Suran Masala | Elephant Yam in Gravy

 

Suran, also known as elephant yam or Jimikand, is a healthy and fibrous vegetable which is good for the digestive system. It tastes extremely delicious when prepared in this manner. Let us have a look at its recipe.

Ingredients (3-4 Servings):

• Suran (Elephant Yam) - 500 g
• Onions - 3
• Tomatoes - 3
• Garlic - 5-6 cloves
• Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 2-3
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
• Curd (Dahi) - 3 tbsp
• Powdered Spices - Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp, Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp, Dhanajeera powder - 1 tsp
• Whole Garam Masalas - Tej (Cinamon) - 1-2 inch piece, Black pepper - 6-7, Laung (Cloves) - 4-5, Badi Elaichi (Black Cardamom) - 1, Chhoti Elaichi (Green Cardamom) - 2 
• Sugar - 1-2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Method:

• Remove the skin of the elephant yam and chop it into 1-2 inch pieces.
• Add 2 cups of water to a pressure cooker and add the elephant yam pieces and a pinch of turmeric powder to it. 
• Pressure cook it for 1-2 whistles and then turn off the stove. 
• Once the pressure from the cooker is released, fry the elephant yam pieces (they can either be deep fried or shallow fried) for 5-10 minutes. (Make sure they do not turn very soft) 
• Remove them from the utensil.
• Now, leave 4-5 tbsp oil for preparing the gravy.
• In the meanwhile, make a puree of the tomatoes, green chillies, garlic and whole garam masalas. Leave the puree aside.
• Heat oil in a utensil and add finely chopped onions to the utensil and fry them till they turn golden brown.
• Now, add salt, sugar and ginger paste to it and fry them for a minute. 
• Now, add the puree to the onion mixture and let it cook till the oil separates from the mixture. 
• Add powdered spices to it and let it fry for a minute. 
• Add well-beaten curd to it gradually on low flame, stirring it continuously. 
• Add finely chopped coriander leaves to it. After a minute, add the fried yam pieces to the gravy and let it cook for 5-10 minutes, covering it with a lid. 

Tip - People who want to give it a richer texture can add cream to it.