Raw Banana Kofta Curry | Kacche Kele ka Kofta Curry

Kofta based curries are bit time consuming as it involves the preparation of kofta along with the gravy part. Hence I usually do not prefer to make it on daily basis and prepare it occasionally. You can prepare various kofta based curries like Cabbage Kofta, Lauki kofta, Malai kofta, Paneer Kofta and Kele ka kofta curry. The preparation process of the gravy is very simple for cabbage kofta and lauki kofta curry which suits the everyday cooking, but for the rest of the recipes the gravy is prepared in a rich and creamy way which is good for occasional cooking.

The options with raw banana are limited, I usually end up preparing a stir fry for rice or a simple sabzi for rotis regularly and these Raw Banana(Kele ka) Pakoras on rare occasions. You can even use raw banana to make cutlets or koftas like I did. These koftas can be served as a snack too,they tastes delicious when deep fried. Another healthy option to fry these koftas is to shallow fry them in Paniyaram pan which consumes less oil compared to deep fried version. I prefer to fry the koftas in paniyaram pan if I am making it for my family, I prefer the deep fried version if I prepare it for a party or on special occasions. The texture of the koftas is definitely better when deep fried but the taste of shallow fried is even good.

Check out few recipes with Raw Bananas in my blog here:

• Kele Ki Kadhi | Kadhi with Raw Banana
• Raw Banana Pepper fry
• Aratikaya Aava pettina Kura
• Raw Banana(Kele ka) Pakoras
• Aratikaya Pacchi Pulusu(Raw Banana Tangy Stew)
• Avial | Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Yogurt Gravy

Raw Banana Kofta Curry Recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 40mins | Total time: 1 hr

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side Dish - Main Course

Ingredients:

for Kofta:

2 large Raw Bananas

1 medium Potato

3-4 tbsp Chickpea flour(Besan)

2-3 tbsp Raisins

1 small Onion,finely chopped

2 Green chillies,finely chopped

1/2" Ginger,finely chopped

2 tbsp Coriander leaves,chopped

1/2 tsp Amchur powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Home made Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil,to deep fry

for Gravy:

3 medium Tomatoes, make a cross on them

2 medium Onions, quartered

1.5 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste

1/3 cup Milk or 1/4 cup Cream

6-8 Cashew nuts

1 tsp Kasuri Methi

2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Cumin powder

3/4 tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Home made Garam masala

1/2 tsp Sugar,optional

Salt to taste

2-3 tbsp Oil

Method:

to make Koftas:

• Cut the ends of raw bananas and cut them into 2-3 pieces and pressure cook along with potato for 3 whistles.After it cools down,peel the skin of raw bananas and potato and mash it nicely using potato masher while it is still warm and keep it aside.
• Dry roast chickpea flour until you get nice aroma from it and let it cool.
• Add all the masalas - red chili powder, coriander  powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder , garam masala powder and salt to the mashed raw banana and potato mixture and mix it nicely.The mixture would be very soft and mushy at this point.
• Add finely chopped onion,green chillies and coriander and mix well.Now add roasted chickpea flour and mix nicely,do not add all the quantity of besan at once, add in small portions and mxi until you feel the mixture is not very sticky.Do not add more besan,the koftas would be softer when the dough is slightly smooth instead of stiff dough.
• Grease your palms with oil and make gooseberry sized koftas and try to stuff raisins in it - by initially making it like a cup and stuff raisins and close it to form a kofta. Refrigerate them for half an hour so that they will firm up slightly,you can use them immediately too if you are short of time.
• Heat oil in a deep curved pan until it is hot and add koftas and fry them on medium flame until they turn in deep brown color.Remove them with the slotted spoon on to a kitchen napkin.
• If you are looking for healthy option - you can fry them alternatively in an Aebliskever pan. Heat the pan and add 1/2 tsp of oil in each impression and when it is piping hot keep the flame on LOW and place the koftas in it and fry them by turning them slightly in between until they get roasted on all sides.This is time consuming but a very healthy alternative option. Keep them aside until serving time.

