Thursday, June 09, 2011

Vazhaikai Podi - Raw Banana Tossed In Lentil And Spice Powder

VAZHAIKAI PODI

Preparing vazhaikai podi is as easy as eating a ripe banana! Raw banana cooks very fast and once you keep the 'podi' ( powder ) handy, a delicious vazhaikai podi can be dished out in no time. There are various recipes using different ingredients for preparing the podi, but I love my mother's podi the best.


                                               



INGREDIENTS

Raw bananas - 2 ( medium size )
Tur dal - 4 tbsps
Red chillies - 6
Asafoetida - one small piece
Salt - 1 1/2 tsps
sesame oil - 2 tsps
Mustard seeds -1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

METHOD

1. Wash and cut the raw bananas across into 2 inch thick pieces.
2. Add enough water just to cover the cut vegetable and cook till tender.

                                                


3. Drain and cool the cooked bananas.
4. Heat a drop of oil in a pan and add asafoetida.
5. Add tur dal and red chillies and roast till it emanates a pleasant aroma.

                                               

6. Cool and coarsely powder the roasted ingredients.
7. Remove the peel and crumble the cooked banana.
8. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
9. When the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves and decrease the flame.

                                              


10. Add the crumbled banana , the dal powder and salt and mix well,and switch off flame.

                                               


Enjoy the hot and spicy vazhaikai podi with rice and a dollop of ghee, just as you would enjoy chutney and rice.


                                                


 Or relish it with rasam rice or curd rice.