Senai Kizhangu Masial, Mashed Elephant Yam

          There are certain dishes that we link with certain days or festivals. It's not that we don't eat them on other days, but just that, it'll be definitely made for that particular festival. This Senai Kizhangu Masial is one such dish for me, this is one of the many curries that my mom makes on the day after Ekadasi. I know, Ekadasi is associated with fasting and staying awake the whole night, but for me, I always remember the day after Ekadasi, with that delicious meal that we have in the morning, this year, I was at my parents' place and I truly enjoyed it. Usually this masial is made with 'Pidi Karunai, Yam' and not with 'Senai Kizhangu, Elephant Yam', but the problem with pidi karunai is, sometimes, it leaves a 'biting feeling' on the tongue, so I prefer to stick to the Elephant Yam. It's a simple dish, tastes slightly tangy from the tamarind and goes well with rice and sambar or any kuzhambu..

Need To Have

• Cooked And Mashed Elephant Yam - 2 cups
• Tamarind - lemon sized ball
• Onions - 2 big, chopped
• Green Chillies - 3, chopped
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Coconut - 3 tablespoons
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

Method

          Peel the elephant yam, cut into big pieces, pressure cook ( like you do for potatoes ), mash and keep it.

          Add about half a cup of warm water to the tamarind and extract the juice from it, strain this and add it to the mashed yam, along with turmeric powder and salt, mix and keep it.

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida followed by the chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute it for 2 minutes, till the onions turn translucent.

          Now add the mashed yam and mix it well on reduced heat, otherwise it'll start sticking to the pan.Once it's well mixed, add the grated coconut, mix and remove.

Note
This dish should have a slight tangy taste, so after mixing the mashed yam with tamarind and salt, taste it, you should taste the tanginess from the tamarind.
Don't skimp on the onions and coconut, they give the taste for the dish.
Also, if you feel that the chopped green chillies will be very spicy, then slit them and add, but usually we eat this dish with the chillies, without removing them before eating.