Raw Banana Bharta - South Indian style

 

             You must have had baingan bharta (mashed eggplant), a very popular Punjabi dish, numerous times. So how about trying out Raw Banana Bharta in a South Indian fusion style? I added some sambar powder to the end product. It is equally yummy and tastes awesome. 

             You can add some red chili flakes for extra spiciness. It goes very well with chapatti or any flat Indian bread. However, it can also be served as a side dish with dal-chawal, sambar/rasam rice or curd rice. So give it a try by checking out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 2-3 raw bananas, boiled whole
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• pinch of asafoetida
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tomato, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander powder
• 2-3 tbsp. sambar powder
• 1 tsp. lime juice 
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Discard the skin from the boiled bananas and mash / grate it. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds and asafoetida.  

          After it stops spluttering, add the onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Stir fry till light brown. 

          Now add the tomato, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Mix everything well and sauté on a medium flame till the tomatoes are mashed. Sprinkle some water if needed.

          When done, add the grated raw banana and salt. Give it a stir and continue to stir fry for a couple of minutes. 

          Now add the sambar powder, coriander leaves and lime juice. Give it a toss and switch off the flame. Keep it covered for 2-3 minutes. Serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis.

                     Heat oil & temper with mustard seeds & asafoetida. Allow it to splutter.

                    Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies & curry leaves. Sauté till light brown. 

                     Add tomato, turmeric powder, red chili powder & coriander powder. Mix 

                     well & sauté till the tomatoes are mashed. Sprinkle some water if needed.

                     Add grated raw banana & salt. Give it a stir & stir fry for 4-5 minutes. 

                    Add sambar powder, coriander leaves & lime juice. Give it a toss & switch 

                    off the flame. Keep it covered for 2-3 minutes.

                                  Serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis.

Kancha kolar Khosha Bata (Raw Banana Peel Chutney - Bong style)

 

          Kancha Kolar Khosha Bata is a traditional Bong style chutney made from Raw Banana Peels. It may sound weird to many, but it is quite a healthy and a nutritious dish, as peels have the most nutrients and fiber in them. This chutney goes best with hot steamed rice and a drizzle of some raw mustard oil or ghee. You may also relish with chapatti / paratha or as a sandwich spread a la fusion style. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this regional  delicacy.

               Raw Banana Peel chutney is not commonly heard of and is almost a lost recipe now. It remains a homemade delicacy prepared by the older generation and not usually served in restaurants. The recipe has travelled all the way from Bangladesh where it is very popular. Veggie Peels are generally discarded, but if prepared in a chutney form, tastes simply yummy. 

               This is a family recipe passed down by my late mother who never used to discard any peels. So to make it, you need to blend the boiled peels along with onion, garlic, green chilies and coriander stem. Then it is tempered in mustard oil with nigella seeds and dry red chilies. It is a very simple and an easy recipe to follow.    

              Besides raw banana peels, I also make similar chutney with the peels of bottle gourd, ridge gourd, pointed gourd and pumpkin. They turn out very yummy. So next time remember to preserve these peels and turn them into this delectable chutney. 

• The peel of 4-5 raw bananas, boiled
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped
• 1/2 cup coriander stem
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp. mustard oil
• 2-3 whole dry chilies
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds
• 1 tsp. of raw mustard oil  (opt)

          Grind the boiled peel along with onion, garlic, green chilies, coriander stems and just enough water into a paste. 

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with dry red chili and nigella seeds.

          Add the ground paste, salt and turmeric powder and stir fry on a low flame till all the moisture has evaporated.

          Serve with hot steamed rice and with a drizzle of raw mustard oil. You may also relish with chapatti / paratha or as a sandwich spread.

 Grind the boiled peel along with onion, garlic, green chilies, coriander stems

 and just enough water into a paste. 

                              Heat oil in a pan & temper with dry red chili and nigella seeds.

                                  Add the ground paste, salt and turmeric powder.

                                 Stir fry on a low flame till all the moisture has evaporated.

                        Serve with hot steamed rice and with a drizzle of raw mustard oil. You 

                        may also relish with chapatti / paratha or as a sandwich spread.

Raw Banana Poriyal (Raw Banana Stir Fry with Coconut - Tamilian Cuisine)

          This is a very popular side dish from the State of Tamil Nadu and is included in the menu platter / meal in any South Indian restaurant. It is a simple preparation with lots of fresh grated coconut added to the end product. 

         This simple delicacy is traditionally relished as a side dish with curd-rice, sambar-rice or rasam-rice. It can also be served with any kind of Indian bread. It is a quick recipe, both healthy and nutritious with minimum of oil and spices. 

• 2-3 raw banana, peeled & chopped
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1-2 dry red chilies, broken
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1-2 green chilies, slit (opt)
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds and dry red chilies. After it stops spluttering, add the urad dal, curry leaves and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add the chopped banana and salt. Give it a stir and cook, covered on a low flame. Sprinkle some water at intervals. 

