Shahi Arvi (Taro root/ Colacassia in Creamy Sauce)

Hope you are having a great weekend. We are enjoying the weekend at our cousin's house in Delaware, kids are running around and the adults are catching up on what's happening in life. Tomorrow we will all be back to business. My 6 year old wants 2 day week and 5 day weekends and sometimes I have the same feeling too, though I don't say it loud to him :-)

Our super talented blogger friend Valli @ Spicing your life & Cooking4allseasons has started another blog event called 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge', so starting today a group of bloggers will be posting recipes on the weekend from cookbooks, recipes jotted down from cooking shows, paper clippings etc. Like everybody I have a ton of cookbooks, 5~6 diaries filled with jotted down recipes from various sources, so I was thrilled when Valli announced this event. This will be a perfect way to try as many dishes as I can from my books and folders. 

For the first week, I have a rich and creamy gravy curry that I made during the A-Z Andhra Dishes. I served it with Zafrani pulao and Kadhu ki Dalcha and it was a super hit at home. Recipe courtesy is a cooking show called 'Just Cooking' n Maa Gold.

Original recipe had the arvi/ colacassia deep fried, but I didn't see the need for deep frying. I shallow fried arvi in couple of tablespoons of oil and the end result was quite tasty. 

Ingredients:
Arvi/ Colacassia/ Taro root/ Chamadumpa - 6 medium/ 8-10 small
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Tomato puree - 1cup
Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
Almond butter - 2tbsp (or soak almonds or cashews in water for 4~5 hours and grind to a smooth paste)
Yogurt - 1cup
Red chili powder - ½tsp (or more to taste)
Ground coriander - ½tsp
Garam Masala - ½tsp
Ground Cumin - ½tsp
Turmeric - ¼tsp
Salt - to taste
Cream - for garnish (optional)
Cilantro leaves - 3tbsp, for garnish

Method:

• Boil arvi/ taro root until fork tender, alternately Pressure cook for 1 whistle. Peel and if using small arvi then leave them whole, otherwise chop them into large(ish) pieces. 
• Heat 2tbsp oil in a non-stick pan; add the boiled arvi and cook until they are golden brown all over. Alternately if you are not calorie conscious, then the pieces can be deep fried. 
• In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, red chili powder, ground coriander, garam masala and salt.
• Add the fried arvi to the yogurt mixture and set aside to marinate while you prepare the curry.
• In the same pan, heat 1tbsp more oil; add the chopped onions and cook on medium flame until golden, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan, let cool slightly. Then grind to a smooth paste.
• In the same pan; heat 1tbsp oil and add the ground onion paste and ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuosly.
• Next add the tomato puree and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add ground cumin and almond butter, mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the marinated arvi along with the yogurt mixture and 1cup of water. Mix well, cover and cook until the gravy is creamy, about 10~15 minutes.
• Garnish with cream and cilantro leaves and serve with rice or roti.

This post is for the CC Challenge of the month.