Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors
Tarul Ko Tarkari (Himalayan Yam Curry)
From the book
Ayla: A Feast of Nepali Dishes from Terai, Hills and the Himalayas
Vibrant and authentic Nepali recipes
From MasterChef:The Professionals finalist, Santosh Shah
From street food snacks to dinner ideas, drinks to desserts.
Buy From
Introduction from Santosh Shah
Tarul (Himalayan yam) is a long and short thin root that grows deep into the ground with only a short vine on the surface. It is a tradition to find the vine and plant a coloured stick next to it. The yam is ready to dig up when the vine has grown up around the stick. Each digger has his own personalized coloured stick. No one would dare steal a root from another digger.
The flesh of the yam is fibrous and perfect to absorb the flavour of a curry. You can also use purple yam or African yam for this recipe.
Ingredients
Method
Peel the yam, cut into 2.5-cm (1-in) chunks. Keep in a bowl, covered with water to avoid discoloration while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Drain and pat dry before use.
Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan with a lid. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for a couple of minutes, until soft. Add the hing and turmeric and immediately after, add the yam and salt and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the yam pieces are slightly golden.
Add the chilli powder, cumin and ground coriander and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, cover and cook for 3–4 minutes.
Remove the lid, sprinkle with the fresh coriander, cover, turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 1 minute.
Serve hot with rice, yogurt and pickles.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.