Taro root yogurt curry / Arbi / Chembu Curry mild curry made with taro root and yogurt with coconut. This root curry is usually made during rainy days to have with rice or rice gruel.

When most people in Kerala are going through the misery and devastation the mammoth flood 33 rivers left behind it would be plain insensitive to post any food here. When 800,000 are displaced, living in camps waiting for aid we refuse to celebrate onam. My heart goes out to every fellow being who did nothing wrong yet lost everything earned in a lifetime and to everyone who is incapable of rebuilding due to age and financial constraints. The thought that the all the money flowing in as donations from good Samaritans all over the world will not most probably reach the most needy is even more agitating… to say the least.

A beautiful land can turn into rubble in just a matter of two days of heaviest rainfall of the century is a rude awakening for everyone thinking it is not going to happen in their side of the world.
With every new footage of destruction I watch  my belief to practice minimalism is getting stronger. To a certain extend this vagabond life has helped us in maintaining that.  If you would like to know how we started off then the answer is …Downsize..Downsize..Downsize to begin with

Mother nature just reiterated . . .

Be less:
Selfish
Materialistic  ( Not a single luxury car swam in water)
Brand conscious ( Latest technology gadgets sat under water for days)

Collect more of:
Good memories
Trustworthy friends  (Who would put SOS alert when they don’t hear from you)
Blessings ( Just by being humane)

Spend on:
Knowledge
Life skills
Good quality healthy food  (Your body is your most precious asset)
Every materialistic luxury is headache to maintain and keep up with and heartache to loose.Invest in things no one can steal from you nor take away until memory exists in you.

What are the life lessons you learnt and practice ?

Today’s post is a curry is made during heavy rain when fresh vegetables are not available. Yams and starchy root vegetables were used in those days for sustenance.

Ingredients:
Taro root/ Arbi /Chembu  –  3 to 4
Green chili – 1 cut into pieces
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/3 tsp
Salt to taste
To grind:
Coconut grated – 1 cup
Jeera/cumin – 1 tsp
Pepper – 1 tsp
Plain yogurt – 1 cup
To season:
Mustard 1 tsp
Whole red chili – 2
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coconut oil – 2 – 3 tsp

Method:
1.Peel taro root caefully washwell and dry. (Note taro root causes itching while peeling use gloves if needed it is slightly slimy like okra so remember to dry well before cutting)Cut into large rounds.
2.Into a pan put the taro pieces , chili powder turmeic powder salt green chili and few curry leaves. Pour enough water to cover the taro root cover and cook until taro is soft but not mashed.
3. Coarsely grind coconut ,jeera, pepper adding yogurt.
4. Once the taro is cooked reduce heat to low and add the coconut paste. Add very little wwater to blender jjar and pour that too. Allow it to come to a slight boil only now remove from heat and keep aside immediately
5. Heat coconut oil add mustard when it crackles add red chili and curry leaves.
Pour the seasoning on to the curry keep this almost covered until served.
Serve taroroot yogurt curry warm with rice ,rasam and other stir fries.
Note:
Do not boil the curry on high heat else the coconut yogurt paste will curdle.

Hope you like it.

Meena

Other mild yogurt based curries to try and fall in love :

• Yam with yogurt
• Indian cucumber with yogurt
• Raw mango with yogurt