to make Gravy:

• Boil water and add quartered onions, tomatoes(make a cross before) and cashew nuts and boil them for 2-3 minutes. Drain them and once they become cool, remove the skin of tomatoes and chop them roughly. Grind the tomatoes, boiled onions and cashew nuts to a very smooth paste.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add ginger-garlic paste followed by the ground onion-tomato-cashew paste and fry well until the oil leaves in the edges and the masala becomes dry.
• Add the dry masalas - red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt and fry nicely for 3-4 mins.You can add a tbsp of water if you feel that the mixture would burn. Ensure you fry the masala nicely with out getting it burnt.
• Add roughly 3/4 -1 cup of water to it and let it come to boil.Add kasuri methi and sugar and let the gravy simmer for 8-10 mins.The consistency of the gravy should not be very thick or very thin, it should be of medium thickness consistency.Aslo remember that the koftas observe the gravy,so prepare the gravy of medium consistency.
• Switch off the flame and add cream or milk to it and stir nicely.
• When you are ready serve,arrange koftas in a serving bowl and pour the hot gravy over it and cover it for 10-12 mins to let the koftas observe the gravy.You can add the koftas to the gravy and simmer for 1-2 mins before adding the cream/milk, do not boil the koftas for long it will make them soggy otherwise.
• Garnish with coriander and cream.

Serve it hot with Rotis/Naans/Kulchas/Jeera rice.

Notes:

1. Koftas can be deep fried or shallow fried or oven baked according to your choice.Deep fried koftas has better texture when compared to shallow fried or oven baked ones.If you make this recipe for parties I suggest you to deep fry and for regular cooking you can either shallow fry or bake them in oven.
2. The gravy consistency is important as the koftas would absorb the gravy. Make sure you add gravy to the koftas before serving, otherwise they will turn soggy if kept for long.
3. Cashew nuts can be ground and added in the later stage, but for ease I ground along with the onions and tomatoes.
4. Raw Banana koftas can be served as an appetizer or snack by sprinkling some chaat masala over it.

Technorati Tags: raw banana kofta curry, kofta curries, kofta recipes, raw banana recipes, side dish for rotis, restaurant style kofta recipes, low fat kofta recipes, how to make kofta based curries, kofta sabzi recipes

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Raw Banana Kebab | Kela ka Kebab (Tikki/Cutlet)

I usually prefer to prepare cutlets or tikkis over the deep fried pakoras for obvious reasons as they are low fat and bit guilt free to indulge them. The options for cutlets are endless like you can create your own cutlet by adding the ingredients of your choice. Basically you need a base like potatoes or bananas or yam or mixed vegetables or cooked lentils or oats etc and a binding agent like chickpea flour, bread, maida or corn flour and few spices and herbs to prepare cutlets. You can create a cutlet on your own based on your requirements.

 

The options with raw banana are limited, I usually end up preparing a stir fry for rice or a simple sabzi for rotis regularly and these Raw Banana(Kele ka) Pakoras on rare occasions. You can even use raw banana to make cutlets or kebabs like I did. As the raw bananas are mildly sweet make sure you added enough spices and herbs to make it spicy and aromatic.These kebabs taste best when deep fried as the raw bananas are slightly sticky in nature but you can make it low fat by shallow frying it.The texture of the kebabs is definitely better when deep fried but the taste of shallow fried is even good. These kebabs make a nice starter in parties when served with tooth pick pricked in them. I had actually prepared them to prepare Kofta curry as I use a same base for koftas as I do for cutlets/kebabs.I would post the kofta curry soon and I thought that I would share a separate post for preparing these kebabs.

