Recipe - Simple Arbi Fry Pairs Well With Dal And Roti

I don’t cook arbi as often as I would like to.I think the reason behind that is that I can find arbi only at Indian stores and usually I don’t buy vegetables from there and hence arbi doesn’t make an appearance in my kitchen regularly.

Arbi for those who don’t know is the Hindi name for taro root. It has a subtle sweet taste and often used in savory recipes in India.One of the things that my mom used to make with arbi was this simple arbi fry or arbi masala.The arbi fry was simpler with just few ingredients while for the masala she added onion, tomatoes and more spices. Arbi is a starchy vegetable so I like to pan fry it first to make it brown and crisp, you can do whatever way you want.

If you don’t care about it being brown, simply skip the pan frying part.The ingredients are pretty simple, I don’t add any onion, garlic or tomato to this arbi fry. It is just the spices tossed with ginger, curry leaves and then finished with cilantro.This pairs so well with roti or paratha. I also love to eat it with rice and dal.

Ingredients

12 large arbi taro root, around 700-800 grams
2.5 tablespoon oil divided, I used avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ajwain carom seeds
1 green chili chopped, or add more to taste
6-7 curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/8 teaspoon red chili powder or add more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon amchur dried mango powder
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
cilantro to garnish

Method

* First wash arbi nicely with water. Bring a pot of water to boil. Once it starts boiling, add the arbi to it.

* Boil for 12 to 15 minutes until you are able to insert a fork inside the arbi. You want it boiled but not over-boiled (not mushy).

* Time will depend on size of arbi, the smaller ones may boil in 10 minutes, since my arbis were large they took around 15 minutes.

* Rinse under cold water and let it cool down. Then peel the skin and cut the arbi into slices. Some people cut them round, I prefer cutting them lengthwise- 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide.

* Heat 1.5 tablespoon oil in a pan. Once oil is hot, add the cut arbis to it.

* Fry arbi on medium heat for around 10 minutes, 5 minutes each side until they are nicely golden brown. Remove the pan fried arbi from the pan and set aside..

* To the same pan now add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and then ajwain. Let the seeds sizzle.

* Add the ginger, chili and curry leaves. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the ginger starts changing color.

* Add in the pan-fried arbi and mix. Now, add all the spices - turmeric, red chili, coriander, amchur, along with salt. Sprinkle very little water (like 1 to 2 teaspoons) just so that the spices stick to the arbi nicely. Toss to combine everything.

* Let the arbi cook for 2 to 3 more minutes on low heat.

* Garnish with cilantro and serve Arbi Fry with roti and dal.