Sookhi Arbi Fry: Pan-Fried Colocasia
27 Sep
An easy arbi (colocasia) side dish that doesn’t require much skill or vigilance to put together. And what’s more, it remains heroically spill-resistant even if you carry it around in a leaky creaky lunchbox.
The “secret ingredient” in this recipe is the spice blend: sookhi sabzi masala. Follow the link for the steps to prepare this masala. You can make the spice blend in a big batch, use some for this recipe and stow away the rest for later use.
You Need:
[For 2-3 servings]
- Colocasia (arbi) – 250 grams (~9 medium pieces)
- Sookhi sabzi masala – 1 tablespoon
- Salt – to taste
- Mustard oil* – 1 tablespoon
Substitute mustard oil if you like with vegetable / peanut or sesame oil.
How To Make Sookhi Arbi Fry:
1. Boil the colocasia
Wash the colocasia with skin on. Make sure no traces of mud remain stuck to the skin – scrub well!
After washing, place the colocasia in a thick-bottomed pan and cover with plain water. Bring the pan to a boil, then simmer covered for 20 minutes or till the colocasia has softened.
You could boil in a pressure cooker instead of a pan to quicken the process, fair warning though: you have far less control with a pressure cooker and might end up with mushy colocasia. The time of boiling can vary depending on the size of the colocasia. This is a bigger concern if the colocasia pieces are unevenly sized. With an open pan, you can simply pick out the small ones out of the water early.
Let the boiled arbi cool to room temperature. If planning to use immediately, proceed to the next step – else refrigerate till ready to use.
2. Coat with sookhi sabzi masala
Peel the arbi.
Using a fork, press each arbi – use just enough pressure to let the fork’s prongs make an imprint and flatten the arbi slightly, not so much that it turns the arbi to pulp.
In a mixing bowl, sift together salt to taste (I use 1/3 teaspoon) and a tablespoon of sookhi sabzi masala. Transfer the boiled, flattened arbi into the bowl and mix well to coat the arbi with the spices.
3. Pan-fry
Heat a non-stick pan large enough to hold all the arbi pieces in a single layer without crowding the pan.
Set the heat to medium. Coat the base of the pan with half a tablespoon of oil.
Place the spice-coated arbi in the pan.
Cover the pan, give gentle shakes after 2-3 minutes to help with even cooking. After 5 minutes, uncover and check if the side facing the heat in done – you will know this when the pan gives off a toasted aroma and the side below has turned a deep golden.
Sprinkle a few drops of oil to the arbi sides facing up. When the side facing down is done, flip the pieces over.
Cook covered for another 3-4 minutes, then switch off the heat.
Let the arbi sit in the pan for another 5 minutes.
Sookhi arbi fry (pan-fried colocasia) is ready to eat.
Serve hot with a bigger Indian meal, or pack in the lunch box.
Meal below (clockwise from bottom-right): sookhi arbi with boiled rice, fresh onion discs, toor dal tadka with spinach, chow chow tomato curry.
My favorite pairing of sookhi arbi fry is with pooris and chili pickle. Mouth-watering!
Notes:
Check out other interesting arbi (colocasia) recipes…
…and other fun recipes to prepare with sookhi sabzi masala:
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