Tandoori Arbi Tikka Masala Recipe (Smoked Taro Root Curry)

Rajan loves cooking dishes from his native Indian cuisine. He likes to share his favourite recipes with his online readers.

This tandoori arbi tikka masala dish is a delicious and fragrant taro root curry with a smoky flavour infused in it by red hot charcoal. Enjoy it as a stand-alone dish with tandoori roti, laccha paratha, plain roti, paratha or rice.

Do try it and share your feedback.

Cook Time

Ingredients

For marinating the arbi:

• 500 grams arbi (colocasia or taro root)
• 1 cup / 200 grams dahi (yoghurt), whisked until smooth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dhania (coriander powder)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste

For the gravy:

• 8 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green chilli, broken into 2-3 pieces
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced

For shallow-frying the arbi:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup / 100 ml milk or water (optional)

For preparing the dish:

• Tomato puree (prepared above)
• Shallow-fried arbi (prepared above)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 tsp shahi, paneer masala
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 3 tbsp fresh malai (cream)
• 1-2 tsp hara dhania (cilantro), chopped
• 2 pieces charcoal
• 1-2 tsp oil for smoking the dish
• 1/2 tsp chopped hara dhania (cilantro), for garnish

Instructions

1. Boil the arbi in a pressure cooker by giving just 1 whistle, then strain out the water and let it cool down. Remove the skin and then flatten it by pressing between the palms. Prick it all over with a fork and place it in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Prepare the marinade: In a mixing bowl, add the dahi, salt, coriander powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, ginger paste and garlic paste. Stir until everything combines well.
3. Pour the dahi mixture into the bowl containing the arbi. Gently mix until all of the arbi is well coated with the marinade. Cover with a lid and let it marinate for 1 hour.
4. Prepare the gravy: Keep a pan on medium heat. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chilli, ginger and sliced onion. Stir a few times then cover with a lid. Dry-roast until the tomatoes become soft (about 7-8 minutes). Transfer the tomato mixture a plate and let it cool down completely.
5. Shallow-fry the arbi: Keep a pan on medium heat, put in the oil and let it heat up. Add the marinated arbi and mix well. Cook the arbi until one side is well roasted then flip it over and cook until the other side is also well roasted. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
6. When the dry-roasted tomato mixture has cooled down, put it in a grinder jar. Add the milk or water and grind to a fine puree. Strain out the puree through a sieve to strain out the tomato skins and seeds. Set the puree aside.
7. When the water in the marinade dries up completely and the arbi is well roasted and brown on both sides, transfer it to a dish and set aside.
8. Final dish preparation: Keep a pan on the stove and pour the tomato puree into it. Add the oil. Keep the heat on medium and cook the puree for 8-10 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
9. Simultaneously on a side burner, place 2 charcoal pieces on a wire mesh placed on direct flame. Rotate the charcoal pieces at regular intervals until they turn red hot. Prepare the dish while the charcoal is heating up.
10. After 8-10 minutes, the tomato puree is done. Add the shahi paneer masala and stir it in. (If you do not have this masala, you can add salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala instead, as per taste.)
11. Add the tomato ketchup and mix well. Keep the heat on low.
12. Add the fresh cream and mix well. Keep the heat on low to prevent the cream from splitting. Cook for about 1 minute.
13. Add the fried arbi and mix well over low heat. Add the hara dhania and mix again. Cover with a lid and let the dish cook for 4-5 minutes, checking frequently.
14. After 5 minutes the dish is ready to be smoked. Put off the heat, place a steel bowl in the centre of the dish and carefully place the red hot coals in it. Pour some oil on the coals. As these start smoking, cover the pan with a lid and seal the vent in the lid with some dough. Let the dish remain covered until the smoke dies down, about 8-10 minutes.
15. Remove the bowl used for smoking and transfer the dish to a serving bowl. Garnish with a little hara dhania.
16. Serve with naan, lachha paratha, roti, plain paratha or rice.

Tandoori Arbi Tikka Masala Recipe (Smoked Taro Root Curry)

© 2021 Rajan Singh Jolly