Chena Thoran / Yam Thoran

Chena Thoran – A tasty side dish with rice in Kerala cuisine !!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the coconut (thenga thirummiyathu):

5 tablespoons grated coconut

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Mix all the ingredients with finger tips. Do not add water. Keep aside.

For chena / yam:

150 g chena / yam

Gently remove outer layer, wash and cut into ¼ inch cubes. In a pressure cooker boil chena cubes with ½ cup water (just to cover chena cubes) and ½ teaspoon salt. Close the cooker and pressure cook on a high heat for 2 quick whistles. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Open the cooker and check the texture of chena. If it’s well cooked, that’s fine. If it’s not cooked properly, then pressure cook again (adjust water) for 2 more quick whistles.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil     

     

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds

Boiled chena / yam

Coconut mixture

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add jeera and fry for 30 seconds.

Now add boiled chena and coconut mixture. Adjust salt if required. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 10 minutes until  done / coconut mixture well combined with chena. Serve as a side dish with rice and other accompaniments.