Chena Varutharacha Curry| Chena Masala Curry| Chena Theeyal is a easy to prepare delicious Nadan curry which tickles your taste buds for sure. I love theeyal once my taste buds wants something really interesting to refresh my taste buds. This dish is from Kerala Cuisine prepared in a very traditional way.

Its quick to prepare flavourful curry good for digestion. You could prepare this for sadhya for festivals like Onam or even for day today lunch. Check out other Kerala Special Recipes here.

Chena Varutharacha Curry Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
Yam| Chena- 1/2 kg
Turmeric powder- pinch
Salt- to taste
Tamarind- small gooseberry size

To roast and grind:
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Coconut, grated- 1 cup
Jeera| cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Fennel seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Pearl onion| small onion, roughly chopped- 8
Ginger- 1/2 inch
Garlic- 3 big cloves
Dry red chilli- 8-10 nos
Coriander seeds- 1 teaspoon
Peppercorns- 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves- 1 strand

To temper:
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/4 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds|methi seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry red chillies- 2
Curry leaves- 2 strand

Chena Masala Curry recipe

PROCEDURE:
  • Peel and chop the yam into medium sized cubes. In a pan add yam, turmeric powder and enough water to immerse the yam and close with a lid and switch on the flame. Once it is half done add the salt and cook till soft but not mushy.
  • Drain the excess water and keep aside.
  • Soak the tamarind in one cup of water.
  • Heat two teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the grated coconut, jeera, fennel seeds, pearl onion, ginger, garlic, dry red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns and curry leaves.
  • Roast the ingredients in medium flame to low flame till light golden brown colour. The deeper the colour the colour of the curry deepens.
  • Allow the masala to cool; now transfer these ingredients on a blender jar and dry grind as a fine powder. Now add little water and grind as a fine paste.
  • Heat oil in a deep pan and splutter the mustard seeds; now add the fenugreek seeds and fry till light golden brown colour.
  • Now break the chillies in to two pieces and add with some curry leaves and fry in the oil for a second. 
  • Now add the tamarind water, masala paste, cooked yam, some salt and water to dilute the curry according to the consistency you wish (a cup or more).
  • Close with a lid and allow to cook till the gravy thickens and the raw flavour of the tamarind leaves.
  • Note: Same way you could use bhendi, brinjal, ginger..etc to prepare this theeyal. Check out other Kerala Special Recipes here.

Yam varutharacha curry recipe

Chena Theeyal recipe

Kerala Nadan curries