Check out other Cutlet/Tikki recipes here in my space:

• Broccoli Culet
• Oats Cutlet
• Maggi Noodle Cutlet/Noodle Tikki
• Sabudana Tikki(Cutlet)
• Upma Tikki..from left over Upma
• Vegetable Chops | Stuffed Beetroot Cutlets - Bengali Style 
• Zucchini Patties 

Raw Banana Kebab | Kele ka Cutlet(Tikki) Recipe:

Yields 10-12 Kebabs

Prep time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 20mins | Total time: 4 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

2 large Raw Bananas

1 medium Potato

3-4 tbsp Chickpea flour(Besan)

2-3 tbsp Raisins

1 small Onion, finely chopped

2 Green chillies, finely chopped

1/2" Ginger, finely chopped

2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp Amchur powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil,to deep fry

Method:

• Cut the ends of raw bananas and cut them into 2-3 pieces and pressure cook along with potato for 3 whistles. After it cools down, peel the skin of raw bananas and potato and mash it nicely using potato masher while it is still warm and keep it aside.
• Dry roast chickpea flour until you get nice aroma from it and let it cool.
• Add all the masalas - red chili powder, coriander  powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder , garam masala powder and salt to the mashed raw banana and potato mixture and mix it nicely. The mixture would be very soft and mushy at this point.
• Add finely chopped onion, green chillies and coriander and mix well. Now add roasted chickpea flour and mix nicely, do not add all the quantity of besan at once, add in small portions and mix until you feel the mixture is not very sticky. Do not add more besan, the kebabs would be softer when the dough is slightly smooth instead of stiff dough.
• Grease your palms with oil and make gooseberry sized kebabs or like regular shaped cutlets and try to stuff raisins in it - by initially making it like a cup and stuff raisins and close it to form a round kebab or flattened tikki. Refrigerate them for half an hour so that they will firm up slightly, you can use them immediately too if you are short of time.
• Heat oil in a deep curved pan until it is hot and add kebabs and fry them on medium flame until they turn in deep brown color. Remove them with the slotted spoon on to a kitchen napkin. If You have prepared them in the shape of flattened tikkis(cutlets) you can shallow fry on tawa with 1-2 tbsp. of oil and fry them on both sides.
• If you are looking for healthy option to fry round kebabs - you can fry them alternatively in an Aebliskever pan. Heat the pan and add 1/2 tsp of oil in each impression and when it is piping hot keep the flame on LOW and place the kebabs in it and fry them by turning them slightly in between until they get roasted on all sides.

Sprinkle Chaat masala on them while they are still hot and serve them immediately with Tomato sauce of Green chutney and Meeta Chutney.

Notes:

• Kebabs can be deep fried or shallow fried or oven baked according to your choice. Deep fried kebabs has better texture when compared to shallow fried or oven baked ones.
• You can replace raw bananas with yam or arbi(taro root) and follow the same recipe.
• The addition of chopped cashew nuts would add nice bite to the kebabs, you can add them if you like.
• If you add the raisins directly to the dough there might be chances of they getting burnt if it is deep fried in oil. I did this mistake and I would not like you to do the same and hence always stuff the raisins inside.
• You can even add 1-2 bread slices as a binding agent instead of chickpea flour in the recipe.
• Boiled peas can also be added along with potatoes and raw bananas. In that cade do not mash the peas nicely, leaving them slightly coarse adds a nice bite. to the kebabs.
• As I prepared this to make Kofta curry I made it round and deep fried otherwise I would go for flattened cutlet and shallow fry. But it is a good idea to serve the kebabs with a tooth pick for parties,it makes a nice starter. 
• You can use these deep fried kebabs to make kofta curry, which I will post soon.

