Soorna (Yam) Tambude

"Tambude” is a sweet & sour, hot & spicy and of course it goes without saying, a tasty Konkani dish. One can come across this dish during festivals or weddings. It is a sort of a pickle.

This root vegetable is called “Soornu” in Konkani, “Elephant Foot Yam” in English and “Suran” in Hindi. Varieties of dishes can be prepared from this tuber.

It cooks quickly though cleaning this tuber might pose a problem for a few. I feel itchy all over my hands if I am not careful while cleaning it. Hence take care.

Once the hard exterior portion which is dark brown in color, is cut off, you will notice the pinkish colour on the inside. After removing the entire hard brown portion, immerse it in water to clean it. If exposed to air for a long time, it will show discoloration.

As soon as it is cleaned, chop it into desired pieces. If for some reason, you need to keep a portion of the cleaned yam (to be used later), then immerse it in a container full of water and refrigerate it. It will retain its color this way.

Ingredients

Yam/Suran Mustard seeds Methi (fenugreek) seeds Corriander (dhania) seeds Dry red chillies Turmeric Asafoetida Tamarind Salt Jaggery (powdered) Curry leaves Oil Water

200gms 2 tsps 1 tsp 2 tsps 8 or 9 ½ tsp ½ tsp A big marble size lump To taste 2 tsps 1 sprig 3 tsps 11/2 cups

Method:

1. Wash and cut the yam into small cubes.
2. Boil the cubes in water till soft.
3. Roast in a small quantity of oil – mustard seeds(1 tsp), fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chilies, asafetida and turmeric for about 4-5 mins.
4. When cooled, grind the above roasted mixture along with tamarind and a little water to a fine paste.
5. To the cooked yam/suran cubes, add salt and jaggery. Stir well.
6. Finally add the ground masala. Mix well and allow it to boil. Remove from flame.
7. Season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil.

Serves : 6

Note:

• Raw Jackfruit Tambude (Kadagi in konkani) is also prepared in the same manner as above.
• Red Chilies can be added according to ones taste. The red chilies (Byadagi variety) which I generally use are not very hot but give good color to the masala.