Karunai kizhangu gravy to go with rice as accompaniment. An Unbelievably delicious gravy recipe with no itchiness.
Kanunai kizhangu is a healthy vegetable that is ignored by many people just because of its itchy property at times in our tongue while eating. But it is extremely delicious and flavourful when cooked in the south Indian way for lunch. So the key is how to cook karunai kizhangu without itchiness. This also comes in the family of Yam.
How to avoid itching of yam?
- Firstly, choose old batch or buy and keep for a week or two and then cook.
- Secondly, cook thoroughly. Any uncooked part will surely cause itchiness.
- Lastly, balance it well with some tart - Tamarind or lemon juice. So this is an important thing to note.
Health benefits : It is very nutritious, fiber rich and helps in preventing constipation, even helps in early stage of hemorrhage.
Difference between pidi karunai kizhangu and senai kizhangu
We often mistake this with arbi/ seppankizhangu/ colocasia. I have heard from couple of friends that they avoid eating seppankizhangu because of it's itchy property. I was bit confused why they say so, then I assumed that they might have mistaken colocasia with pidi karunai kizhangu. Because till date, arbi/ colocasia never gave any itchy feel in my tongue after consumption. It is slimy when cooked but never itchy. Also when cooked, this is yellowish when compared to arbi.
Also people often confuse between pidi karunai kizhangu and senai kizhangu. This is small fist size root vegetable as the name indicates (Pidi-fist) while, the senai kizhangu, AKA elephant yam is large root vegetable in the size of elephant foot.
Here are some recipes with elephant yam:
I add it in 7 kari kootu for thiruvathirai and pongal. So remaining I make curry or podimas. This chutney/ gravy idea is from my mom when she visited recently. First I was bit reluctant to try, but, it was really flavourful and tasty. Easy and quick fix healthy gravy for lunch. Do try if you get a chance.
Gravies made the same way:
We make gravy with few vegetables in a specific manner like my previous recipes - yellow pumpkin gravy, ridge gourd gravy. This also adds to the list. Though it is same way, this is helpful for newbies looking for recipes using this.
Recipe card
Karunai kizhangu recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Karunai kizhangu
- 1 Onion
- 7 Green chilli
- 1 teaspoon Tamarind
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida
- Salt
To temper
- 2 teaspoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Methi seeds Optional
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 Curry leaves sprig
Instructions
- Wash and pressure cook karunai kizhangu in enough water for 3 whistles. Cool down and peel off the skin.
- You can soak and extract tamarind water, Cube onion, slit green chillies in the mean time when its getting cooked.
- Mash it well or I recommend grind it after crumbling the cooked kizhangu.
- Heat oil in kadai and temper with items given under 'To temper' table.
- Add tamarind extract, asafoetida, required salt and bring to boil.
- Add the karunai kizhangu and mix well. Adjust water level so that the consistency is like sambar (slightly thicker than sambar).
- Bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Switch off the stove and transfer to serving bowl.
Notes
- I just mashed the cooked kizhangu with potato masher, but found the texture to be grainy. I had no problem with it, still if you grind using mixer, the texture will be smooth and plesant to eyes. So I recommend grinding.
- Asafoetida along with onion and green chilli gives flavour to this gravy, so be generous adding asafoetida.
- Tamarind also should be more to nullify the itchy effect of the kizhangu.
- Buy and keep the kizhangu for a week so that its itchy property goes away. fresh kizhangu tends to be more itchy.
Step by step method
- Wash and pressure cook karunai kizhangu in enough water for 3 whistles. Cool down and peel off the skin. Soak and extract tamarind water, Cube onion, slit green chillies in the mean time.
- Mash it well or I recommend grind it after crumbling the cooked kizhangu. Heat oil in kadai and temper with items given under 'To temper' table.
- Add tamarind extract, asafoetida, required salt and bring to boil. Add the karunai kizhangu and mix well. Adjust water level so that the consistency is like sambar (slightly thicker than sambar).
- Bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Switch off the stove and transfer to serving bowl.
Serve hot with rice and any spicy curry. I had just with koozh vadam that my mom gave me.
Sowmya Sundararajan says
Pick karunai does have an itchy feel on the tongue. That's because of its natural property. So is the case with vegetables like yam. But the effect can be nullified by washing these with water in which rice was soaked.
Unknown says
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Unknown says
Hi Raks.. It's titled samosa recipe??
Thilak saravanan says
Draft needs changed to karuna kilangu gravy from samosa. 🙂
Thilak saravanan says
Draft needs changed to karuna kilangu gravy from samosa. 🙂
Jayashree GOPI SWAMINATHAN says
We can squeeze 1 lemon. It will be very tangy
Raks anand says
Mistake, updated now =)
ramya says
To remove itchy from yam, boil yam with tamarind. Then no itchy.... we used to do this often. But its call it as yam masiyal... in chettinadu side.
Aksh says
What does karunai kizhangu mean?
Papitha M says
Very quick n easy recipe.mouth watering.....
Raks anand says
Yes, every recipe using yam has either tamarind or lemon in it, so as this one. Masiyal is made bit thicker and this is similar to sambar consistency. And we call this chutney only. I named gravy for readers to understand better.
Raks anand says
This is a variety of Yam
Traditionally Modern Food says
Never cooked karynai kuzhambu this way..yum
kranthi 3k says
Onion is not necessary. Adding small pieces of coconut enhance the taste
Unknown says
I tried today. Superb
Aarthi says
Do u know the English name for Karunai kizhangu..?
Raks anand says
Sorry, I know it only as Yam.