Yam Fry Recipe – Senai Kilangu Poriyal Recipe

Elephant Yam ( Also known as Elephant foot yam in English, Senai kizhangu in Tamil, Chena in Malayalam, Suran/ Jimikand in Hindi) is a tuberous vegetable which has lots of amazing health benefits. It helps to reduce bad cholesterol, reduces hypertension, good for piles, controls diabetes, balances hormones, rich in anti oxidants etc. I am a big fan of yam chops/ Senai kizhangu roast that is made in dosa tawa. I have tried so many recipes but nothing was like the one I had in a marriage feast. I will share that recipe once I get it perfect.

Today’s recipe is a very simple South Indian style Yam fry/ Poriyal recipe for rice that is usually made in my house. I learnt this recipe from my MIL. Generally Yam creates an itchiness in the tongue after eating. To avoid this, my MIL adds tamarind while cooking yam. It helps to reduce the itchy feeling to some extent.Last month I made this yam fry as a side dish for Instant more kuzhambu. It was a nice combo and tasted good. Do try this easy senai kizhangu fry at home and share your feedback with me. I am planning to try more yam recipes like varuval, masiyal, kuzhambu , roast etc. Stay tuned ! Now lets see how to make Elephant Yam Fry recipe with step by step pictures !

Yam fry recipe – Senai Kizhangu poriyal

Yam fry recipe - Senai Kizhangu poriyal How to make Yam Fry – Senai kizhangu poriyal for rice

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: side dish for rice

Serves: Serves 2-3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup – 250ml

Elephant yam – 1.5 cups ( chopped)
Sambar Powder – 1 tsp
Salt – As needed
Tamarind extract – 1/4 cup ( Soak gooseberry size tamarind)
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

To Temper

Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
Big onion – 1 no ( Sliced)
Curry leaves – few
Hing/asafetida – 2 pinches
Grated coconut – 1/ 4 cup

METHOD

Cut the yam into big slices. Peel its skin and discard the skin.Chop the yam into small cubes or thin 1 inch strips as I did. I chopped it like this after tasting this poriyal in a hotel.
Soak small gooseberry size tamarind and take extract using 1/4 cup water. In a pressure cooker base, take the chopped yam, turmeric powder, salt and 1/4 cup thin tamarind extract. Mix well and pressure cook in high flame for just 2 whistles. Over cooking makes the yam mushy. Adding more water while cooking also makes it mushy. So take care while cooking. You can also cook the yam in a kadai or bowl instead.
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mix well and drain the excess water if any. Heat oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Saute onions till transparent.
Add the cooked yam pieces, sambar powder and mix well for few minutes. Mix well till raw smell goes off. Lastly garnish with grated coconut. Mix well and switch off the flame . Serve hot with sambar or more kuzhambu.Tastes yum !

Enjoy !

Note

For masala flavor, you can add 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder or fennel seeds powder along with sambar powder.
If you wish, you can use lemon juice after switching off the flame and skip tamarind. In that case, cook the yam pieces with plain water.
Yam cooks quickly.So pressure cook it only in high flame adding very less water for just 2 whistles else it will be mashed.

Easy, healthy Elephant Yam poriyal is ready to serve with rice !