Raw Banana / Plantain Fry (Vazhakkai Varuval)

Category: Lunch / Poriyal

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Servings: 2

Hey everyone, how many of you love Raw banana also known as Vazhakkai or plantain?

Vazhakkai / Raw Banana Fry

These versatile veggies are packed with complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, and they’re super easy to digest. They’ve been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I still remember the simple vazhakkai poriyal with pearl onions and fresh coconut I used to enjoy during my school days.

Back then, we didn’t have the fancy health benefits of veggies explained to us before we ate them. In our hometown, our houses were surrounded by banana trees and coconut trees. And guess what? In most of our dishes, we used fresh coconut, and once a week, we’d have Raw banana, banana flower, and banana stem on our menu. Also, since we’ll be growing small pearl onions in our farm, we used the pearl onions which is also called as "sambar vengayam" in our everyday cooking. The big onions which we’re used to now make a rare appearance in our home then.

After moving to the US, these things have become a bit of a challenge for me when it comes to cooking. We can buy raw banana and plantains here, but banana flowers and banana stems are a bit harder to find. And here, we’re used to using frozen coconut most of the time because it’s so convenient. 

But these won’t stop me from experimenting with my favorite veggie in new ways! Let’s see how to make this vazhakkai varuval with fresh ground masala. These go well with any South Indian meal - Rasam rice, Sambar rice, Morkuzhambu, or curd rice. If you’re like me, you can just enjoy it on its own!

Ingredients:

• Vazhakkai / Plaintain / Raw banana - 2 medium sized
• Onion, thinly sliced- 1 
• Oil - 1 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Salt-  to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Coconut oil - 1 tsp

To  Grind:

• Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Coconut - 2-3 Tbsp
• Pearl Onions - 7-8 nos
• Red chilly - 2-3 nos (adjust as per spice level)
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Garlic - 3 pods

Method:

• Peel and cut the raw banana into slightly thick pieces. I halved them, then cut them lengthwise and kept them submerged in water until ready to use.
• Grind the ingredients listed under "To Grind" list with a little water to obtain a coarse paste. Set aside.

• Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and let it heat up.
• Add mustard seeds and sliced onions to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.
• Drain the banana slices and add them to the pan along with turmeric powder. Mix well.

• Stir in the ground masala and salt, along with asafoetida. Mix everything together until the masala is evenly distributed. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water and mix again.

• Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring gently in between, until the banana masala is almost cooked but still firm.
• If desired, add 1-2 teaspoons of oil while roasting the banana masala.
• Once the banana masala reaches 90% cooked, reduce the heat to low and let it roast in an open pan without covering.

• Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and mix everything together gently. Turn off the heat
• Serve the banana masala hot with your choice of rice, such as Rasam rice, Sambar rice, Morkuzhambu, or curd rice.

Vazhakkai Masala Fry (Plantain Spicy Masala Curry)

Category: Lunch / Poriyal
Preparation Time: 10 mins +15 mins marination
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: For 2-3 persons 

Vazhakkai Masala Fry

Ingredients:

• Vazhakkai / Plaintain - 1 big sized / 2 small ones
• Onion, finely chopped - 1 small sized
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Channa dhal - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Salt-  to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

To Roast and Grind:

• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Red chilly - 2-3 nos (adjust as per spice level)
• Curry leaves - few
• Garlic - 3 pods
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Coconut - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat a pan in a low/medium flame and dry roast the coriander seeds and red chilly for 30 secs and then add the garlic pods, curry leaves, fry till we got nice aroma; then add the pepper and cumin seeds fry for few secs
   
2. Switch off and finally add the coconut
   
3. Allow the mixture to cool and grind it to a coarse paste with very little water
4. Peel the skin and chop the plantain into bite sized cubes; keep it in water to prevent browning
5. In a wide bowl, add the ground masala, turmeric powder and salt, mix well
   
6. To this masala, add the  plaintain pieces (without water),Mix well and allow to marinate for atleast 15 mins
   
7. After marination time, heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, Urad dhal, channa dhal and curry leaves and fry till the dhals turn golden brown
   
8. Add the finely chopped onion and fry with a pinch of salt till it becomes transparent
   
9. Then add the marinated plaintain pieces along with 3-4 tbsp of water and cook covered in medium flame till it gets cooked and become soft. Take care not to turn it mushy
   
10. Once the water gets evaporated and the vegetable gets cooked, fry for another min and switch off
    
11. Serve hot with Rice, Sambar or Rasam and also tastes fantastic with curd rice!