For most people dal chawal is the ultimate comfort food. It could be in any form…Khichdi, Sambar Sadam, Chana/Masoor dal pulao, Bisibele baath or any other. I’m not one of those people, but whenever I do cook dal & rice, I usually make a side to go with it. It could be a simple jeera aloo, a stir-fry with greens, raw banana fry or this utterly delicious Arbi Roast. This isn’t a very popular vegetable amongst many but I strongly believe that if cooked well, it not only tastes excellent, it also completes a meal. Growing up, I’ve eaten a lot of arbi (colocasia) with rotis & dahi & it used to make me really happy  😋
I still cook it often at home, as a roast mostly. It’s the perfect side to a simple meal, not too fancy nor too plain.
If not cooked properly, arbi often irritates the throat. So proper boiling, frying should be ensured so that you get the maximum out of this root vegetable.
This recipe is very basic, involving a few dry spices. No onion-tomato-ginger-garlic used here, so it’s a perfect dish to eat during fasts. Try it out even if you haven’t tried arbi before, you will be pleasantly surprised!

Arbi Roast

Course: SidesCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Arbi (colocasia), cooked as a roast with dry spices. An excellent side dish to simple meals.

Ingredients

• Arbi (colocasia): 250gms

• Green chillies: 2, slit

• Ajwain (caraway seeds): 1tsp

• Dry red chillies: 2

• Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp

• Red chilli powder: 1/2tsp

• Dhaniya powder (coariander): 1tsp

• Heeng (asafoetida): A pinch

• Amchur (dry mango powder): 1/2tsp

• Sambar powder: 1/2tsp

• Oil: 3tbsp + 1tbsp

• Fresh chopped coriander

• Salt to taste

Directions

• Wash the arbi thoroughly under running water till all the mud comes off.
• Boil it in a pressure cooker. It will take 1-2 whistles depending on the quality of the vegetable. Remember, the arbi should become soft but not mushy.
• Once the pressure releases, drain the water & peel the arbi. Cut it into 4 pieces lengthwise.
• Take a wide pan & add 3tbsp oil. Once it heats up, add the heeng, ajwain, turmeric powder, red & green chillies.
• Once the seeds crackle, add the boiled arbi & mix well with the oil. Now add the dhaniya powder, red chilli powder & sambar powder. Carefully stir to combine everything, taking care that the arbi should not break.
• Let it cook for 5-7 mins, while stirring in between.
• Now add the amchur powder & the 1tbsp oil & let the vegetable roast for 5 more minutes.
• Once the arbi is done, tip in the chopped coriander, mix & serve with a choice of mains. Best combination is with dal/rasam rice  😋

Notes

• The arbi needs to be cooked properly. Raw & it’ll irritate the throat, over-cooked & it’ll turn gooey. 1-2 whistles in the pressure cooker is sufficient.
• It can be a little hard to digest for some people, hence the addition of ajwain.
• The addition of extra oil towards the end helps roast the arbi well. Don’t skimp please 😀