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Whole year we look up to a festival and now it is almost here. Diwali is one of the largest festivals celebrated in India with great zeal and enthusiasm. Not only this is a festival of lights but also a festival of food as it gives us an opportunity to indulge in some mouth-watering dishes and desserts.
Diwali is celebrated in almost every part of the country and the food they serve is not alike. Just like in other regions, there is one dish cooked in almost every household in Varanasi or Banaras on this day. If you are from Banaras or have spent Diwali there, you know what we are talking about. It’s none other than Elephant Foot Yam or what we call Jimikand. This vegetable may not look good but once you taste it, you would go hunting for this vegetable like crazy.
Also known by the names sooran or suran, oal or ol, this vegetable is a must-cooked vegetable in Banaras, but have you wondered why is it so? As per some religious beliefs, jimikand is considered very auspicious. This is because this vegetable grows in the soil and some of its small corms remain in the earth even after harvesting. It grows in the next season itself and grows really fast. Since Diwali also signifies growing and preserving wealth, jimikand is considered auspicious. It is also believed that this vegetable brings wealth and prosperity. You didn’t know this, did you?
Apart from holding such a strong religious significance, this vegetable also comes with ample health benefits. It is considered a superfood, but we have hardly realized its potential because of its appearance, let’s face this. Jimikand is rich in antioxidants which help in boosting immunity. Besides, it is packed with so many vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, potassium, and soluble fiber and thus, highly beneficial for the body. It works excellently when it comes to lowering inflammation and even prevents high blood pressure. Waoo!
So, keeping in mind the religious significance as well as its properties, you will be cooking jimikand curry this Diwali. Isn’t it? Before you start searching for the recipe here and there, we have sorted this for you. We have brought a recipe of Jimikand curry made without any onion and garlic. So, to make this amazingly delicious curry, follow the steps below:
Ingredients
- ½ kg jimikand
- 3 tomatoes (pureed)
- 1 cup curd
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp dry mango powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- Salt as per taste
- Oil for frying
- Handful of coriander leaves
Method
- Wash jimikand properly and peel it.
- Then, cut it into cubes and apply dry mango powder to them.
- Keep the dry mango powder-applied jimikand cubes in sunlight for 2 to 3 hours.
- Make sure you keep the jimikand in a tilt plate so that the water it releases gets drained.
- When done, take a pan and add water.
- Add the dried jimikand cubes into it and let it boil for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Thereafter, take out the cubes and drain out the water completely.
- Then, take a pan and shallow fry until they turn golden brown.
- When done, keep them aside.
- Take another pan and cumin and bay leaf. Stir them.
- Add tomato puree and let it cook until the oil starts separating.
- Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and a pinch of dry mango powder.
- After this, add whisked curd to the gravy. Add garam masala and give it a good mix on low flame.
- Then add shallow fried jimikand cubes and let it cook for 10 minutes. (Don’t overcook).
- When done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Happy Diwali guys!