Technorati Tags: raw banana cutlet,r aw banana tikki, kele ka cutlet,kele ka kebab, kacche kela ka tikki, raw banana recipes, cutlet recipes, tikki recipes, veg kebab recipes, snacks recipes, teatime snacks, appetizers, starters recipes

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Aratikaya Vepudu | Raw Banana Stir fry

'Stir Fry' or 'Vepudu' is a part of typical Andhra meal and we prepare various stir fries on a daily basis to pair with steamed rice. One can prepare either the deep fried stir fries, which are definitely tastier and also the shallow fried simple stir fries. Vegetables like Potatoes, Ladies finger(Okra), Arbi(Taro root), Brinjal, Raw Banana and Yam taste really delicious in the form of stir fries, you can either deep fry them or shallow fry them based on your requirements and season it with Garlic chili powder, it tastes yumm!! I would say a simple Stir fry and Rasam with hot rice and few fryums is a comforting meal for me .

'Raw Banana' also known as 'Raw Plantain' or 'Aratikaya' in Telugu and 'Balekai' in Kannada. Let us check out the simple yet delicious stir fry using raw bananas.

Check out few more interesting preparations with Raw Banana here.

• Kadhi with Raw Banana
• Avial - Kerala style
• Aratikaya Aava Pettina Kura
• Raw Banana Pepper Fry
• Aratikaya Pacchi Pulusu (Tangy Stew with Raw Banana)

Aratikaya Vepudu | Balekai Palya | Raw Banana(Plantain) Fry:

Serves:3-4 persons

Prep time:15 mins | Cooking time:15 mins | Total time:30 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Stir fry - Side dish

Ingredients:

2 Raw Plantains(Raw Bananas)

1 Onion,finely chopped

2-3 Garlic pods,crushed

1 tbsp Garlic Chili Powder

8-10 Curry leaves

1 tsp Urad dal

1 tsp Chana dal

1 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Steam the raw plantains for 10 mins or pressure cook for 2 whistles.Cool it and peel the skin and cut it into small pieces.
• Heat oil and crackle mustard seeds and add chana dal and urad dal and fry for few mins.
• Add curry leaves, chopped onions and crushed garlic and fry until the onions turn pink.
• Add chopped raw banana pieces and fry for 8-10 mins until they become slightly crisp.
• Now add Garlic chili powder and mix nicely and fry for 2 mins.As the garlic chili powder already has salt we don't need to add extra salt,check the taste and add salt if required.Add more garlic chili powder if you want it more spicy.

Serve it hot with hot steamed rice,ghee and fryums or as a side dish with sambar rice or rasam rice.

Notes:

• You can also pound 3-4 green chillies with 5-6 garlic pods and 1/4 cup grated fresh coconut and add it at the end for a variation.
• If you do not have Garlic chili powder,increase the amount of garlic pods to 4-5 and also add 3/4 tsp red chili powder and salt at the end.
• You can follow the same process for vegetables like potatoes,Taro root(Arbi) and Yam(kandagadda). It tastes delicious.

Technorati Tags: aratikaya vepudu, raw banana fry, aratikaya recipes, andhra fry recipes, vepudu recipes, side dish for rice, south indian fry recipes

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Aratikaya Bajji | Raw Banana Pakoras

Monsoons are tempting me to make fried pakoras (fritters) often these days. Well , am not sure if I should be blaming the weather or the temptation to make something interesting that I could post. This is more so becoming an excuse for me to indulge in such fatty deep fried goodies that I usually avoid preparing more than once in an month. TH is the one who initiates me to make some of his favorite deep fried goodies at times. These dishes include Puri, Batura or various kinds of fritters (Pakora).I must say that TH was elated at being served deep fried goodies on two consecutive weekends and that too without pushing me to prepare it.

In South India, there is a slight difference between Bajjis and Pakoras.If the vegetables are dipped in batter and deep fried then it is known as Bajjis and if its prepared with the mixture of cut vegetables like onions or cabbage and mixed with besan (chick pea flour) mixture and deep fried then it is called as Pakoras.In North India, any vegetable mixed with Besan mixture and deep fried in any form is called Pakora.One can prepare various Bajji varieties by using any vegetable but the most common one's are Onion Bajji, Potato Bajji, Capsicum Bajji, Mirch Bajji and Raw Banana Bajji.In South India, in few stalls they even cut these Bajjis in the centre and stuff it with a mixture of onions,coriander,salt and lemon juice. Try it once, you will like it a lot..

