Oven Roasted Seppankizhangu (Arbi / Taro)

Only my husband and I eat seppankizhangu (arbi/taro) at home.  My oldest will – but he is away at college.  And, even if he were home, he would eat it just by itself and not with rice.  This means that if I am making seppankizhangu, I almost always have to make something else – unless I have leftovers. 

So the other day, I had boiled the arbi in the pressure cooker, and had also started making vathal kuzhambu, rasam, rice, and some paneer for lunch.  The paneer of course was for my son.  All my burners were taken and I was ready to be done with cooking.  So I peeled the arbi, tossed it with spices and stuck it in the oven.  It came out perfectly crispy and used less oil than my stovetop method!

Here is what you need:

• 15 – 20 arbi
• 3 tsp. oil
• 2 – 3 tsp. red chili powder
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste

Here is how I made it:

1. Boil the arbi.  You can do this on your stovetop in a big pot with water, or use your pressure cooker.  I use the pressure cooker I got from India.  As soon as the first whistle blows, I reduce the heat to low and turn it off after a couple of minutes.  This gives me firm, but cooked arbi.
2. Peel the arbi and cut it into big discs.  Let this cool a bit.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F.
4. In a big bowl, toss the arbi with oil, chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt, so that all the pieces are coated well
5. Spread this out on a large cookie sheet, in a single layer.
6. Place this in the preheated oven.
7. After about 10 – 15 minutes, flip the pieces over with a spatula, and put it back in the oven for about 10 more minutes till the arbi is crispy.

Serve with rasam, sambar, or kuzhambu of your choice.