What you need to make the Seppankizhangu Fry (apart from a mother-in-law who cooks this for you and waits patiently while you click pictures at every step) 500gm cheppankizhangu / arbi/ colocasia / chembu 5 tbsp (more or less) rice flour 1 tbsp besan / kadala maavu / gram flour (optional – you can also use rava / semolina instead) 2 tsp red chilli powder A generous pinch of turmeric powder A generous pinch of asafoetida / perungaayam / hing Salt to taste Oil to deep fry Let’s get started. Here’s how to make the Seppankizhangu Varuval:
- Wash and boil the Cheppankizhangu in enough water to cover it for about 10-12 mins until it is cooked but not mushy. Its better not to pressure cook to avoid over-cooking.
- Cool. Yes, you also need a little patience to make this dish. That’s why my mom-in-law made it while I just watched her, snacking on murukku and clicking pictues like its going out of fashion.
- Once cooled, peel and cut into small, bite-sized pieces that are of the same size more or less. This is so that when you fry the stuff, it gets cooked uniformly.
- Throw in the rice flour, besan if using, chilli powder, salt, hing and turmeric and toss until well coated. Set aside for 10-15 mins while you heat up the oil for deep drying.
- Once the oil is hot enough, fry a few pieces at a time until golden brown. If there’s any left after your initial snacking, you can serve with rice and mor kozhambu / moru kachiyathu. I’m told its a good combination.