If you are interested check out few Pakora varieties like  Babycorn Pakora , Stuffed Eggplant Pakora , Stuffed Okra(Ladies finger) Pakora , Oats Pakora , Onion Pakoda/Crispy Onion Fritters.

In the monsoon season, apart from Pakoras even hot bondas and Vadas are equally relished. In fact at my mom's place, we prefer bonda and vada over Pakoras and Bajjis and of course there are few exceptions like Mirch Bajji.My mom mostly prepares bondas with either rice flour or sago or the left over dosa batter.

Check out various Vada(Vade)  and Bonda like Maddur Vada , Mixed Dal Ambode(Vada) , Masala Vada/Chana dal Vada, Onion Samosa/Ullipaya Samosa, Punugulu/Dosa Batter Fritters , Saggubiyyam Bonda/Sago Bonda and Alasandula(Lobia) Vada/Fritters.

While Pakoras, Bajjis, Bondas and Vadas are not healthy options as they are deep fried, I don't mind consuming them once in a while.In case you are a health freak and want to avoid these deep fried goodies and opt for something light and healthy, I would suggest that you check out a few Cutlet and Tikki recipes in my blog - Vegetable Chops , Zucchini Patties, Maggi Noodle Cutlet , Sago(Sabudana)Tikki, Broccoli Cutlets and Hara Bhara Kebabs.

Aratikaya(Kela)Bajji | Raw Plantain Pakoras Recipe:

Serves 2-3

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:30 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

2-3 Raw Bananas(Raw Plantains)

Oil,to deep fry

for Batter:

1 cup Besan/Chickpea flour

1/4 cup Rice flour

1 tsp Red chilli powder

a pinch of Turmeric powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala (optional)

1/2 tsp Carom seeds

a pinch of Cooking soda

2 tsp hot Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Peel the skin of plantains and slice lengthwise into thin pieces or you can use a slicer to do this work.I have an adjustable slicer and hence I can make slightly thick pieces.Drop them in water until its usage so that they would not loose their color.Do not slice them very thin like we do for chips,slice them of medium thickness so that they will hold the batter when we dip in the pakora batter.

• Mix all the items(mentioned under 'for Batter') well and make it into a smooth paste by adding enough water.Add the water slowly and use a wire whisk and whisk to the consistency of thick idly batter consistency and make sure you don't add too much water at once.The more you beat the mixture the better and fluffy the pakoras would be.You should ideally beat the batter for 3-4 mins.

• Mean while heat oil for deep frying.

• Hold the edges of plantain slices and dip each of them in batter and individually and drop them slowly into hot oil and deep fry them till it becomes golden brown in color on medium flame.

• Drain them on to a kitchen towel to remove excess oil.

Serve them hot with Imli Chutney/Green Chutney/Tomato Sauce.

You can even top them with a mixture of finely chopped onions,coriander leaves,salt and lemon juice like they serve in Bajji stalls in South India.

Notes:

1. You can use the same process for making pakoras like Cauliflower, Baby corns, Broccoli and Poblano peppers(remove the seeds) by blanching them in hot water initially and follow the same process.
2. You can use the same batter as base for all pakora varieties like Potato(cut into thin slices), Brinjal(cut into thin slices), Onion(thin round slices as well as lengthwise) and Capsicum rings.
3. The addition of garam masala is completely optional,as plantain is a bland vegetable I added it to spice up the batter.
4. The addition of rice flour makes the pakoras crisp.
5. I like to add hot oil to the batter mixture as it will make the pakoras crisp and also makes them consume less oil.Make sure you beat the batter which will makes the pakoras more fluffy.

