Vazhakkai Podimas / Raw Banana Curry

I had a nice plump raw banana at home and was very tempted to make Podimas out of it, just the way it was made during our wedding. I had a very vague idea as to how to make it. But I needed the exact method to make it. I looked it up into Shanthi's Cookbook. She had this delicious tasting Vazhakkai Podimas. I tried the recipe and it came out really very yum. I have altered the measurement of the ingredients as per my taste. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Raw Banana - 1
Oil  - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Ginger - Chopped - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - A few
Dry red chillies - 4
Salt - To taste
Coriander leaves - A few (Chopped)
Lime Juice - 2 tsp (I used concentrate)

Method:

• Cut the Raw Banana into big pieces and boil them in water for about 15 minutes.

• Once the bananas have cooled, peel them and grate them coarsely.

• In a pan, heat the oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, Urad dal and Chana dal.

• Then add the dry red chillies, curry leaves and chopped ginger.

• Then add the grated raw banana and add salt.

• Add about 3 tbsp of water and cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes.

• Turn off the flame and add the chopped coriander leaves and drizzle the lime juice over the curry.

• Serve hot with Rice. 

• Enjoy the Vazhakkai Podimas!!

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Lemon pickle

Pickles are an essential part of every Indian's meal. There will be no one who will not like the tangy and spicy pickles.Being a very avid fan of pickles, I decided to make lemon pickle for the first time.It has turned out really very very yummy,just the way my dear Granny used to make.

Ingredients:

Lemons - 5 (5 lemons in US , you can use 10 if Indian lemons)
Sesame oil - 1 1/2 cups
Asafoetida - 2 teaspoons
Red chillies - 20-25
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - About 3 tablespoons (I eyeballed the salt measure)

Red Chilli powder - 2 tablespoons (optional instead of whole red chillies)

Method:

• Wash the lemons and pat dry them well. The lemons have to be completely dried.
• Cut the lemons into wedges and add them into a clean and dry glass bowl.
• Add the salt and mix them well with a dry spoon.
• Close the bowl with a lid or cover the mouth of the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil (If the bowl does not have a lid) and keep it aside.
• Keep the bowl in a sunny place for 4-5 hours daily for about 10-12 days.
• Let the salt get incorporated well into the lemons and the lemons will turn very soft in due course of time.
• After 10-12 days the pickle can be made.

After 10-12 days:

• Take a pan and dry roast the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and the red chillies.All of these have to be roasted separately.
• Instead of dry roasting the red chillies, you can even use red chilli powder. I prefer using dry roasted chillies and powdering them because of the freshness and the distinct flavor it gives.
• Grind all these dry ingredients into a fine powder.
• Heat 1tablespoon sesame oil in a tadka pan/any pan and once the oil is hot, pop some mustard seeds and add the asafoetida and set it aside and let it cool down completely.
• To the bowl of lemons, add 2 teaspoons turmeric powder, the ground masala powders and mix well with a dry spoon.
• Add the rest of the sesame oil and mix well.
• Add the cooled sesame oil mixture of mustard seeds and asafoetida.
• Mix all the ingredients well and store it in a clean and dry bottle.
• Let the mixture sit for a day or two so that all the ground masalas get well blended into the lemon and form a pickle.
• Enjoy the pickle with rotis, rice or even just like that..