My mom never cooked Cheppankizhangu at home. I became a fan of Cheppankizhangu varuval during my years at Manju auntie’s place. Cheppankizhangu fry is a dish loved by everyone. Its meaty and crisp and goes so well with a simple south Indian lunch of lentil and rice. The first time I made this after marriage, me and Vinod were left with an irritating throat. Later on I learnt from auntie that if this vegetable is not fully cooked, it can cause intense discomfort in the throat. The vegetable is boiled and then fried. So that’s the word of caution.
Here is the video of Arbi fry, Cheppankizhangu Varuval Tamilnadu style Arbi fry Recipe
Soak the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in water for 10 minutes and wash them thoroughly to get rid of sand. Cook the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in lots of water (4-5 cups) in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Drain the water. Peel the skin of Cheppankizhangu / Arbi. The skin should peel off easily. It might be slightly slimy. Note that the veggie is now fully cooked and soft. It should not be mushy. Slice the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi. Set aside.
Now, we will be marinating the cooked veggie with a masala paste. Make a masala paste with turmeric, salt, chilli powder and coriander powder. If you want a very crispy arbi fry, add a tablespoon of gram flour (besan) along. This is optional but makes for a fantastic crispy arbi fry. Use couple of table spoons of water to make a thick paste. Don’t make the paste too thin. The paste should be thick. Use water with caution. Apply the paste gently to the boiled, peeled and cut Cheppankizhangu. Make sure the masala paste is evenly coated on the vegetable. Add 2 sprigs of curry leaves on top. Let it marinate for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Traditionally Cheppankizhangu is deep fried. But I am used to pan frying and a non stick pan works well for this recipe. I have found that any other kind of pan completely makes the veggie stick to the pan while roasting. Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it crackle. Add in the marinated Cheppankizhangu. Fry in low flame for 10 minutes until the vegetable is completely dry and roasted.
Remove off heat. Serve with rice.
Cheppankizhangu Varuval Tamilnadu style Arbi fry Recipe
Cheppankizhangu Varuval Tamilnadu style Arbi fry Recipe
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 3 1x
Ingredients
For the Masala Paste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 sprigs Curry Leaves
- 1 tablespoon gram flour (optional)
Other Ingredients
- 500 grams Cheppankizhangu / Arbi
- 3 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
Instructions
- Soak the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in water for 10 minutes and wash them thoroughly to get rid of sand. Cook the Cheppankizhangu / Arbi in water in a pressure cooker for exactly 3 whistles. Wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Peel the skin of Cheppankizhangu / Arbi. Cut it into two or three pieces. Set aside.
- Make a masala paste with turmeric, salt, chilli powder and coriander powder. Use couple of table spoon of water to make a thick paste. Apply the paste gently to the boiled, peeled and cut Cheppankizhangu. Add 2 sprigs of curry leaves on top. Let it marinate for 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it crackle. Add in the marinated Cheppankizhangu. Fry in low flame for 10 minutes until the vegetable is completely dry and roasted.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
You are the best! Your blog always comes through when I need the recipe for any dish. I bought a bunch of beautiful Sepankizhangu from the store yesterday and I ran to your blog today to check if you had a recipe for crispy Sepankizhangu… And you did! It came out so well (this should not be a surprise as all your recipes do!). Thank you for posting this gem.
Thank you!
Hi Suguna,
Should I choose to use methods other than pressure-cooking the Arbi, how long would you suggest I:
(1) BOIL the vegetable?
(2) STEAM it?
Thanks, Dido.
Lovely dish. I skipped coriander powder and added a bit of rice powder. It was awesome
Thank you so much!
I did this recipe skipping Coriander powder ans added a little bit if rice powder. It was awesome
Thank you so much!
Kannamma Rocks!!
I made this dish for the 1st time and my hubby loved it… it is a lip smacking dish.
Thank you so much!
Hi Kannamma. Are you associated with Mylapore express? The Arbi fry imsge on their website seems to be the same as the image above. I was googling what this dish was about and yours was the first image to pop up.
oh! I dont know who they are. May be they copied the picture.
I have done this a few times now and it seems to get better each time! Thank you for such a tasty but simple recipe!🙏🏼
Thank You!
Hi Kannamma!
What flame do we pressure boil the arbi?
medium or high?
medium.
Arbi fry came out so well. Thank you.
Thank you!
Right now cooking! Will post comments after preparation and eating!
Thank you. Loved it
Hi loved your recipe…?
Can I use steel pan instead of non-stick one…I’m so strict about using non-stick pan…Is there any way to avoid burning..
Sure you can use steel or iron pan. To avoid burning, be a little liberal with oil.
Superb
Scrolled this fry morning somewhere in FB, and now this time catched it here.. And our cooker called as now, by the second whistle and gonna make paste .. Hope it will come good and crunchy., Thank yaa ……!!!
Thanks Surya.
Dear Suguna , you’re doing a great job with Kannama Cooks . Congratulations .
Like you , I too enjoy South Indian fare & Tamil. I’m trying to further my interests and learn more about the cooking styles & the varieties of vegetables .
Thank you for helping me in my quest .
Regards,
Sarojini
Thank you so much for writing in!