Kanda Attu: Andhra-Style Dosa Made With Elephant Yam (Suran)

Elephant yam or suran is a vegetable that is rarely used in everyday cooking, mainly because of its gnarly appearance. The root vegetable, primarily used to make daals or curries in South Indian cooking has an earthy flavour bordering on a lingering sweetness that works well for spicy curries. Although underrated, suran can be rather tricky to work with if not processed correctly, which includes soaking the yam briefly in some tamarind water to avoid any kind of irritation on the skin.

The kanda attu, an Andhra preparation that uses suran as the primary ingredient for the dosa derives its name from the kanda (root vegetable) that forms a large part of its base. This is probably one of the more unique South Indian preparations that has a smaller ratio of rice and lentils in comparison to the vegetable. Off late, the dish has been gaining popularity due to its revival from the archives of traditional homestyle cooking and innumerable videos on social media singing praises of the vegetable. This dosa can be eaten like any other with condiments of your choice; coconut chutney, tomato-peanut chutney, idli podi, sambar or a spicy potato curry.

Ingredients:

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Suran Chutney: A Unique Side Dish Of Bihar

• 200 grams elephant yam, peeled and cubed
• ¼ cup rice
• ¼ cup moong dal
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 7-8 curry leaves
• 1 inch piece ginger
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak the cubed elephant yam in tamarind water for 10 minutes and strain. Soak the rice and moong dal for a minimum of 3-4 hours. Add the soaked grains to a blender jar along with the yam, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, ginger and curry leaves and grind to a smooth paste.
• Empty the contents of the blender into a large bowl and add enough water to thin the consistency that resembles a batter slightly thicker than what you would usually use to make crepes. Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida and season with salt.
• On a hot tava, ladle the batter and spread out in concentric circles, like you would to make regular dosas. Cook for a couple of minutes and drizzle a teaspoon of vegetable or gingelly oil before turning over and cooking for another minute or two. Serve hot with chutney, sambar or curry of your choice.