Technorati Tags: aratikaya bajji,balekai bonda,balekai bajji,raw banana bajji,valaikai bajji,raw banana pakora,bajji varieties,south indian bajjis,pakora varieties,easy pakora recipes,kele ka pakoda,kela bajji,monsoon snacks recipes

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Kadhi with Raw Banana | Kele ki Kadhi

Kadhi is basically a gravy made up of buttermilk and chickpea flour and is prepared in various ways across regions.The famous Punjabi version 'Kadhi Pakora' is a thick version and the pakoras(onion or methi fritters) are dunked in the thick kadhi.The Gujaratis make their kadhi very thin and also mildly sweet.While I like both the versions I make them according to my preferences.I make kadhi quite often and it appears at least once a week in my menu,it pairs well with rice/roti/khichidi.I rarely make Pakora waale kadhi because of the deep frying involved and it is boring to eat the plain kadhi sometimes.Hence I try to do variations with some roasted vegetables like Ladies finger or raw banana,sauteed spinach,curd chillies,gatte(chickpea flour dumplings),sun dried urad dal fritters etc.I also play with various seasonings of kadhi which makes it taste different each time.I have mentioned a few variations in the notes,please go through if you want to give a try.

Kadhi with Raw Banana | Kele Ki Kadhi Recipe | Chickpea flour Yogurt Gravy:
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 Raw bananas
1 1/2 tbsp Chickpea flour/Besan
1 cup sour Curd
1 tsp Ginger,grated
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
2 Red chillies,roughly torn
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
7-8 Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
a pinch of Asafoetida
1 tbsp Ghee
2 tbsp Oil

for tempering:
1 tsp Ghee
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
a sprig of Curry leaves
2 Red chillies,roughly torn
a pinch of Asafoetida
Method:

• Steam raw banana for 7-8 mins or pressure cook for 1-2 whistles,it should be firm to touch.Once it is cooled down,remove the skin and cut into 1/2 inch half moon pieces.
• Heat oil in a thick kadai and add raw banana pieces and fry them on high flame for 2-3 mins with out mixing it.
• Reduce the flame and turn the pieces and fry on low-medium flame until they are crisp.Remove them and keep aside.
• Whisk chickpea flour,turmeric powder with sour curd and mix well.Add 1 1/2 cups water and mix well with out any lumps and keep it aside.
• Heat ghee in the same pan and crackle cumin seeds.Add fenugreek seeds ,broken red chillies, asafoetida,red chili powder and fry for few seconds.
• Add whisked chickpea flour-curd mixture and mix well and cover it and cook on low flame for 12-15 mins.Cook well until you see the mixture bubbling and form a nice thick kadhi.Check the consistency,I prefer a slightly runny kadhi instead of very thick or very thin.
• Add grated ginger,salt,coriander leaves to kadhi and cook for 2-3 mins.
• Add fried raw banana pieces and mix well and cook for a minute and remove from flame.
• In a separate small pan heat ghee and crackle mustard seeds followed by broken red chillies,curry leaves,asafoetida and fry for few seconds and pour this tadka over kadhi.

Serve it hot with rice/khichdi/roti/paratha.
Notes:

1. You can follow the same procedure for kadhi and instead you can add sauteed spinach for Palak Kadhi or deep fried okra pieces for Okra Kadhi or Onion pakora or methi pakora for Kadhi Pakora for a variation.
2. You can add few pinches of saunf or ajwain in tempering before starting making kadhi.It gives a nice flavor to kadhi.
3. Whole masalas like 2-3 cloves,1" cinnamon can be added to the tempering before making kadhi.This makes the kadhi more aromatic and I prefer to add them when I am making it for any occasion as I avoid whole spices in my cooking on daily basis.

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Avial Recipe | Kerala Style Aviyal - ONAM Sadya Recipes

Every cuisine offers its unique taste even if it has several common ingredients in between them.Coconut is one such common ingredient which is used abundantly on a daily basis in both Kerala and Karnataka cuisines though the flavors and taste of the dishes differ with the additional masalas added in each dish.While I do not prepare many kerala recipes regularly, I like to indulge in few of them once in a while. A few dishes like avial,Appam-vegetable stew,puttu-kadala curry,neyyappam, few kheer varieties do feature once in a while in my cooking.

