Sukhi Arbi

Sukhi Arbi is spiced stir-fried taro roots, and it is a popular north Indian dishes. Visually, it can be unappealing, and I would say it is an acquired taste too, but if prepared properly, it turns out very tasty.

I remember when Arvind first time bought these roots, he mentioned how much he loves it and asked me to prepare it. We were newly married at that time. My expression was not pleasant and that odd-looking ugly brown tuber intimidated me.

Fast-forward 12 years of marriage and after several failures, I am proudly presenting this sukhi arbi that comes out very delicious every time.

Ingredients for Sukhi Arbi

Arbi - Arbi is Taro roots, also known as Colocasia roots. It is very famous in Indian cuisine and prepared in several different ways. The peel is rough and the texture of the vegetable is slimy. This root vegetable is rich in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E and resistant starch. 

There are more than a hundred varieties of taro roots, and it can be used for both sweet and savory dishes

Onion - Onion is optional, and I saw my MIL prepare it just with spices, and it turned out very tasty. I like to add a little bit of onion as it adds a mild sweetness too.

Spices - There are a lot of spices that go in this dish. Apart from the regular cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric and chili powder, I like to add a lot of carom seeds in the beginning and end it with dry mango powder. I also like to add some garam masala at the end.

Steps to prepare

1- Steam the Taro Roots (Arbi) for 10 minutes and then when completely cooled, peel the skin off. Then dice in medium bite size.

2- In a heavy bottom skillet, pour the oil and add carom seeds.

3- Stir-fry the onion, garlic and ginger (if using) with the rest of the spice powder. Cook the onion until it's soft. Don't brown it too much.

4- Scatter the sliced taro roots and gently toss around to coat the spices. Continue cooking and searing in medium heat until the spice coats the root slices evenly and creates a golden crust.

5 - Finish it with garam masala

6- Finally, add a little bit of dry mango powder.

Sukhi Arbi tastes best when served right away!

Few Key Points to remember when preparing Sukhi Arbi

Pick the small variety of taro roots for this dish.

Instead of trying to peel the raw, slimy taro root, steam the roots with the skin on! Once it's cooled completely, peeling the skin off is so easy.

Try cooking on a cast iron pan when you stir-fry the boiled roots. It helps in creating a lovely golden spice crust.

It is best served warm and immediately after cooking. Reheating in microwave kind of takes away the outer crunchy texture of the taro bites.

Here are few other quick stir-fried dish that goes very well with roti or paratha.

Aloo Peyajkoli Bhaja 

Aloo Gobi

Jeera Aloo

Sukhi Arbi (Spiced Stir-Fried Taro Roots)

Kankana Saxena

Sukhi Arbi is spiced stir-fried taro roots, and it is a popular north Indian dishes. Visually, it can be unappealing, and I would say it is an acquired taste too, but if prepared properly, it turns out very tasty.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 0 Serves 4

Calories 294 kcal

Ingredients

 

• ½ lb. small variety Colocasia/Taro roots
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon carom seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
• salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• ½ teaspoon dry mango powder
• Fresh cilantro leaves (finely chopped for garnish)

Instructions

 

• Steam the taro roots with skin on for 10 minutes. Steaming helps to keep the taro roots from getting too soggy, and it becomes very easy to peel the skin once it's cooled enough.
• Slice the steamed taro roots into chunky bite size pieces.
• Place a heavy bottom skillet on medium heat and pour the oil. When the oil heats up, scatter the carom seeds and cumin seeds. Let it sizzle and then, drop the sliced onion followed by salt and turmeric. Sauté for 2 minutes, or until the onions are softened.
• Add all the spice powder and toss it around. Let the spice cook for 2 minutes.
• Layer the boiled sliced taro roots and toss gently to coat the spice. Don’t rush on this step as it will break the slices, making it mushy.
• Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then, toss once again. It will take about 5 to 7 minutes for the spices to coat and create the golden crust. Check salt and add any, if needed.
• Finally, sprinkle the garam masala powder, raw mango powder and give it another toss.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve warm.

Notes

Few Key Points about Sukhi Arbi (Spiced Stir-Fried Taro Roots)

• Pick the small variety of taro roots for this dish.
• Instead of trying to peel the raw, slimy taro root, steam the roots with the skin on! Once it’s cooled completely, peeling the skin off is so easy.
• Try cooking on a cast iron pan when you stir fry the boiled roots. It helps in creating a lovely golden spice crust.
• It is best served warm and immediately after cooking. Reheating in microwave kind of takes away the outer crunchy texture of the taro bites.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serves 2Calories: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 2gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 23mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 4gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 335IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Indian food, root vegetables, side dish, vegan, vegetarian