Today we are going to prepare Dum Arbi. Arbi in Hindi, known as Taro Root in English is a starchy root vegetable cultivated in Asia and enjoyed all around the world. It is also known as Colocasia roots. It is brown skinned with white pulp inside.
Dum Arbi is a dish in which Arbi is cooked under dum or under pressure in a spicy yogurt gravy.
Arbi when cooked, steamed or boiled has a sweet and nutty taste. It is low in calorie content and high in nutrients and hence is helpful in losing weight.
It is rich in fibre content and makes your stomach feel fuller for longer hours due to which it reduces the number of calories intake throughout the day. This in turn leads to fat loss.
Arbi being low in fat and sodium prevents high blood pressure and hypertension, which is commonly observed today in middle aged groups. Lower sodium content also maintains fluid retention and kidney related problems. The essential 17 amino acids in Arbi prevent cancers, cardiovascular and other diseases. Also, both omega 3 and omega 6 are great for overall health.
Arbi is a starchy vegetable. It contains two types of carbohydrates that are beneficial for blood sugar management. They are fibre and resistant starch. This combination is a good option for diabetic people.
Arbi is rich in antioxidants and Vitamin A, B and C.They help to get away skin pigmentation and hair fall problems. Hence those who are concerned about ageing skin and hair fall, should consume Arbi on regular basis.
For preparing Dum Arbi, we need following ingredients.
INGREDIENTS :
(1) 500 gms of Arbi / Taro roots / Colocasia roots (I have used small and round Arbi instead of long ones)
(2) 3 medium sized Onions, grated
(3) 1 large Tomato, finely chopped
(4) 1 cup / 100 gms of Groundnuts (Roasted, peeled and then powdered)
(5) 1 cup of Curd
(6) 8-10 cloves of Garlic crushed in mortal pestle
(7) Half inch sized Ginger crushed in mortal pestle
(8) 3-4 green Chillies, minced
(9) 1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds / Jeera
(10) 2 teaspoons of Sabzi Masala
(11) 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri Lal Mirchi Powder
(12) Half teaspoon of Turmeric powder / Haldi
(13) 2 teaspoons of Coriander / Dhaniya powder
(14) 1 teaspoon of Cumin / Jeera powder
(15) 2 teaspoons of Garam Masala powder
(16) 1 cup of Coriander leaves chopped
(17) 2 teaspoons of Dry Fenugreek Leaves / Kasuri Methi
(18) Salt as per taste required
(19) Mustard oil for cooking
(20) Water for cooking
Cuisine : North Indian
Course : Main
Serves: 6-8 persons
Time : 30 mins for preparation and 1 hour for cooking = 1 hr 30 mins approximately
PREPARATION :
(1) Wash all the Arbi to remove all the mud and rub them by hand to remove as much hair as you can.
(2) In a utensil or any kadhai, immerse all the washed Arbi in 3 glasses of water and boil till the Arbi are tender but not lost their shape. It took me 25 minutes on a low to medium flame to cook the Arbi.
(3) Now peel the Arbi and with the help of a fork we prick them at the surface at various points so that the masala gets infused in the Arbi when we marinate them.
(4) Now after peeling and pricking the Arbi with a fork, let us marinate it. To marinade, take these Arbi in a bowl and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of Haldi, Half teaspoon Kashmiri Lal Mirch Powder, Half teaspoon of Dhaniya Powder, Half teaspoon of Jeera powder, Half teaspoon of Garam Masala powder and salt as required. Mix well so that the masala powders coat well to the Arbi. Keep aside for 30 minutes while we prepare rest of the things.
(5) Grate the Onions using a grater or finely chop them. Keep aside on a plate.
(6) Crush the garlic and ginger separately one by one in a mortar pestle and collect them on a bowl as shown.
(7) Next heat a pan and dry roast the Groundnuts / Peanuts / Moongphali on a low flame.
Once they turn crisp and lightly change colour, turn off the gas flame.
Collect the roasted peanuts on a plate.
To peel them off, lift some peanuts, rub them with both hands against each other. The peel comes off. To remove the peeled skin from the peanuts, winnow them. The light peel will come to the front of the plate. Remove the peels and collect the peeled Peanuts in a bowl.
Then in a mixer grinder powder them. Collect the powdered Peanuts in a bowl.
All ingredients set aside for the preparation of Dum Arbi / Colocasia roots curry.
METHOD :
(1) Shallow fry the marinated Arbi in a warm cooking oil taken in a kadhai. After shallow frying you can see that the Arbi have got a thin crispy golden layer on them.
(2) Heat 4 tablespoons of Mustard oil in a kadhai / wok. Once warm, add 1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds / Jeera to it and allow them to crackle. Then add crushed Garlic and Ginger. Sauté till the raw smell of it goes away.
(3) Add grated Onion and mix well. Saute till the Onion turns golden in colour.
(4) Add 1/4 teaspoon of Turmeric powder, Half teaspoon of Kashmiri Lal Mirch powder, Half teaspoon of Coriander / Dhaniya powder, Half teaspoon of Cumin / Jeera powder and mix well. Saute well for 3-4 minutes. Even in the Restaurant / Dhaba, the cooks sauté the masalas along with the onions.
Now we also add Salt at this stage. The Salt when added and sautéed along with the masalas help the oil to separate out in the gravy.
Also add about 50 ml of water and mix well. Adding water will prevent the gravy from burning and the masalas will also melt and cook well in it.
(5) Add the powdered Groundnut and mix well. Saute till the oil separates from the gravy. Instead of Groundnut powder, you may add cashew and melon seeds paste or only cashews paste. I have added powdered Groundnut and this will make the gravy thick and flavourful.
(6) Add chopped Tomatoes and mix well. Saute on a low to medium flame till the Tomatoes turn mushy. This step took about 3 minutes.
(7) Add Half teaspoon of Sabzi masala and mix well. Saute for 2 more minutes.
(8) Add 100 ml of water and mix well.
(9) Now add 1 cup of curd and mix well.
Adding Groundnut powder and Curd helps us to make the Restaurant / Dhaba style Dum gravy and these two are the key ingredients in the making of this gravy.
(10) Take 2 teaspoons of Kasuri Methi / Dry Fenugreek leaves on your palm and crush them by rubbing them with both palms and sprinkle them on the gravy. Kasuri Methi is one such important herb used in Indian cooking which adds a distinct flavour to any gravy and I love to use it in many of my recipes. Generally kasuri methi is added at the end of the preparation of the curry / gravy.
(11) Simmer for 4 minutes and this is how the gravy is cooked in a slow and steady manner to make it flavourful like they make in a Restaurant / Dhaba.
(12) Now our Dum gravy is ready. To this add the fried Arbi. Mix well and gently so that they do not break. Also to this add 1 glass of water and 2 teaspoons of Garam Masala powder. Mix well. Cover the lid of the kadhai and cook for 8 minutes on a low flame. This helps the gravy to infuse in the Arbi and blend well.
(13) After 8 mins of simmering, open the lid of the kadhai and mix everything well.
(14) Add chopped Coriander leaves and mix well.
(15) The Dum Arbi is ready.
(16) Transfer Dum Arbi in a serving bowl.
(17) Garnish with Coriander leaves.
(18) This dish can be had with chapatis / phulkas / pooris. I have served it with chapatis as seen in the given pictures below.
It seems a great recipe, I will give it a try.
Thanks for the appreciation, Simran. Sure, give it a try and I am sure you will like the dish just as I did!