Ratalu nu Shaak

the Gujarati purple yam stir-fry: batons of ratalu fried in a tempering of cumin and green chilli with crushed peanuts, lemon, and coriander, the winter and fasting-day vegetable

Origin: Surat & Gujarat

From the journey of Yam.

Gujarat calls the purple yam ratalu or kand, and it is a vegetable of the cold months, when it arrives in the markets of Surat and Ahmedabad alongside the other roots of the winter table. Cut into batons and fried in a tempering of cumin and green chilli, dressed with crushed roasted peanuts, lemon, and coriander, it becomes a dry shaak eaten with rotli and dal. Because it is a root rather than a grain, it is also farali food, permitted on the fasting days when cereals are not. Its other appearance is grander. Undhiyu, the great winter casserole of Surat, buries a whole season's vegetables in one pot, and the purple yam is one of the fixed members of that company, along with the young pigeon peas, the surti papdi beans, and the baby aubergines.

Ingredients

Shaak

  • 600 g purple yam (ratalu / kand), peeled and cut into 5 cm batons
  • 3 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 0.5 tsp red chilli powder

Tempering

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 0.25 tsp asafoetida
  • 2 green chillies, slit

To Finish

  • 3 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • Salt

Method

  1. Peel the yam, cut it into batons, and hold them in water until you cook them. Wear gloves if your hands are sensitive to the raw sap.
  2. Heat the oil in a wide pan, add the cumin, and when it crackles add the asafoetida and green chillies.
  3. Drain and dry the yam, add it to the pan, and fry over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until the pieces are golden at the edges.
  4. Sprinkle over the turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder, and salt, and cook for a further 5 minutes, covered, until tender.
  5. Take off the heat and toss with the crushed peanuts, lemon juice, sugar, and coriander leaves. Serve with rotli.

Notes

Ratalu is sold in Indian grocers in winter, often labelled purple yam or kand; the flesh may be deep violet or streaked. For a farali version, use rock salt in place of table salt and leave out the asafoetida.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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