Kadugu Yerra....Not! - Pondicherry Mustard Curry

Regional Cuisines of India- Pondichery, hosted by Lavi this month, got me digging into Pondicherry and it's cuisine. Puducherry, as it's now called, is a Union Territory of India and has FOUR official languages - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and French. It's cuisine is influenced by the French colonists as well as the regions surrounding it. Pondicherry is famous for it's beaches, Aurobindo Ashram, Auroville and many monuments and places of religious worship.

I found this Kadugu Yerra recipe here. The recipe called for prawns but since the event is vegetarian only (plus the fact that I don't eat/cook seafood!), I swapped the prawns for cauliflower florets. I understand Kadugu means mustard in Tamil. Not sure what Yerra means. Prawns, maybe? Any comments on that?
Update: So yerra does mean prawn/shrimp. Thanks, ISG! Changed the post title!



Ingredients:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp mustard seeds, ground to paste
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, ground to paste
1 large potato, cut into small cubes
1/2 a head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut cream
1 tbsp vinegar



Heat oil in a pot. Add crushed garlic and cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds and add onions. Fry for a minute and add tomatoes, salt and red chili powder. Once the tomatoes are soft, add potatoes, cauliflower florets, coconut milk and salt. Cover and cook on low until the veggies are cooked. Add mustard and methi pastes, coconut cream and a little water. Bring to a boil. Add vinegar. Adjust seasonings and you are done! Serve with white rice. I liked it with rotis too.

Thanks to Lavi and Lakshmi, for hosting and creating this event respectively.