Name: Kerala Yam Erissery
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Elephant Foot Yam, chena, peeled and cut into medium cubes; ½ cup Fresh Coconut, grated and divided into two equal halves (for paste and roasting); ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds, for grinding; 1 Green Chili Pepper, for grinding; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper; ½ tsp Mustard Seeds; 1 Dried Red Chili Peppers; 7½ Curry Leaves; 1½ tbsp Coconut Oil; ¾ tsp Salt; 1 cup Water

45 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

Add to your week

Method

In a pot, boil the yam (chena) cubes with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, salt, and the measured water until they are tender and easily mashed.
Meanwhile, grind a portion of the grated coconut, cumin seeds, and green chillies with a little water to form a smooth, fine paste.
Once the yam is cooked, mash a few pieces slightly with the back of your spoon to thicken the base.
Add the smooth coconut paste to the boiled yam. Mix well and let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes until the raw coconut smell goes away.
5 min
In a separate small pan, heat coconut oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the remaining grated coconut to the hot oil. Roast continuously on medium-low heat until the coconut turns a beautiful, dark golden brown.
Pour this deeply roasted coconut tempering over the simmering yam curry. Stir gently to combine.
Turn off the heat. Keep it covered for 10 minutes before serving so the roasted flavors infuse the dish.
10 min

How to tell it's done

Soft, creamy, mildly spiced yam chunks resting in a thick yellow coconut gravy, heavily studded with deeply roasted, crunchy coconut flakes.

Getting it right

Tip

Erissery is defined by its two-stage coconut process: a smooth coconut paste for the body of the curry, and heavily roasted coconut for the garnish. Do not skip roasting the final coconut until it is dark brown.

What to serve it with

A cornerstone of the Kerala Sadhya (festive banquet). Serve warm with steamed Matta rice or plain white rice.

Dhaba Style Mutton Curry

Dhaba style mutton curry cooks goat meat slowly in yoghurt and browned onion until the oil rises.

2 hr 40 minnon vegetarian

Dhaba Style Soya Chaap Rogan Josh

Soya chaap rogan josh gives soy chaap the Kashmiri treatment, cooked in yoghurt with fennel and dry ginger.

45 minvegetarian

Dry Matar Paneer

Dry matar paneer keeps paneer and peas out of gravy, tossed instead in a thick masala that clings.

25 minvegetarian

Dry Soya Matar Sabzi

Dry soya matar sabzi cooks soy chunks with green peas in a thick masala rather than a gravy.

45 minvegan

Egg Dal Tadka

Egg dal tadka drops boiled eggs into a finished dal, so it eats as a main rather than a side.

1 hr 10 mineggetarian

Egg Kheema Matar

Egg kheema matar crumbles boiled egg into a pea and onion masala so it eats like a mince curry.

50 mineggetarian

Ingredients