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Crispy Masala Arbi Recipe (Taro Root Recipe) – A quick and flavorful arbi ki sabji with a golden, crispy crust and tender bite inside. This simple arbi sabji is spiced with ajwain (caraway seeds) and garlic, then coated in chickpea flour for the perfect crunch. Finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, masala arbi makes a delicious snack on its own or a tasty side dish to complete any meal.

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Is Arbi healthy?

Arbi / Arvi or colocasia root /taro root as arbi is called in English, is one healthy vegetable cooked regularly in Indian homes. It contains a wealth of organic compounds, minerals, and vitamins that can benefit our overall health in a number of ways.

Arbi has a significant amount of dietary fiber and carbohydrates, high levels of vitamin A, C, E, vitamin B6, and folate. It also contains magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, and copper .

On top of all health benefits if cooked properly this is really tasty as well, like this crispy masala arbi recipe!

raw arbi / taro root vegetable — raw arbi image (Taro root )

Crispy Masala Arbi Recipe

Let’s put aside the healthy vs indulgent debate for a bit and talk about the real star of today’s recipe—arbi (taro root). This humble vegetable can be cooked in many ways, but today I’m sharing a simple, homestyle version of arbi ki sabji that has been a family favourite for years.

Homestyle Masala Arbi ki Sabji (No boiling arbi)

This masala arbi recipe comes straight from my mum’s kitchen. During the scorching Indian summers, arbi ki sabji was a regular at our lunch and dinner table. We would enjoy it with comforting daal (lentils), fresh roti (though I always leaned towards paranthas), onion salad, sweet and tangy mango chutney, cooling raita, a tall glass of lassi, and of course, sweet juicy mangoes. Just writing about it makes me nostalgic (and a little hungry!).

Why You’ll Love This Arbi Ki Sabji

What makes this arbi sabji so special is its simplicity. It’s one of those quick Punjabi Indian recipes that needs no boiling of arbi, no onion, no tomato, and no ginger. Just a few everyday spices, and you have a dish that’s naturally vegan and gluten-free.

You can enjoy masala arbi as a starter, snack, or pair it with roti, chapati, naan, or even bread when you don’t feel like cooking too much. It tastes amazing with puris or paranthas and some tangy pickle on the side. For a comforting, homestyle meal, try it with moong dal and roti—these two make the perfect pair!

Simple & Quick Arbi Masala Recipe

This arbi sabji is super quick, requires minimal ingredients, and is full of flavor—making it a perfect dish for busy weekdays or lazy weekends.

Tangy crispy masala arbi — Tangy Masala arbi

How to Prepare Arbi (Taro Root) for Cooking

Before you start handling taro root (arbi), keep this in mind: raw arbi can sometimes cause itching on the skin.

To prevent this, rub a little mustard oil/ vegetable oil on your hands before peeling and slicing.

Once sliced, sprinkle some salt over the arbi and let it rest for 5–10 minutes. This helps reduce stickiness.

Meanwhile, gather the rest of your ingredients. Finally, rinse the slices thoroughly in cold water—they’re now ready to cook.

💡 Pro Tips for Handling Arbi

Apply a thin layer of oil on your hands before peeling to avoid itching. Sprinkle salt on arbi slices and let them rest to reduce sliminess. Rinse the slices well in cold water before cooking for the best texture.

Arbi slices rubbed in salt — arbi rubbed with salt

Washed peeled and paper dried arbi slices

And if you’re looking for more ways to cook arbi, don’t miss my crispy arbi fries (taro chips recipe)—a crunchy and fun variation!

Now, let’s dive into the recipe for tangy, crispy masala arbi ki sabji. I hope you enjoy this family favorite as much as I do!

Recipe Card

Crispy masala arbi ki sabji/arvi recipe

A quick, simple , arbi ki sabji full of flavours, crispy crust and tender bite. It has flavours of caraway seeds, and garlic. Coated in chickpea flour for the crispiness, and served with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice. A perfect snack, and an accompaniment to complete your meal.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Serving Size 4 people

Ingredients

3-4 tbsp mustard oil any vegetable oil can be used, but mustard oil adds so much flavour to your dish
500 gms arbi/arvi/ you can cut it round, or slice it long
8-10 cloves garlic chopped
a pinch of asafoetida/ hing
1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
4-5 Slit green chillies depending on how spicy you want, you can add or reduce the number of green chillies
salt as per taste
1 tsp red chilli powder depending on how spicy you want, you can adjust the qty
3/4 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves crush them by hand to enhance the falvor
1 tbsp amchoor/dry mango powder
1 heaped tbsp besan/ chickpea flour
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 slit green chillies for garnishing
fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
lemon wedges for garnishing

Instructions

Now before you start "handling " taro root/ arbi, there is one thing that you need to keep in mind . Arbi can cause itching in hands, so please apply some vegetable oil on your hands ,before you start peeling and slicing it.
Once sliced, rub some salt on arbi and keep it aside for 5-10min . In the meantime gather rest of the ingredients.Then wash the slices properly in cold water and it is ready to cook.
Start with heating the mustard oil to smoking point (the colour of the oil will start to lighten). Turn the heat to medium, and add hing(asafoetida), ajwain seeds(carom/ caraway seeds).It will splutter. Keep stirring and add chopped garlic.
Saute till the garlic loses its raw smell. Do not brown it, as it will taste bitter.
Add the main ingredient – Arbi.
Add salt, red chilli powder,haldi (turmeric) powder and dry fenugreek leaves and slit green chillies.
Mix everything well and cover the pan .Let it simmer for few minutes on low heat.
Open the pan and check if the arbi is done. You can check this with a spoon, if you can just slice it using a spoon/ ladle it is done.
Add the amchoor/ dry mango powder and mix well.
Now add the besan/ chickpea flour . Increase the heat and mix the flour well with the vegetable. Just let it saute on high heat for 3-4 min , Keep mixing at intervals.Once you see the oil separating, it is done.
Now the tangy crispy masala arbi is ready.While serving squeeze a little lemon juice on it.
Garnish it with slit green chillies and lemon wedges and serve it as a snack or starter or as a side dish.

Video

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Notes

Before you start “handling ” taro root/ arbi, there is one thing that you need to keep in mind . Arbi can cause itching in hands, so please apply some vegetable oil on your hands ,before you start peeling and slicing it.

Once sliced, rub some salt on arbi and keep it aside for 5-10min . In the meantime gather rest of the ingredients.Then wash the slices properly in cold water and it is ready to cook.

You must be wondering why so much oil!!!

Agreed ,we are going the oil free and the fat free ways , but where oil is required to cook the dish it is required to bring out the flavour, aroma and all the benefits of eating that dish.So use it where required.

In this case as we are adding the besan/ chickpea flour at the end to make the vegetable crispy, the extra oil helps to blend and cook the flour nicely to give arbi a crispy texture.

Using mustard oil-

Mustard oil is most often heated in the pan, with no other ingredients, until it reaches a temperature where the first wisps of smoke appear (about 480°F/250°C). Immediately take it off the heat and allow to cool to a more reasonable frying temperature (around 360°F/180°C) before adding other ingredients. This procedure removes the acrid taste of the raw oil and renders it quite pleasant.

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