Garlicky Taro Root with Tamarind

Name: Garlicky Taro Root with Tamarind (Lasoon Arbi Chi Bhajee)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 4 large cloves garlic; 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 2 to 4 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed; 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 pound taro root (see box); 1 tablespoon canola oil; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

Lasoon Arbi Chi Bhajee

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

Cut the purple-hued tender roots into 1-inch cubes for this incredibly easy and robust curry. It is dynamite with slices of warm buttered toast.

For an alternative cooking method, see this Tip.

Ingredients

1 pound taro root (see box)
1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt

Asia
India
Lunch
Vegan
Spicy
Gluten-free

Method

Peel the gnarly-looking roots with a swivel peeler or a paring knife. Thoroughly rinse them under running water. They will be extremely starchy and slippery (no matter how much you rinse, the slipperiness will never go away). Cut each root into 1-inch cubes. Place them in a medium-size saucepan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat