Arbi Fry (Colocasia Fry)

Arbi fry or arvi fry is a vegan Indian stir fry made with taro root, also known as colocasia. The arbi is coated in spices and shallow-fried with fenugreek seeds and curry leaves to make a simple side dish that pairs well with roti and dal.

This dry aloo sabzi is a lot like arbi fry but made with potatoes instead.

What is arbi or arvi?

Arbi is a starchy root vegetable called colocasia or taro root in English. It is a popular vegetable in India and is usually cooked with a few spices and herbs to make arbi fry.

The taro root is boiled, the skins are peeled, and then the softened flesh-coloured root is pan-fried to make a tasty sabzi. It's crunchy on the outside and soft inside and goes perfectly with a simple dal and roti, those staples of north-Indian cuisine.

I prefer to buy the Indian arbi available in most Indian groceries as it is smaller in size and more tender than the bigger ones found in most supermarkets. Of course, you can buy these too if you don't have access to an Indian store...I just buy the smaller ones as a matter of personal preference and taste.

Ingredients

Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

How to make arbi fry

1. Wash the raw arbi under running water. Then, boil arbi until tender and peel the skins. The skins will slide off if the arbi is cooked properly. Finally, cut the peeled arbi into halves, lengthwise. It will be slimy because of all the starch, but don't worry, that's the way it is supposed to be. The sliminess will go once it is fried.

Note: I use my instant pot to pressure cook the arbi, but you can also use a saucepan on the stovetop.

Instant pot: Put the raw arbi in the steel insert of the pot and cover it with water. Secure the lid and make sure the steam release vent is sealed. Pressure cook for 3 minutes on high pressure. Once the pot beeps, wait for 5 minutes before releasing the steam and opening the pot.

Stovetop: Fill a saucepan with water and let it come to a roiling boil. Add the raw arbi and turn down the heat to medium. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a fork inside one or two pieces. If the fork goes through easily, the arbi is tender.

2. Put a sturdy frypan on your stovetop and add the cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add the methi or fenugreek seeds. Let them sizzle and turn brown.

3. Add the arbi and immediately follow with the powdered spices, salt and curry leaves. To make sure the spices coat the arbi evenly, mix them together in a small bowl, then sprinkle all over the arbi halves.

4. Fry for 4-5 minutes or until the arbi turns crispy. Flip if needed and fry for a couple of minutes more. That's it! Your arbi fry is done!

Top tips

• Choose small-sized arbi only. Don't go for the very large ones as these can take a long time to cook and can be fibrous.
• The fenugreek and curry leaves give a wonderful aroma to the arbi, so try not to skip these. Both are easily available in any Indian grocery.
• Make sure the arbi is tender before frying it in the pan. However, you don't want mushy arbi that will break if you try to fry it. The best way to check if it is done is to insert a fork into one or two pieces. If the fork goes in easily, the arbi is tender enough.

More vegan Indian sabzi recipes

The following recipes are dry preparations, i.e., without much sauce. Different vegetables pair up mostly with potatoes (sometimes solo), to make 'sabzi' as it is known in the subcontinent. All of them are quite delicious! If you are new to Indian food, do try a couple to see what sabzi is all about:)

• Aloo palak (potatoes and spinach)
• Aloo patta gobi (potatoes and cabbage)
• Aloo shimla mirch (potatoes and capsicum/green peppers)
• Mixed vegetable curry (dry)
• Bhindi sabzi (okra stir fry)
• Aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower)
• Beetroot sabzi
• Bombay potatoes
• Baingan bharta (eggplant mash)
• Bharwa shimla mirch (stuffed green peppers)