Suran, also known as Jimikhand or Elephant foot Yam is a tropical tuber vegetable grown in South East Asia & South Asia & Africa. The botanical name is Amorphophallus Paeoniifolius. The tuber of this plant has high medicinal value used as a cash crop & consumed as food by many people.
Suran - Origin & History
The origin & domestication of the Suran plant is Southeast Asia and spread across India, Thailand, Africa & western countries. In India, people are using it for thousands of years & it is an important constituent of Ayurvedic medicine.
Suran is mentioned in many ancient Sanskrit texts on Ayurveda like Sushruta Samhitha ( Ancient Sanskrit Text on surgery & medicine), Astanga Sangahara Chikitsha Stana, Haritha Samhitha, Dhanvantari Nighantu, Shodala Nighantu and many more.
The tradition of making Jimikand Vegetable during Diwali:
Suran gives itchiness due to the presence of a high concentration of Oxalic acid. Also, vegetables don’t look appealing, so people avoid consuming them regularly. But this corm is full of nutrition and have lots of health benefit.
Jimikand is one of the auspicious vegetables cooked during Diwali. The tradition of making this vegetable during Diwali came from Varanasi or Kashi. It is cooked during the day of Dipawali for the entire family in many parts of North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
This vegetable is grown under the soil and is extracted by digging the root. After removing it from the soil, some parts of the corm remain in the soil, and suran gets ready again from the same corm. This characteristic connects with progress & prosperity & which is why considered to be auspicious during Diwali. But the main reason is to make it a tradition, so the entire family should take benefit of this nutritious vegetable.
Benefits of Suran
- It has a good source of minerals like Calcium, Copper, Zinc, Iron, Phosphorous & Maganese.
- It has a high content of Fiber which improves the digestive system & uplifts liver health.
- It helps to maintain hormonal balance in women & provides relief from premenstrual symptoms.
- The presence of Isoflavones helps to improve your skin health. It has antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer & anti-inflammatory properties.
- It aids in faster wound healing, improves appetite, heals ulcers & treats cough problems.
- Regular consumption of this vegetable regulates blood flow & helps reduce hypertension.
Suran Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 gms Suran ( Jimikhand)
- 1 cup Chopped Onion
- 1 cup Chopped Tomatoes
- 2 pcs Chopped Green Chilies
- 1 tsp Whole Jeera (Cumin seeds)
- 1 pcs Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Dhania Powder
- 1 tbsp Cooking Oil (Mustard Oil)
- 1 tbsp Chopped Coriander leaves for garnish (Dhania Patti)
- 1 tsp Lime Juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel it, wash it & cut the Suran into small cubes & boil it.
- Add little oil & Saute the Suran till it turns golden brown. Keep it aside once done.
- Heat 1 tbsp spoonful of oil and add bay leaf, Cumin seeds, Chopped chilies & chopped ginger garlic.
- Add chopped onion and saute it till it turns golden brown.
- Add tomatoes and cook it till the mixture starts oozing oil.
- Add The spice mix - Salt to taste, turmeric powder, garam masala & coriander powder. Cook it for a minute.
- Add the suran into the mixture & mix it well.
- Add hot water & simmer it for 5-7 minutes. Finish it with lime juice and garnish with chopped coriander. Serve it with roti or rice as per choice.
Notes
Special note while making Suran vegetables:
- Suran gives itchiness while pealing & cutting the vegetable. So, lightly grease your palm with mustard oil to avoid this.
- Finish the cooked vegetable with lime juice, so it will not gives itchiness in the throat while eating.