I have been keeping a secret for a while. Yep, I have. And that is, my love for sweet potatoes. There you go, now you all know me inside out. That’s all there is to me – I love sweet potatoes, chocolate, brinjal and step by step recipe pictures. I am a very simple person.
Back to sweet potatoes. What does that have to do with this poriyal podi recipe you ask? Well, I usually have sweet potatoes just boiled and very lightly salted. It makes my troubles go away like nothing else can.
But the other day, I was going through Chandra Padmanabhan’s Southern Spice, for the umpteenth time, and saw this recipe called chakkaravalli kizhangu poriyal recipe. I had no clue chakkaravalli kizhangu is sweet potato. All this time I thought sweet ptoato is cheeni kizhangu in tamil although I have no clue how I came to that conclusion.
I tried it and let me just tell you this much – it beats slightly salted sweet potatoes to the door and back, any day!
To make this poriyal, you need poriyal podi. It can be made in a jiffy so don’t let that intimidate you. You can make a bit of this and store it for future use too.
Poriyal Masala Podi Recipe
Source: Southern Spice by Chandra PadmanabhanWhat I Used:1 cup coriander seeds/kothamalli1/2 cup urad dal/uluntham paruppu/husked black gram1/2 cup grated coconut2 generous pinches of hing/asafoetida/perungaayam10 dried red chillies2 tsp oilHow I Made It:1. Dry roast the coriander seeds in a skillet/kadai until the seeds turn a darker shade of brown (about 4-5 mins). Set aside.2. In the same pan, dry roast the dal until golden brown, taking care not to burn it. Set aside.3. In the same pan, dry roast the coconut until just short of burnt. I made mine turn a dark brown taking care not to burn. Set aside.4. Add the oil to the pan, let it heat through and throw in the red chillies. Fry them until they are short of burning, throw in the hing, stir through for 10 seconds and remove from fire.5. Cool, combine and grind the ingredients to a powder.
The smell of this freshly made poriyal podi is a-m-a-z-i-n-g and I am not even exaggerating this time. So let’s quickly go make this sweet potato poriyal, shall we? Store the leftover poriyal podi in an air tight container.
Chakkaravalli Kizhangu / Sweet Potato Poriyal RecipeSource: Southern Spice by Chandra PadmanabhanServes: 2What I Used:2 cups sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes2 green chillies1/4 tsp turmeric powder1.5 tbsp poriyal masala podiFor tempering:2 tsp oil1/4 tsp mustard seeds1/4 tsp jeera/cumin seeds1 red chilli, halvedA pinch of hing (optional)A few curry leavesHow I Made It:1. Heat oil for tempering in a pan and add all the ingredients. When the mustard seeds beging to pop, add the turmeric, green chillies and sweet potatoes with some salt and 1/3 cup water. Mix well.2. Cook closed for 10-12 mins until the sweet potatoes are soft and cooked. If there is extra water, leave the pan open and let it evaporate. Once the mixture is dry, add the poriyal podi and stir well.3. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Achu says…ROMBA NALLA IRUKKU!!!…me too 🙂 🙂
..the podi you've used is simply the best!!!
pics are very lovely , seems very delicious too
Till date I knew only one thing to make with sweet potatoes and that is to steam them and mash them… never knew such curries existed.. that podi must definitely give it that spiciness that is often much required in Indian families 🙂
Many of you asked about the spice level of the podimas. The poriyal podi is not very hot but you can adjust the level of heat there or add an extra green chilly while cooking the sweet potatoes. This was just right for us, hot and sweet at the same time, neither taking over the other. If you try this recipe, do let me know 🙂
Dude…no more secrets – we thought we know you well and you let another cat out of the bag? What else are you hiding? LOL!
Looks awesome – I make a similar podi for kathirikkai poriyal..I'm sure this was super tasty. Looks awesome as always!
Interesting recipe with sweet potatoes. Lovely picture. BTW First time here. You have a lovely space. Do check out my blog when you have a chance.
Nags, I have never fancied sweet potatoes..but this pic with that podi sprinkled and coated all over, I guess I want to try that..
Crispy and delicious potatoes…the powder used here sounds interesting…I have to try it out 🙂
Thats a gr8 recipe with sweet potatoes…here sweet potatoes r mainly used to make desserts,nice one….
Thanks for the poriyal podi recipe…A friend gave me some of the podi her mom made for her – i am sure it did not have coconut, but tasted great – I've just run out of it, so perfect timing !! Never been a big fan of sweet potatoes, but this looks awesome…