Mahanandi

Taro Roots (Chaama Dumpa in Telugu and Arvi in Hindi)

I’ve always found this dish convenient to cook, for I do not have to worry about the stickiness or falling apart at the touch – ness of taro root. Traditionally in India, boiled, sliced taro is fried in an iron skillet on stovetop. Most of times, end result would be a big, shapeless mush. Tastes good but not that appealing to the eyes. Baking and broiling really suits taro. If you haven’t tried it yet, you must now. Perfection, I tell you. Crispy and gold colored, usually forgettable taro becomes an unforgettable taste.

These oven baked chaama dumpa vepudu/fry make a satisfying and nutritious side dish when served with rice and dal/sambar/rasam or yogurt combination. Moreover, it is the ideal dish for these cool winter days. Oven cooking brings that much needed warmth to the home and also to our bellies.

Boiled and sliced taro root (chaama dumpa/arvi) chips ready for baking

Recipe:

Boil (or steam cook) taro roots in water until they become tender. Overboiling makes them extremely mushy so keep checking and remove them before they turn to mushy soft. When they are cooled enough to touch, peel the skins. Cut each, crosswise about quarter to half-inch thickness.

In a vessel, take one or one + (your wish) teaspoons of oil. Add and mix salt, red chilli-garlic powder and turmeric to taste. Add and toss the cut taro root pieces. Spread them in rows neatly on a foil covered baking tray and bake them at 350 F for about 10 minutes. Also broil each side for about 2 to 5 minutes, until they are golden-brown. Remove and serve hot.

While boiling and baking, pay attention to the time and the cooking process. Overcooking in water or overbaking may result in mushy or blackened taro root chips instead of golden, crispy perfection.

Taro root (chaama dumpa/arvi) Chips

Taro root (Chaama Dumpalu) is a starchy tuber vegetable like potato but has nut-like flavor when cooked. I know four recipes with taro root, among all; the easiest one is this taro root rasam or soup.

Boil 5 medium sized taro roots (chaama dumpalu) in water for about 5 to 8 minutes. Don’t keep the roots in hot water for too long. They must be firm, not soft or mushy to touch after removing from the water.

Remove them from the water. Peel the skin off. The skin comes off easily and the tuber inside holds its shape without going all mushy. That’s the result of timely removal from hot water and is what we want for this recipe.

Cut each one into one inch thick round pieces.

Ingredients to make taro root soup (chaama dumpala rasam):

1 small onion, cut into thin long pieces
3 tablespoons of tamarind juice,
Small piece of jaggery or 2 tsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of redchilli powder and turmeric
1/2 tsp of salt
popu ingredients: 1 tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin, minced garlic and curry leaves

Preparation:

On medium flame, in a saucepan, add one tsp of oil, do the popu (tiragamata).To it add onions, fry them little bit, and then add tamarind juice, salt, red chilli powder, jaggery (sugar), and one cup of water. Stir them once, cover and bring it to boil. Remove the lid and add taro root pieces and let it simmer for few more minutes.

Serve the rasam hot with rice.

Taro root rasam