K ~ Kanda Gadda Koora

Kanda Gadda Koora / Andhra Style Elephant Foot Yam Curry

Event: Blogging Marathon #32
Theme: Regional Cooking (Andhra recipes)

I always associate this kanda gadda preparation with my mother's kitchen. One of the reasons being I rarely find this vegetable locally and even I find it, I am not ready to shell out 25 bucks for a decent sized yam. And so naturally I haven't tried to recreate this ever in my kitchen even though it tops my list of favorite curries. While I was in India, my mother who kept preparing my favorite dishes left and right, remembered to prepare this as well. And so thanks to my mother for contributing this wonderful "K" dish. 
This Andhra style preparation yields a spicy and subtly tangy-sweet dish, with a balance of all the flavors present. The yams are cooked until tender, sauteed in a ginger - chili paste and jaggery-lemon are added at the end to round up the flavors. The final product has a pronounced ginger flavor that you will fall in love with if you like these kind of dishes.  

Ingredients:
4 - 5 cups peeled and chopped kanda cubes
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
6 green chillies (Adjust the quantity depending upon the spiciness of chillies used.)
1 or 2 one inch ginger pieces
salt to taste
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
12 - 15 curry leaves
A couple of pinches of asafoetida powder
2 - 3 Tbsp jaggery powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Method:
* Peel and cube the vegetable. Cook adding sufficient water and turmeric until done, either in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan.

* Grind green chillies, ginger and salt into a coarse paste adding little water.

* Heat oil in a kadai or a pan. Add chana dal and mustard seeds. When the dal starts turning reddish, add the ground paste, curry leaves, asafoetida, cooked kandha cubes, and jaggery powder. Mash the cubes lightly, add lemon juice and mix well until well combined. 
* Cook on low flame for about five minutes or so until the that flavors mingle and the curry is on the drier side, while mixing intermittently. Remove and serve with hot rice and ghee.

Logo courtesy : Preeti

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