Kurukku Kalan (Kalan Curry)

• 100 grams coconut grated – about half a coconut.
• 4 small green chillies – ends cut off
• 1 tsp or pinch of jeera/cumin seeds
• 4 tablespoons of water
• 300g elephant foot yam/suran – cut into small chunks
• 2 medium sized bananas. This dish uses keralan bananas (nendrakaya), usually semi ripe.
• 1/2 teaspoon black or white pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon + 2nd 1/2 teaspoon for later of turmeric powder 
• 2 teaspoons -red chilli dry
• salt to taste
• 300g curd
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• pinch (1/4 teaspoon) fenugreek powder or fenugreek seeds/methi dana 
• 3 large whole dry red chillis
• 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves or a handful or individual leaves

Preparation:

1. Add the grated coconut, chillis, cumin seeds with the water to a food processor with a grinding function.
2. Grind the ingredients to make a whitish paste. Keep this for later.
3. To a saucepan, add yam chunks, banana chunks, pepper, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. 
4. Add enough water to just cover the yam and bananas. Mix well.
5. Cook on a medium heat with a saucepan cover for between 15 and 20 minutes until the yam has softened. Stir often to prevent the pieces sticking to the pan.
6. Whilst the yam/banana mix is hot, add the white coconut paste.
7. Take off the heat and add the curd and more turmeric powder (1/2 teaspoon).
8. Mix it all well.
9. Adjust the saltiness by adding more if needed. It might take another teaspoon.
10. Heat to a point of just simmering and keep mixing.
11. Simmer for just a few minutes and then take off the heat.
12. To a frying pan, add the coconut oil and start heating on a medium flame.
13. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek then whole dry red chillis as the oil is frying.
14. Cook until these chilis are almost blackened. Take the pan off the heat.
15. To the coconut, yam and banana mixture, add sprigs of curry leaves to the surface.
16. Pour in the coconut oil with chillis onto the curry leaves.
17. Serve in individual portions.