Avial is basically mixed vegetables mixed in ground coconut and yogurt gravy, which reflects the rich coconut flavor in each and every bite.Ideally, avial is served with adai and is a well known combo. I am not fond of the adai and avial combo or I can say I am too lazy to prepare avial for adai when a simple chutney would go nice with adai.I know its just an excuse,but I usually pair avial with plain white rice.We like Avial in a slightly gravy form than a very thick curry(which is the usual Kerala Avial),so it is your wish to adjust the consistency according to your requirements.

Aviyal Recipe | Mixed Vegetables in Coconut-Yogurt Gravy:
(Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh Curd,beaten well
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
a sprig of Curry leaves(12-15 leaves)

Vegetables-peeled and chopped lengthwise:
1 Potato,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Raw banana,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Carrot,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Drumstick,cut into 2" pieces
6-8 French Beans,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1/4 cup sliced Red Pumpkin
1/4 cup sliced Yam

to grind:
1 cup grated fresh Coconut
1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
5-6 Green chillies
1 tbsp Rice,soaked for 1 hr
a pinch of Turmeric powder(optional)
Salt to taste
Method:

• In a big pot add water and add chopped vegetables like potatoes,carrots,drumsticks,french beans and let them boil for 5-6 mins until half done.Now add the remaining vegetables ,raw banana,yam,red pumpkin and boil for another 6-8 mins until completely done.Do not make the vegetables mushy,they should be firm to touch and slightly crunch to bite.If you have more water in it remove some.

• Meanwhile grind grated fresh coconut,cumin seeds,soaked rice,green chillies,turmeric powder and salt to a fine paste using little water.
• Add the ground paste to the boiling vegetables and reduce the flame and cook until it comes to a boil for 5-6 mins.Adjust the consistency of the gravy according to your wish.I like it slightly thicker one instead of either dry or thin consistency.
• Heat coconut oil in a small tadka pan until it is luke warm.
• Add curry leaves and heated luke warm coconut oil to the boiling gravy and switch off the flame.Cover it with lid,this will help in retaining the flavor.
• When it is warm add beaten curds and mix well and serve it.You can add the beaten curds and simmer for another 2-3 mins,but do stir continuously in order to avoid the curdling.
  

Serve it with hot rice/dosa/adai.
Notes:

1. You can also add vegetables like snake gourd,chow-chow,white pumpkin and peas to avial.
2. Always retain the crunch of vegetables which is a key to good aviyal.
3. Do not skip coconut oil in the recipe which adds a typical Kerala touch to the recipe.
4. If you want a white colored Avial avoid turmeric powder in the recipe.Also add slit green chillies to the boiling vegetables instead of grinding to a paste with coconut.
5. Cut the vegetables uniformly for even cooking.

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Aratikya Ava Pettina Kura...Raw Plantains cooked in mustard paste

These days if I ever get to visit any book store my concentration is more on the cook book's section rather than any other section.During one of my such visits a couple of months back,this book called "Cooking at home with pedatha" caught my attention as I have read about this book in a couple of blogs.This book is quite interesting for anyone who loves to try traditional and authentic Andhra recipes.When I was just flipping through the recipes this recipe seemed very interesting because of the blend of ingredients used in the curry and I quickly noted down the recipe in my mind which I tried almost immediately the next day so that I wont forget the recipe but forgot to post immediately.All I remember was that the curry was very simple and loaded with lots of flavors from mustard and coriander.This post was sitting in my drafts from almost several months and as I said I am clearing off my drafts in the coming weeks I thought of posting this recipe too but I forgot the recipe.When I searched the internet for the recipe luckily I found the same recipe here which helped in refreshing my memory.So here I am reproducing the recipe for you guys and also for my future reference.

