Saturday, April 4, 2009

Taro Root Fry

Taro root fry 1

We recently discovered an Indian grocery store very close to H's workplace. We've been living in this part of the world for almost 2 years now and H has been at the same office too for the same length of time, yet we had no idea that a store like this even existed! I was very happy to see a few vegetables here that I haven’t been seeing in the stores we normally go to. I bought a few taro root tubers from this place the other day.

Growing up, I don’t really remember my mother ever buying/cooking taro root (arbi in Hindi, chembu in Malayalam). I do however remember eating some kind of a sabji made with it by T maushi (aunty). T maushi was a lovely Maharashtrian lady who took good care of our family and cooked many a meal for us a long time back when my mother couldn't do much around the house since she was still recovering after major surgery. T maushi was an excellent cook and made very simple, yet tasty Maharashtrian fare in no time at all. The arbi sabji, one of her signature preparations, was something I just loved. Since then, every time I’ve seen arbi, I’ve always associated it with T maushi.

This particular recipe that I followed is not T maushi’s, but just something I came across on
Shyamala’s blog. It sounded really good and I wanted to try it out.
I have only listed the ingredients I used. You can find the original recipe along with the exact amounts of the ingredients used
here.

Ingredients:7-8 big taro tubers (arbi/chembu)
3-4 tbsp oil
Cumin seeds
Garlic powder
Asafoetida

For the spice mix:3 Tbsp chickpea flour (besan)
2 Tbsp rice flour
Red chilli powder
Coriander powder
Turmeric powder
Salt

Method:Cook and peel the taro tubers. Slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds.

In a large vessel, add the flours and the spices. Mix well.

Throw in the taro root rounds and coat with the dry spice mix. Dust off the excess.

In a large pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds followed by asafoetida and garlic powder.

Place the spice-coated rounds in the pan and shallow-fry. Cook till a nice crust is formed and the rounds are crispy and golden brown on one side (takes about 4-5 minutes), and then flip over and cook the other side similarly.


Serve hot. This tastes great as a side dish with some steaming hot rice and
sambar or rasam.

Taro root fry 2

26 Burps:

Chutneytales said...

Love arbi fry so much..yours looking yumm and I love to have it with rasam rice :)

Vani said...

Delicious looking fry that! Even my mom never prepared arbi and so far, I haven't either. Must try that with this fry

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

wow.. this is looking crisp and beautiful golden brown. i tried potatoes with spice mixture from a blog.. never tried with colocasia.

Unknown said...

Me too didn't grew up eating this root.But i have tried it once, it was very slimy to me didn't like it very much.
Cooking and then crisping sounds good, Picture is vry nice..

Uma said...

Looks so tempting! Bookmarked to try.

Raaga said...

This looks delish... we just bought some arbi last evening.

I know that feeling all two well... it's just that with me... I figure such stuff out when I have to move out of that place ;-)

Raks said...

We too just love this than any other veggie fry...we also make this with plantain,yam...:)
Looks gorgeous!!

A_and_N said...

Oh, we make Arbi every second week :D I love it. This looks gorgeous. I should try it your way sometime!

Soma said...

I make these in the similar way:-D I love arbi in any form, but my hubby will have it only like this.

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Taro fry looks crispy and a great snack for tea time...

EC said...

Thats my second fav veggie after potatoes...looks very crispy

chef and her kitchen said...

Nice Clicks...I love this fry a lot...

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow this is something new to me. Looks yum.

AnuSriram said...

I'm a fan of this arbi fry! I make it frequently.. But your version of making arbi is new to me.. Looks lovely!

Laavanya said...

I love the taste of arbi... looks awesome TBC. I've been making the baked version everytime I bring home a pack.. must try out yours soemtime.

Rajitha said...

mmm....i should make it with potato...looks crispy and so good....

Cynthia said...

Yummy.

Shubha Ravikoti said...

That just looks awesome.... and so crisp...:D Will surely try it out soon...:)

Anonymous said...

I love taro root. I think it tasted heavenly. I always feel that taro root is the potato's cousin :)

Vrinda said...

Looks so good TBC...I know only chembu curry,will try this...

bee said...

this is one root veggie i adore. lovely pics.

Unknown said...

Looks crispy n yummy!

FewMinute Wonders said...

Hi, This is the first time at your blog. I loved the taro root fry and your blog. Wonderful pictures and very interesting selection of recipes. You have me hooked..Smiles..

BF Raks said...

My mum prepares Morukuttan with arbi a.k.a chembu every week, but i always omit that veggie in my kitchen b'coz of its slimy nature. But this dish will be a must try from now onwards. Kudos on this recipe!!!

By the way, I have also opened up a new blog- inspiration fro bloggers like you! Do visit my vist and "burps" are always welcome.
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Mandira said...

Looks fantastic!

TBC said...


Madhumathi, Vani, Mahimaa, Madhu, Raks Kitchen,
Soma, Ramya, EC, Prathibha, Kitchen Flavours, AnuSriram, Laavanya, Rajitha, Cynthia, Homecooked, Bee and Divya- thanks to each and every one of you for taking the time out to leave a comment.:D


Uma, A & N, Shubha, Vrinda- do let me know if you make it and like it! :D

Raaga- :D My husband has to pass this particular place (where the store is located at) every sigle day and he never knew...not until a friend of his told him!

FoodyGuru- welcome! thanks for visiting.:)


BF Raks- welcome to the world of food blogging. Wish you the very best! :D Will definitely stop by your blog soon.

Mandira- hello! how have you been? Nice to see you here after a long time. :)

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