Erisseri

Elephant's Foot Yam & Plantain Curry with Fried Coconut

Vegetarian●●●Origin KeralaPrep 45 minutesCook 45 minutes

Erisseri is a mildly spiced South Indian curry of tender yam and plantain simmered in a fragrant coconut gravy. Finished with coconut toasted golden in oil with mustard seeds and curry leaves, it is rich, nutty, and subtly earthy.

Cumin for the paste

2.1 gBlended with grated coconut (step 1)

Cumin seed · Jeera

2.1 g1 teaspoon

spice

Leave whole ready to grind into a paste.

Ground spices for the curry

6 gAdded to the boiling vegetables (step 2)

Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder

2.6 g1 teaspoon

spice

Ground turmeric · Haldi

3 g1 teaspoon

spice

Stir the powders together.

Tempering spices

10 gFried in hot oil (step 4)

Mustard seed · Rai

7 g2 teaspoons

spice

Dried red chilli · Sukhi Lal Mirchtorn into pieces

3 g3 chillies

spice

Keep whole ready for the hot oil.

Everything else

Coconut · Nariyalpeeled and grated

400 g1 coconut

fruit

Yam · Surancut into 2.5-cm / 1-inch pieces

500 g

vegetable

Unripe plantain · Kachcha Kelapeeled and slit in half lengthways, then cut into 1-cm / ½-inch pieces

4000 g20 plantains

vegetable

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Coconut oil · Nariyal Tel

27 g2 tablespoons

oil/fat

Coconut · Nariyalgrated

400 g1 coconut

fruit

Curry leaf · Kadi Patta

5 g20 leaves

herb

Method

Place 400 g coconut and the cumin for the paste into a food processor with a splash of water, then grind to a smooth paste.
Bring 500 ml of water to the boil in a large saucepan. Tip in 500 g elephant's foot yam, the plantain, the ground spices for the curry, and salt to taste, then cook for around 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Stir the blended coconut paste into the pan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat down low and simmer for roughly 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened, then take the pan off the heat.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds from the tempering spices and cook for about 1 minute until they begin popping, then toss in the dried red chillies from the tempering spices and swirl for 10 seconds.
Add the remaining 400 g coconut and 5 g curry leaf to the frying pan, stirring constantly until the coconut turns evenly golden-brown. Pour the hot tempering directly into the curry, stir thoroughly, and serve.

Don't have something?

Coconut

Fresh coconut
Use equal weight freshly grated or diced. Delivers the identical sweet, milky taste and juicy texture.
Desiccated coconut
Use 60% of the weight and soak in hot water or milk for 15 minutes before using. The finished dish will be slightly sweeter and less fibrous.
Dried coconut
Finely grate and use 50% of the weight, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes. Yields a firmer chew and a denser, oilier coconut aroma.

Cumin seed

Ground cumin
Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seeds
Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seed
Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Yam

Indian yam
This is the closest match; use the same weight and cook as directed until tender.
Taro root
Use the same weight; it is starchier and can be slightly slimy, so peel, cube and simmer for 15–20 minutes.
Sweet potato
Use the same weight; it is sweeter and softer, so reduce cooking time by about 5 minutes.

Unripe plantain

Raw banana
Use the same weight; peel and boil or grate. It is the closest in starchiness and texture.
Green plantain
Use the same weight; peel and cook a little longer. It is firmer but similar.
Unripe green banana
Use the same weight; peel and prepare as the recipe says. It softens slightly faster.

Chilli powder

Red chilli powder
Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.
Kashmiri chilli powder
Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.
Cayenne pepper
Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Ground turmeric

Ground ginger
Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
Saffron
Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Coconut oil

Vegetable oil
Use the same weight; it is neutral and will not add coconut aroma.
Groundnut oil
Use the same weight; mild and good for frying, but no coconut flavour.
Ghee
Use the same weight for richness; it adds a dairy aroma and is not vegan.

Mustard seed

Black mustard seed
Use the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.
Yellow mustard seeds
Use the same weight. They are milder and larger; fry a few seconds longer until they pop. The finished dish will have less pungency.
Ground mustard seed
Use 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.

Dried red chilli

Dried kashmiri chilli
Use equal weight whole. Fry in hot oil or ghee as tempered spice; gives a richer red colour with slightly milder heat.
Red chilli powder
Use 50% to 70% of the weight. Stir into the oil with ground spices; distributes heat evenly throughout the dish without whole chilli skins.

Curry leaf

Bay leaf
Fry 1 bay leaf for every 5 curry leaves in hot oil; imparts a warm, woodsy background note, but misses the citrus-sulphury punch entirely.
Lime juice
Add a small squeeze (about 5 ml per sprig of curry leaves) right before serving; provides sharp citrus top notes without the toasty, herbal aroma.

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Kappa Puzhukku

Cassava Porridge

Kappa Puzhukku is noticeably spicier and has a dense, mashed consistency rather than the sweet, nutty finish of this dish's fried coconut gravy.

Same: Both dishes season starchy tubers with coconut, cumin seed, ground turmeric, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.
Different: Kappa Puzhukku uses mashed cassava instead of yam and plantain, uses only dried red chillies instead of chilli powder, and lacks the toasted coconut garnish used in this dish.

Nariyal Tamatar ki Chutney

Tomato Coconut Chutney

Nariyal Tamatar ki Chutney is tangier, sharper, and more pungent, whereas this dish is milder, earthier, and nuttier.

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Different: Nariyal Tamatar ki Chutney is a condiment prepared with tomatoes, onions, coriander, and urad dal rather than a simmered yam and plantain curry topped with toasted coconut.

Kobari Pachadi

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Kobari Pachadi tastes cool, creamy, and tart from the yogurt, unlike the warm, nutty, and earthy profile of this curry.

Same: Both dishes feature coconut as their primary base and are tempered with mustard seeds and dried red chillies.
Different: Kobari Pachadi is an uncooked condiment made with plain yogurt and urad dal, omitting the simmered yam, plantain, turmeric, cumin, curry leaves, and toasted coconut used in this dish.

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Same: Nejandu Thoran shares a heavy coconut base seasoned with ground turmeric, chilli powder, cumin seeds, and curry leaves.
Different: Instead of simmering yam and plantain into a gravy finished with toasted coconut and mustard seeds, Nejandu Thoran is a dry preparation made with crab, ginger, garlic, green chillies, and ground coriander.