Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Raw Banana/Plantain Fry


I love raw banana when prepared as a side dish. Today I am thinking of making a fusion kind from both states of   Andhra and Kerala. In Andhra they make this side dish with the roasted split chana dal powder  and chili powder, where as in Kerala they use obviously grated coconut, but I decided to use both in this recipe. It turned out very tasty. So I thought of sharing it with you all too.

Ingredients:
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2 medium size Plantains peeled and cubed to small pieces.
1 medium size Onion chopped
2 green Chilies crushed
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 cup Roasted Split Chana Dal
3-4 Dry Red Chilies
2 pods of Garlic chopped
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1 pinch Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil         


Method:
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1.  Keep the cubed plantain pieces in a bowl of cold water and some salt added to it to avoid the plantain to change color.
2. In a mixer grind coconut, cumin seeds and green chilies to a coarse paste. (No need to add water)
3. In a wide saute pan, add oil and when it's hot add mustard seeds and when they start to sputter add asafoetida and chopped garlic, add onions and saute them until they are translucent.
4. Add the plantains to the saute pan with onions, making sure that you drain off the water completely.
5. Add turmeric powder and salt and reduce the flame to medium low and mix well, cover and cook it for about 10-12 mins. Stirring it occasionally to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. When the plantain is 3/4 cooked, add the coarsely ground coconut mixture and mix well and cook again for about 5 mins or until the plantain is cooked completely.
7. In a mixer powder the roasted chana dal and dry red chilies and add this to the plantains and off the flame just before adding.
8. Mix well and serve this hot or warm with steamed rice and sambar or any Indian curry.