200 grams or 1 ⅓cupsSuran (Elephant foot yam or Jimikand)grated
2cupsWateradd pinch of salt in the water
1tablespoonPeanut oil
½teaspoonCumin seeds
½teaspoonSesame seeds
50 grams or ¼cupPeanutscoarsely ground
a very smallpieceCinnamon stick
2Cloves
Salt to taste
½teaspoonSugar
1teaspoonLemon juice
2teaspoonsDesiccated coconut
1tablespoonCilantro or coriander leavesfinely chopped
Instructions
Prep:
Let’s start by cutting and peeling the elephant yam. Most of the time this gives irritation or itchy feeling to your hands during this process. To avoid that, please grease your hands with little oil and then continue.
Now using the box grater, start grating them.
Soak the grated yam into a bowl of salted water for 10-15 minutes. Meantime prep rest of the ingredients.
Making Suran Khichdi:
Heat the peanut oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
Then add sesame seeds. As sesame seeds start to splutter, add crushed peanuts. And saute for a minute or till they are lightly roasted and get light brown color.
Now discard the soaking water from grated suran. Add that to the pan and sprinkle rock salt.
Mix and let it cook for 5-6 minutes or till yam gets soft (but not mushy).
While yam is cooking, take cloves and piece of cinnamon stick, make a powder using mortar and pestle. Add that powder to the cooked yam.
Also, add sugar and lemon juice.
Lastly, add desiccated coconut and chopped cilantro leaves. Stir well and it is ready to serve.
Notes
This root gives an itchy feeling in your throat, to avoid that you must add sour ingredients like lemon, tamarind, yogurt, etc. Here lemon is used in this recipe. SO the important ingredient is LEMON JUICE (do not skip).
I prefer the mild version of this khichdi, but if you want to add some spicy flavor then add chopped green chili after adding sesame seeds.
Not all the oils are allowed during Hindu vrat. Ask your elders what is allowed in your family, tradition, and go from there. We mostly use peanut oil or ghee.
Variation: You can use an equal amount of grated yam and grated potato. Or make the same dish with only grated potatoes.