Arbi fry recipe- a quick simple and delicious south Indian crispy fry or roast recipe with arbi or taro roots or colocasia roots.

In this colocasia fry recipe, boiled taro roots or arbi are tossed in spice powders and then sautéed until crispy. Vegan and gluten free, pairs best with rice, dal, sambar, rasam or curd rice.

For more vegetable recipes please check potato fry, okra fry, cauliflower poriyal, eggplant fry recipes.

Arbi fry or seppankizhangu roast as it is known in south India, is a popular and most sought after side dish recipes made with taro roots.

It is a super delicious, seriously addictive fry with the right amount of spices. We always make taro fry when fresh baby taro roots are in season during winters.

Matured arbi roots tend to be a bit itchy and hard, so it is best to use fresh taro root for this recipe.

This arbi fry recipe is a classic and all time favorite side dish especially a hit with kids. The crust is super crispy with perfectly cooked roots . Most of the time half of what cooked gets over even before it reaches the table :).

All the other ingredients needed for making seppankizhangu fry is simple pantry staple ingredients.

So this winter when fresh taro roots are in season, make this enjoy this arbi fry that is

simple, quick and easy to make

vegan and gluten free

not deep fried

perfect with all rice varieties

super crispy, delicious and simply addictive.

About This Recipe

What Is Arbi Fry?

Arbi fry or seppankizhangu fry as it is known in Tamil, is an all time popular Indian vegetarian side dish made with arbi or taro root.

In this taro fry recipe boiled taro root is tossed in some rice flour along with some spices and fried until crispy.

Traditionally this is deep fried especially when made in large quantities. But here I have used a cast iron tawa and slow roasted with less oil.

Arbi taro root or colacasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown widely in South Asian countries. The roots and leaves of this part are edible and used in various recipes. It is one of the oldest root vegetable used in Indian cooking.

This is a very commonly made recipe in south India. It goes very well with sambar rice, rasam rice or even mixed rice recipes like lemon rice, coconut rice etc.

About This Colocasia Fry Recipe

This recipe of arbi fry I am sharing here is a su7per easy one. It is a keeper recipe I have been making for years and turns out simply addictive every time.

This recipe is vegan and also gluten free. I have not deep fried as it is usually done but used a good cast iron pan to roast them. So this recipe needs only 2 tablespoons oil.

I like to use sambar powder in this arbi fry along with just a bit of red chili powder, so it is more flavorful and not just spicy.

To get a super crispy crust I always add some rice flour along with spice powders. If rice flour is not available you can also add corn flour or chickpea flour.

The spice powders used in this recipe are a bit red chili powder, sambar powder, turmeric powder only. I do not use any other spices like garam masala powder in this fry. But if you like to make this in north Indian style you can go ahead and add garam masala powder and mango powder or amchur. See the recipe card for spice variations.

How To Make Arbi Fry Recipe

Preparing Taro Root

First of all rinse and scrub the roots thoroughly to remove any dirt or mud. Then soak them in a large bowl of salted water for 20 minutes.

Now to boil arbi roots you can use a pressure cooker or instant pot or boil on stove top.

Pressure cooker– Place taro roots in a pressure cooker and add enough water to cover it. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles in medium flame.

Instant pot– place the arbi roots in the steel insert of the IP and switch in on. Press pressure cook or manual mode and set the timer to 4 minutes. Keep the pressure valve sealed. Once done, release manually release the pressure carefully.

Stove Top– Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the arbi roots and cook until fork tender for 8-10 minutes. Drain.

Once cooked, peel the arbi roots and place in a bowl. Arbi roots tend to be slimy and bit mushy. To control the sliminess place the boiled and peeled arbi colocasia in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Now the arbi colocasia roots are ready to be cooked.

Making Taro Fry Recipe

Chop the cooked arbi into rounds of 1/4 inch thickness.

Place them in a large bowl. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, red chili powder, salt and rice flour.

Add 1 teaspoon oil and toss well. Also add 1-2 tablespoons water only if needed. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a cast iron skillet or flat pan. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and a handful of curry leaves.

Once curry leaves turn crispy, place the spice tossed arbi roots as single layer. Fry in low flame until crispy and golden. Flip frequently and cook thoroughly from all sides.

Once completely cooked and crispy remove to a plate.

Serve arbi fry immediately.

More Side Dish Recipes

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Beans poriyal

Cabbage poriyal

I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy as much as we did. Please give a star rating ★ in the recipe card below if you have tried this recipe. Follow us on Pinterest , Instagram, Facebook   for more recipes and ideas.

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