will eat only what I like, which is pretty much everything these days. Yeah, the exclusive potato days are over.

Talking about arbi now, it is a very healthy, fibrous vegetable that is tasty and easy to cook. In this post I will be sharing a recipe for dry arbi, but it is equally delicious cooked in yogurt gravy. I will also share with you my nani's recipe for arbi kebabs very soon.

Sukhi Masala Arbi

In my opinion, the star ingredient of this recipe is 'dried mango powder'. It adds a subtle sour flavor to our dish and sort of gives it a finish. So make sure you don't skip on it.

A quick tip before we begin: Arbi can get very sticky while cooking. So you want to avoid water as much as you can if you are going for a dry version. What I do is that I wash arbi a couple of hours ahead of cooking so it is dried thoroughly before peeling and cutting.

Ingredients:

Arbi- 1/2 kg
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Dried red chilly- 1 nos
Turmeric powder- 1/2- 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder- 2-3 tsp
Garam masala powder- 3/4 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1-2 tsp (adjust to taste)
Dried Mango powder- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 3-4 tbsp

Sukhi Masala Arbi

Recipe:

Peel and cut arbi lengthwise in about 1/4 inch thick pieces. The point is, don't slice them too thin. Think fries!

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Break dried red chilly in half and add.

When tempered, add arbi and give a stir to coat with oil.

Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes on low flame with occasional stirring.

Add all powdered spices except mango powder.

Mix well, cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes with spices.

Turn off the flame.

Now add dried mango powder and mix well.

Serve hot with naan/ parathas or have it as it is!

Taro root recipe

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