           When done, switch off the flame and add the coconut. Give it a toss and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish with rice or chapattis. 

Raw Banana Bharta (Mashed Raw Banana Curry)

         You must have had baingan bharta (mashed eggplant), which is a very popular dish on a Punjabi platter. How about trying out Raw Banana Bharta? It is equally yummy and tastes awesome. It goes very well with chapatti in particular. However, it can be served as a side dish with rice too. 

• 3-4 raw bananas, boiled whole
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• pinch of asafoetida
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. lime juice 
• 2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Discard the skin from the boiled banana and mash it. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and temper with cumin seeds. 

          Sauté for a few seconds and add the asafoetida, followed by the onion, ginger and garlic. Stir fry till light brown. 

          Now add the mashed raw banana and all the dry spices. Mix everything well and stir fry on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

          When done, add the lime juice and coriander leaves. Give it a stir and serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis.

Raw Banana Curry with Green Peas - (A Perfect Side Dish - Andhra Style)

          Turn this humble veggie into an absolutely delicious and appetizing curry. I kept it dry to be had with any Indian bread. The addition of the aromatic Andhra spice (kura karam podi) adds a distinct flavor to the preparation. 

          Substitute it with sambar / rasam powder. That will give a punch to the dish. It can also be relished as a side dish with either curd-rice, sambar-rice or a simple dal chawal. Do add some lime juice for a tangy flavor. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 2 raw bananas, peeled & cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup green peas (I used frozen ones)
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1" ginger, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 1 tbsp. roasted coriander powder
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp. kura karam powder / sambar powder
• coriander leaves & sliced onion to garnish

          Grind the onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes to a smooth paste. Keep aside. 

         Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a non-stick pan and fry the chopped banana till light brown. Drain and keep aside. 

          Heat remaining oil and temper with mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter. Then add the ground paste and curry leaves. Sauté till the oil separates from the sides of the pan.

          Now add all the dry spices and mix well. Add the fried banana, green peas and 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer on low flame till the gravy thickens. 

          Serve, garnished with coriander leaves and sliced onion. Relish with either chapattis or rice.

                                Heat 1 tbsp. oil & fry bananas till light brown. keep aside.

                     Heat remaining oil & temper with mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter.

                            Add ground onion paste & curry leaves. Sauté till oil separates.

                                Add all the dry spices & mix well.

                  Add fried banana, green peas & 1/2 cup water. Simmer, covered till the
                  gravy is thick.

                   Serve, garnished with coriander leaves & sliced onion. Enjoy as a side dish                                         with chapattis or rice.

KanchKolar Kofta Torkari (Raw Banana Kofta Curry - Bong Style)

          This is a traditional Bengali homemade style curry of raw banana koftas in gravy. This is a "No Garlic & No Onion" based gravy. It is commonly cooked in every Bengali household and relished with hot steamed rice. 

          Adding potatoes to the gravy is purely optional. It is slightly thickened with the addition of cashew nut paste and finished off with ghee and a sprinkle of garam masala powder. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 2 green plantain, boiled & mashed / grated
• 1 potato, boiled & mashed / grated
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 3 whole dry red chilies
• 2 tbsp. oil
• oil to deep fry
• 2 bay leaves
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 2 tsp. ginger, grated
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, slit
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Dry roast 1 tsp. cumin seeds, 2 green cardamoms and the red chilies for a few seconds. When cool, grind and keep aside.

          In a bowl, mix together the mashed plantain, potato, salt, pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp. ginger, chopped green chilies and the powdered spice mix.

          Form into small round koftas. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry them. Drain on a tissue paper and keep aside.

          Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and temper with the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and the remaining cumin seeds. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add the ginger, turmeric powder and the cumin powder mixed with little water. Fry on low flame till oil separates.

          Add the tomatoes and sauté till well mashed up. Add 2 cups water, slit green chilies and salt. Simmer on low flame for 4-5 minutes till the gravy thickens to a desired consistency.

          Add the koftas, garam masala powder and ghee. Give it a gentle stir and serve, garnished with coriander leaves.

       




Note - 1.  If serving later, arrange the fried koftas on a serving dish and pour the gravy over it. 
           2.  The koftas can be prepared earlier and refrigerated to be cooked later.

                                  Dry roast cumin seeds, cardamoms & dry red chilies.

       

                                  Grind them & keep aside.

                                   Boil green plantain & potato till soft. Grate / mash them.

                        Mix with salt, turmeric powder, ginger, green chilies & dry spice mix.     

                                  Form into small koftas.

                                   Deep fry them to golden in colour.

                   Heat oil & temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves & cumin.
                               

                    Add cumin powder, ginger & turmeric powder mixed with little water.

                                 Add tomatoes & sauté well.......

                                 till it is mashed up.

                           Add 2 cups water, salt & slit green chilies. Simmer for 4-5 minutes
                           till the gravy thickens to a desired consistency.

                               Add koftas, garam masala powder & ghee. Give it a gentle stir.

                                  Serve, garnished with coriander leaves.