One of the best things about the Onam feast is that the options are never-ending. There are so many options and opportunities to include all your favourite vegetarian dishes in it. Keeping that in mind, Onmanorama Food presents you a scrumptious preparation made of colocasia, which can go either as a starter to your meal or as a side dish. In this recipe, the chembu or colocasia is cooked with a spiced gravy, wrapped in banana leaves and roasted, giving it a unique flavour.

Ingredients:
250 gm colocasia (chembu) 
100 gm coconut oil 
½ tsp mustard seeds 
50 gm shallots slice 
1 tsp ginger, chopped, chopped 
1 tsp garlic, chopped 
½ cup tomato, chopped 
1 tsp green chillies
1 sprig of curry leaves 
1 cup grated coconut
1 tsp turmeric powder 
1 tsp chilly powder 
2 nos dried red chillies 
Salt to taste
1 no banana leaf 

Chembu-koottu-art

Method:
Clean and cut the colocasia into finger strips
Heat oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds
Add dry chilly, shallots, ginger, garlic green chilly, and curry leaves and sauté till light brown
Add turmeric, chilly powders and sauté well 
Add tomatoes and sauté well
Add Colocasia cuts and salt;  cook for 5 – 10 minutes
Crush the grated coconut with green chilli, garlic and turmeric into a rough paste
Add it to the cooked colocasia and stir well
Wrap the above mixture on banana leaf and griddle in a thick bottom pan
Serve hot with chutney.

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