Surna Adgai /Konkani Style Yam Pickle /Chena Achar

 Surna adgai/ Yam pickle /Chena achar is a konkani style spicy pickle made with deep fried elephant yam pieces, roasted red chillies, roasted mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and tamarind goes well as a side dish with dosa, idli, appam and rice. The following ingredients are needed to prepare Surna Adgai / Konkani Style Yam Pickle / Chena Achar.

Ingredients:
Yam pieces chopped.-1 cup
Dry red chillies.        -10
Mustard seeds.          -1tsp
Fenugreek/Methi.     -1/4 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing.    -1tsp
Tamarind.-a gooseberry size
Salt.                           -to taste
Coconut oil.        - for frying

For Seasoning:
Mustard seeds.    -1 tsp
Curry leaves.       -1 sprig
Asafoetida / hing.-1/4 tsp
Coconut oil.         -1 tsp

Instructions:
1). Cut and remove the outer skin of elephant yam and chop the yam into 1/2 inch lengthy small pieces. Wash and clean the chopped yam pieces in water and keep them in a colander to drain water completely from it. Apply little salt on yam pieces and keep aside for 30 minutes to marinate. After 30 minutes squeeze out water from yam pieces. Deep fry the squeezed yam pieces in hot oil until crisp and golden brown. Keep aside the deep fried crispy yam pieces.

2).Soak a gooseberry size tamarind in little boiled and cooled water for 5 minutes.

3). Heat 1tsp coconut oil in a small pan and roast dry red chillies in hot oil till crisp on low flame. Remove the roasted red chillies from oil and transfer to a plate. In the same small pan add 1tsp mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds /methi seeds and roast on low flame for few seconds. Do not burn them. Add  1 tsp asafoetida / hing powder into the pan and mix well for a second. Switch off the flame and remove the roasted mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida from small pan and transfer to a plate.

4). In a small mixie jar add roasted dry red chillies and soaked tamarind and grind together to a smooth paste adding 1tbsp of boiled and cooled water. Add roasted mustard seeds, fenugreek /methi seeds, asafoetida/ hing and little salt into the small mixie jar and grind again for 2 rounds.

5). Transfer the ground red chilly tamarind mustard fenugreek asafoetida mixture to a small vessel. Wash the mixie jar with little boiled and cooled water and add the washed water into the small vessel and mix well. Check for salt and add required salt if needed. Mix the chilly tamarind paste mixture in the small vessel and give a boil. Switch off the flame.

6). Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a small pan for seasoning and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and saute in oil. Add 1/4 tsp asafoetida / hing powder and stir well. Switch off the flame and pour the seasoning into the boiled chilly tamarind paste mixture in the vessel.Cover the vessel with a lid and keep aside to cool.

7). When cooled add the deep fried crispy yam pieces into the boiled chilly tamarind paste mixture in the vessel and mix well.

8). After 1 hour Surna Adgai / Konkani style Yam Pickle /Chena Achar is ready to serve with dosa, idli, appam and rice.