Shevla / Dragon Stalk Yam
With the onset of the monsoon in Maharashtra comes this beautiful forest vegetable that goes by the name of Shevla, a relative of yam, only available for 10-12 days every year. I first stumbled across Shevla at Mumbai’s Grant Road market last monsoon. I spent a whole week just figuring out what to do with it until one of our interns, Trisha, whose family belongs to the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) community, showed me how to cook with it.
Although painfully itchy and stingy when eaten by itself (please use gloves while handling), Shevla, once cleaned and cooked with a green fruit called Kakada, nullifies the stinginess. The resultant mixture is earthy and meaty and great either by itself or with keema or prawns.
—– Chef Thomas Zacharias, Chef and Founder, The Locavore
What is it?
Dragon Stalk Yam is a unique vegetable that grows during the monsoon. It is easily recognised by its tall, single stalk, which can be green, yellow, or purple in colour, and often has bright orange and yellow spots. This stalk grows from an underground tuber. At the top of the stalk is a single large leaf, made up of a central vertical stem and a flat blade with many small leaflets. This leaf lasts for just one growing season.
Inside a sheath-like part of the plant, called the spathe, is a hollow structure called the spadix, which changes colour depending on how mature it is. Interestingly, the plant produces a flower before the monsoon, and its leaf appears only once the rains begin.
What other names does it have?
Botanical Name: Amorphophallus commutatus
Regional Names: Shevala (Marathi), Mogari Kanda (Marathi), Jungli Suran (Hindi), Mogarikanda (Gujarati), Kaattuchena (Malayalam), Kattukene (Tulu).
When is it in season?
Where is it found?
Shevla is commonly found in the forested regions around Mumbai—including Palghar, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Raigad, and the Konkan belt. It flourishes in shaded areas, often growing beneath bushes or between laterite rocks, even in soil that is shallow or poor in nutrients. A distinctive monsoon vegetable, Shevla is usually foraged rather than farmed. Its presence across tropical and subtropical regions highlights its preference for warm, humid climates. (source)
What is its history/cultural significance?
Shevla is a remarkable plant from the Aroid family, belonging to the genus Amorphophallus. While this group of plants mainly grows in the warm tropical regions of Asia, West Africa, and Latin America, according to this journal, about 15 out of nearly 170 known species are found in India, mostly concentrated in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
Amorphophallus species have a long history of use in tropical and subtropical Asia, valued as sources of food, animal fodder, and traditional medicine. They are also important ingredients in various herbal remedies. However, due to their limited availability and rare occurrence, many species, including Shevla, have not been widely studied.
Shevla is indigenous to India, and was first officially documented in 1859, based on a specimen likely collected in the Bombay region. It was described as a distinctive plant with a long-stalked flower cluster (inflorescence), usually featuring a central structure (appendix), which appears cream, pale yellow, or sometimes light reddish-brown in colour. Interestingly, plants found in the Wayanad Ghats of Kerala had much longer stalks compared to the shorter ones seen in Anmod Ghat, Goa, suggesting they might be regional variations of the same species.
How can you use it?
Like many wild plants, Shevla is toxic in its raw form and must be carefully cleaned and prepared before it is safe to consume. The edible part of the plant is the hollow bud, which is wrapped in a long, cone-shaped stalk. This bud can appear in different shades, purple, mauve, or ivory, depending on how mature it is.
During preparation, it is important to avoid touching the base of the spadix, which is coated with bright orange and pink pollen that is highly toxic. Even a small amount of this pollen can cause serious throat irritation, and hence must be completely removed and discarded.
Traditionally, Shevla is detoxified using natural agents such as a paste made from kakad berries (Garuga pinnata) or bondara leaves (crape myrtle). To protect the skin while cleaning, wear gloves or rub kokum on your palms, both of which help prevent irritation or itching. It’s also essential to remove the spathe and the orange band, as these parts are known to cause discomfort when either handled or eaten.
What states can I find it in?
What parts of the plant are edible?
The Spadix (pod/bud).
Is it nutritious?
Shevla is rich in dietary fibre, as is visible when cleaning the vegetable.
How do you store it?
Shevla is best consumed fresh, but if needed, it can be refrigerated for up to three days.
Stories
Shevla chi Aamti: My Family’s Monsoon Recipe Originates in a Rare Toxic Flower by Shweta Desai, The Goya Journal
A rare monsoon curry from Maharashtra made with detoxified, toxic Shevla flower, rooted in family tradition.
How to Clean Shevla by Sanjeev Kaoppor
A step-by-step guide to safely cook and eat dragon stalk yam
Recipes
Shevlachi Bhaji Recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor
A simple monsoon sabzi from Maharashtra.
‘Know Your Desi Ingredients’ is an ever-expanding repository of knowledge for ingredients that are native to the Indian subcontinent and adapted into the mainstream culinary narratives of people, places, and cultures across India. If you would like to share more information about the write-ups featured here, send us an email at connect@thelocavore.in with your inputs and any verified sources we should look into.
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