Stir Fried Yam (Chena Mezhukupuratti)

"A pan full of Yam" - Chenna Mezhukuparatee/ Sauteed yams

Onions can make you cry but this dish had me crying even before I peeled the onion. Why? Because this dish was prepped by mum when she visited in February 2015. I have almost no clue of how to peel and cut every root vegetable possible. And Dad and Mum used to grow these root veggies in their yard. Yam is one such root veggie that Mum and Dad carried with them to our home in Chennai. This was when they were visiting us for the first of the two times at Chennai, before Mum passed away.

She prepped this dish and asked me to cook half of it and refrigerate what I didn't need right away and so I did. When we were moving from Chennai, I need to clear up my fridge and I came to the container in the freezer and decided to have it on Saturday 27.6.2015.

This dish was physically prepped by Dad and Mom and finished off by me (after Mum passed away). The yam itself was homegrown. When Mum was prepping the dish for me, little did I know that only a few weeks away would Mum leave us for her Heavenly Abode.

I had first chosen to share this dish after New Year  as most homes would have been dialing down the extravagant meals after the festive season. I know of homes that go completely detox or purely vegetarian after all the indulgent weeks have gone by. But now with the Lenten season in, it seems apt to post this recipe.

I do not think I have consumed as much yam in my lifetime as I did while we were moving from our home in Chennai as I needed to use the prepped yam and would not let a morsel of it go to waste. Mum must have had a good laugh. Miss you Mum.

So since I didn't know how to skin the yam, Mum put Dad on the task as her skin was quite sensitive to it. Then Mum did the initial cooking of the yam and asked me to store the excess in the freezer and use as required. This root vegetable can actually be precooked and stored in the freezer even up to 6 months. I would not recommend it as the fresher your veggies are, better is their nutritional value.

So to make this simple recipe,

You need:

• Mustard seeds -  1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Onions - 1 medium size, sliced
• Green chilies -1-2 nos slit
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsps
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Elephant Foot Yam/Chenna - skinned and sliced - cut into long 1/4" sticks
• Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

The Make:
Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Serves 4 adults

1. Boil the yam in water with shake of salt, turmeric and some pepper powder.
2. Splutter mustard seeds in heated oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan or wok. Then add the curry leaves. Lower heat to medium-low.
3. Saute onions, green chilies, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, Coriander pwd and salt. 
4. Toss in prepped yam and saute for 10 minutes making sure to not have the yam stick or burn against the pan.
5. You can also leave out the green chilies and add a tablespoon of chili powder after tossing in the yam. Another alternative is to add pepper instead of the green chilies or chili powder. You can also add some jeera/cumin powder. 

Hope you enjoy this dish with a nice steaming bowl of rice and your favourite gravy.Serve hot with rice or chapatis.I went all out and added this as a mash in the centre of my dosa. I even tried it in some white pasta. 

Kids' Special # 1 - Mixed Veggies Vermicelli with meat kebabs or mince in chicken broth

This was the surprise I had for you mommies and Stay at Home Dads or Home cook dads. I have been asked time and again by friends, fellow bloggers and even an organisation at one point if I can have a special blog or page dedicated to kids' meals. I was even asked to write nutritious recipe creations catering to kids for the organisation that contacted me.

Considering my already busy schedule, I finally decided that it is best for me to dedicate a recipe creation each week or every other week to satiate those precious little ones' tummies. I have been having a page of kid-friendly recipes already going on my blog but the other day when I heard my little one grumble about her food getting not too exciting, I decided to finally give in and make time to do these sets of dishes especially for her. It really does not take out much time from your already busy schedule of preparing adult dishes. Just a tad bit of tweaking here and there will get you going well on your way. Portions would depend on your little one's appetite and which meal of the day to which you are catering.

It is a huge hurdle to get toddlers to eat, so I was thinking of dedicating my 'T'hursdays to the 'T'errific 'T'oddlers or kids in general out there.Based on your feedback and how useful you think my recipe creations are I can add to various age groups.

Right now these recipes have been tried and tested with ages 3-6 years. Albeit a small age bracket, it is quite a challenging age criteria for food needs. Age 4 yrs and above usually demand a lot of variety and can complain if you give them the same food type. So it is important to get the variety out there but more important to get the nutrition in there. Touch wood my little one has had no issues with greens and other healthy, nutritious elements of her meal.

This recipe is very simple indeed and can take portions from your adult meal for which you have planned  minus certain elements like spice, etc. I have mentioned meat kebabs or mince. Ideally freshly cooked mince is preferred however if you have made kebabs at a previous meal and have reserve, then you can shred the same and use. Remember the idea is also to make it easier on you mommies and daddies there to cook your precious one his/her special meal. You can also substitute chicken or for vegetarian meals you can add proteins such as mushrooms or diced boiled eggs or even a fried egg on top. You can use Veg stock or Veg broth instead of Chicken broth

You need:

• 2 cups of mince meat
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 cup of diced vegetables (I used carrots, peas and beans)
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 cups of roasted vermicelli
• 4 cups of freshly made chicken stock (I usually have a reserve in the fridge) or you can use stock cubes
• Salt to taste
• Oil

The Make:
Serves 2 toddlers | Cooking Time : 30-35 minutes | Preparation Time: 10 minutes

1. Cover and cook the mince meat in 1 cup of chicken stock with half of the diced onions and 2 cloves of garlic.
2. Meanwhile in a wok, add a drizzle of oil and saute the remaining onions and garlic until translucent.
3. Toss in the veggies and cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes
3. Add in the remaining stock and vermicelli and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Next add in the cooked mince with its juices and allow to boil on medium-high heat for a few minutes.
5. Lower the heat and cook until the stock reduces.

Serve hot with a side of your little one's favourite salad.