Koorka Mezhukkupuratti is a simple Kerala Style Stir Fry made with koorka or koorkai, also known as Sirukizhangu in Tamil and Chinese Potato in English.
This stir fry requires few ingredients but when paired with rasam and steamed rice, turns into an absolutely delicious comfort food.
Ma (my mother) made this when either of us were sick or recovering from a bout of flu. Tubers are considered to be quite filling and provide nourishment to a tired and sick body. Jeera Milagu Rice and steamed rice was staple!
The stir frying process is fairly simple. However, cleaning Koorka can be strenuous and time consuming. For Koorka lovers like myself, this is pure joy!
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About the recipe
Koorka or Koorkai (Malayalam), Sirukizhangu (Tamil), Sambrani Gadde (Kannada) and Chinese Potato (English).
Koorka is a tuber but resembles baby potato. It does not taste anything like potato nor has its origin in China. The taste of Koorka is earthy.
This is a winter veggie available for 3-4 months in a year.
Mezhukkupuratti is Kerala Style Stir Fry. It can be made with any vegetable. The vegetables are cooked in coconut oil and may contain shallots.
Apart from stir frying, koorka is used for making molagootal (similar to Keerai Molagootal) and thoran with fresh coconut.
The word Mezhukkupuratti might be difficult to pronounce but it’s quite easy to cook and eat.
Some of my favorite mezhukkupuratti varieties are made with raw banana, Colocasia (arbi), senaikizhangu, achinga payar (long beans). It can be made with a combination of 2 or more vegetables as well. Eg. Senai and raw banana or koorka and raw banana.
Ingredients
- Koorka – Read below Tips to clean Koorka
- Coconut Oil – To cook traditional Kerala food, coconut oil is a must.
- Mustard Seeds
- Turmeric
- Curry Leaves
This is a basic recipe. If you like spicy version, add red chili powder along with turmeric.
You can also add shallots or chinna vengayam. Read recipe notes for full details.
How to Clean Koorka
Like most tubers, koorka is covered with a lot of mud. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned before cooking.
The most effective method is to soak the Koorka for 15-20 mins in water. When fully submerged, the mud particles that are deeply stuck to the skin, loosen up and can be cleaned easily.
I prefer cooking koorka in the pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. The skin can be peeled off easily.
I prefer the cleaning and pressure cooking done a day earlier. This leaves me some time to peel the skin and cook the next day.
Koorka should not be refrigerated like most vegetables. Store it in basket in a cool dry area. Do not cover. When kept open, it stays fresh for almost a week or more. If covered, it forms fungus easily due to moisture.
How to make Koorka Mezhukkupuratti
Soak Koorka for 15-20 mins. Wash thoroughly under running tap water.
Pressure cook Koorka for 3-4 whistles. Cool completely before peeling the skin. The big pieces can be cut in half or kept as it is (depending on your choice).
Heat a pan, add coconut oil and mustard seeds. Once mustard crackles, add curry leaves (careful, it splutters).
Next add the cooked and peeled koorka, turmeric and salt to taste.
Mix well, reduce heat and allow it to roast. Do not over mix. Just gently sauté at regular intervals for even roasting.
Once done, remove in a serving bowl and serve as side with rasam and sambar.
Serving Suggestions
Rasam is the ideal candidate to serve with this side dish.
Some of the Rasam varieties you can try - Pineapple Rasam, Pudina Rasam, Vepampoo rasam and lemon rasam.
Serve with Matta rice or regular short grain rice.
Other recipes from Kerala Cuisine
This post was originally published in December 2017. I have updated the recipe with fresh content, photographs, tips etc.
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Koorka Mezhukkupuratti | Sirukizhangu | Chinese Potato
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 kg Koorka read notes and instructions on how to clean
- 2 ½ tablespoon Coconut Oil
- Curry Leaves 3-4 sprigs atleast
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak Koorka for 15-20 mins. Wash thoroughly under running tap water to remove mud particles.
- Pressure cook Koorka for 3-4 whistles. Cool completely before peeling the skin. The big pieces can be cut in half or kept as it is (depending on your choice).
- Heat a pan, add coconut oil and mustard seeds. Once mustard crackles, add curry leaves (careful, it splutters).
- Next add the cooked and peeled koorka, turmeric and salt to taste.
- Mix well, reduce heat and allow it to roast. Do not over mix. Just gently sauté at regular intervals until it roasts evenly.
- Once done, remove in a serving bowl and serve as side with rasam and steamed rice.
Notes
- This is a basic recipe. If you like spicy version, add red chili powder along with turmeric.
- You can also add shallots or chinna vengayam. Add it after the mustard crackles and the curry leaves splutter. Saute until translucent and then add cooked koorka.
- Some of my favorite mezhukkupuratti varieties are made with raw banana, Colocasia (arbi), senaikizhangu, achinga payar (long beans). It can be made with a combination of 2 or more vegetables as well. Eg. Senai and raw banana or koorka and raw banana.
- The most effective method is to soak the Koorka for 15-20 mins in water. When fully submerged, the mud particles that are deeply stuck to the skin, loosens up and can be cleaned easily.
- I prefer cooking koorka in the pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. The skin can be peeled off easily.
- I prefer the cleaning and pressure cooking done a day earlier. You can also peel the skin, refrigerate and cook the next day.