Taro (சேப்பங்கிழங்கு) Curry - Do it yourself Videoblog

The traditional way of making Taro (சேப்பங்கிழங்கு) curry that my mother taught me is by staring to boil them whole.

We used a pressure cooker to boil the root (irrespective of how ugly and muddy it was) and then remove the skin after putting it in cold water (thermal shocking the skin!). 

It would still not peel off easily like a potato and needed some delicate care during the peeling process. Otherwise most of the stuff would be thrown away with the skin. Also it was not a nice experience peeling the skin off pressure cooker boiled Taro as it was very slimy and slippery to touch. The curry was usually made with large pieces and the end product would roast on select areas but for the most part would be mushy.

Recently a  us Taro, but potato curry style. It was crisp and not goopy! The secret? Peel it like a potato and almost fry it! Had to give this a try, but this method is very very labor intensive. It takes more time to get the thing cut than to actually make the curry.

The kids and San were out of the house for an hour and that gave me a chance to try this. Given I am still moping around with the antibioitics and no painkillers, this was a good idea to take my mind off things and do something I like! 

Here is a valuable tip. Pick the Taro carefully at the Indian store. Pick well rounded large size Taro without too many cuts and crevices as it makes this approach easier. Pick ones with the highest volume for a lowest surface area.. ie., pick nice round ones! 

The end result was yummy and crispy. Hope you have fun trying this at home.. when you have a lot of time on your hands! 

ps. The same procedure pretty much applies to Okra curry (you don't have to put it in turmeric water after cutting).. and to Plantain curry (there you put the cut vegetable in water with some tamarind paste.. aka tartaric acid to prevent it from going black and sticking together). 

Taro, Pregnancy and learning- all in a days routine..

Think of two things you would not naturally connect, type them in the search box in this blog and there is probably a post about those two things.

What has Taro root got to do with Pregnancy and learning? Here is the story...

Earlier today we visited friends for lunch at their new place. There were lots of dishes, all safe items given they knew my allergy history. There was this one curry in particular that was extremely yummy. While I sat there figuring out if it was potato, plaintain or what.. she said "it is Taro.. what you call Seppan kazhangu".

I was baffled. Having had Taro all my life, especially as Taro roast, it was difficult to believe that what we were eating was actually Taro. It was crisp, had sharp outlines and the texture was as good as a potato roast. Okay, if you are not south Indian, you might be wondering what all the big fuss is about.. 

So we deviate for a little cooking lesson. Taro, is a root and when we get it from the market there is a lot of mud and dirt still on the root. My mother taught me (her mom probably taught her) that the right way to prepare Taro was to first wash the thing, put it in a pressure cooker with some salt and cook it, then remove the skin, wash again, then cut into little pieces and do the roasting with seasoning in slight oil (or if you are a roast fan like me, lot of oil). My MIL does it the same way as well! The real issue is that when you pressure cook it and remove the skin, usually the first few millimeters of the Taro is all mushy! My kids don't like to peel off the skin off boiled Taro unlike Potato because they think it is "slimy and Yukkie". 

So how did this girl, who is almost half my age, manage this miracle of sharp cut Taro pieces in a roast that was cooked yet not the slightest bit soggy? I said "Impossible! how did you manage it?" and they both say "we got tired of the slimy stuff.. so we decided to peel the Taro first, then cut it into nice pieces, then we slow cooked it in a covered pan for a long time.. much the same way we make potato roast!"

The simplicity of this approach was impresive. But have you seen Taro fresh from the Indian grocery store? Peeling it is the equivalent of giving the Yeti a haircut! you cannot even hold it in your hand right.. then there is all the mud, roots sticking out.. nevertheless, they managed it. So I have to try it now!

Humbled by this new learning and leaving their house as though we had just been to the Twilight zone, came home and quickly went to Yoga class. Our hosts and my ever supportive family were laughing when I said "have to go yoga this evening" because they were not sure how much Yoga a guy can do after eating 3 pounds of rice with two lbs of Taro and some nice dessert to top things off. 

Still, off I went with the idea that if things got too difficult, would take a kneel. That is when the second surprise hit me. The instructor for the class was pregnant. Not early pregrant.. Her due date is less than 2 weeks away and this was her last class before delivery. 

Trust me, there is nothing more scary than a very pregant woman on the podium shouting "stretch you hands to the right, your knees to the left, come down and push, Push, PUSH!" 

and there is nothing more embarassing than you looking equally pregnant with Taro, unable to execute the PUSH instruction! 

When you have an instructor who is so inspiring, you have no excuses for slacking off. So after that, did the rest of the class giving it my 120%. That room was hot and there were 5 newbies in there who needed to be watched and she taught with as much attention to detail as any other teacher. Truly amazing and inspiring! If you need a visual, here she is in a class as student in another class earlier this week.

So there you have it.. Taro, pregnancy and learning.. all in a days routine! 

On a funny note, a conversation with Jr. earlier today:

Jr.: Appa I am sweaty. It is so hot in our bedroom. Can you put the fan on?

Me : really? (Touch her forehead and neck). yes! you are sweaty.. you know what that means?

Jr.: (thinks for a second) and goes "Oh NO! you are going to make me come to regular yoga class with you?! it is going to be 90 degrees for 90 mintues!"

Me : yes and no. Yes, because you can sweat now and that means you can come to yoga class with me. No because it is not 90 degrees for 90 minutes.. it is 105 degrees for 90 mintues.. welcome to the torture chamber!

She is thinking of finding other excuses to bail on the promise.. We will see about that!