Ingredients:

2 plantains(raw banana)
a pinch of turmeric
salt

To grind :
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp raw rice
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
5-6 green chilies
1 " ginger ,chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
salt to taste

For tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
a sprig of curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida(hing)

Method:

• Chop raw banana into 1/2 " cubes and immerse them in water.Boil them in salted water mixed with turmeric until it is cooked completely.Drain and keep them aside.
• Soak raw rice and mustard seeds in warm water for around 15 mins.
• Grind the ingredients mentioned under the section To grind to a coarse paste adding some water if required.Take care of the addition of salt as we are adding salt when cooking the plantains.
• Heat oil in a skillet/pan and crackle mustard seeds and jeera.Add urad dal and fry until light golden in color and then add curry leaves and hing and fry for a minute.
• Add ground paste to it and fry until the raw smell goes away and now add cooked plantain pieces to it and mix well.Sprinkle some water over it and cover and cook for 5 mins on low flame.
  

Serve it hot with rice and ghee.

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Aratikaaya pachi pulusu/Raw Banana in tangy tamarind stew

Pachi pulusu is something that can be made in jiffy as it does not require any cooking process.It is made up of diluted tamarind pulp with finely chopped onions and green chillies and adjusted the sourness of tamarind by adding equal quantity of jaggery and some salt to taste.When I run out of time or I really need some zing to my taste buds I generally prepare pachi pulusu.Where as this is a new version of it by adding mashed raw banana and sesame powder which makes it still more yummier and also some cooking process is involved.This is a completed balanced flavorful stew which tickles your tongue with its unique taste.Try it to enjoy the flavors of it.

Ingredients:

2 Raw banana's
1 big lemon sized Tamarind
2-3 tbsp grated jaggery
1 medium onion,finely chopped
3-4 green chillies,slit
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp chopped coriander
salt to taste

for tadka:
1 tsp ghee/Oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 red chillies,broken

Method:

• Pressure cook raw banana for 2-3 whistles until it is completely cooked.Cool it,remove the peel and mash it completely.
• Slightly toast sesame seeds in a pan and cool it.Grind it to a fine powder.
• Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water fr 15 mins and remove the pulp.Add grated jaggery and salt to it and mix properly.
• Add slit green chillies to it and mash it with hand completely.If you are allergic to green chillies like me,slight crush the green chillies in a mortar and pestle,this process also works fine.
• Now add some water,mashed raw banana and sesame seed powder to it and mix and adjust the salt,spice and sweetness according to your taste by adding the respective ingredients.
• Heat ghee in a small tadka pan,crackle mustard seeds and fry red chillies for a minute and add this tadka to the mixture and add chopped coriander and mix well and serve.

Note:

1. This is generally not heated on stove,it is served cold with hot steaming rice.
2. Use oil in seasoning for a Vegan version.

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Raw Banana Pepper fry & Drumstick kootu.....a platter from Rak's Kitchen

Sometimes we will run out of ideas about what to cook for lunch/dinner and I am sure that this will be a common problem for most of us....;)In that sense,blogging is helping me a lot in getting lot of ideas,infact it is inspiring me more to try out new dishes from different regions and cuisines.I generally make sambar out of drumstick or I will use in aviyal at the most and I rarely cook raw banana at home.When I saw Rak's post I was sure that I will be going to cook that combo for my hubby's lunch box.On the same day I went to buy those veggies from the vegetable vendor just next to our building(that is the comfort of staying in our mother country,everything is easily accessible..) and prepared it for hubby's lunch box next day.Thank you Raks for sharing this,we just loved it.I modified the recipes lil bit to adjust according to our taste.

Drumstick kootu:

Ingredients:

2 Drumsticks
1/4 cup Moong dal
1 tsp sambar powder
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1 Tomato,chopped
2 generous pinches of hing
salt to taste

To grind:
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp Rice flour

for Tadka:
1 tsp ghee/Oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp jeera
a pinch of hing
a sprig of curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped shallots



Method:

1. Cut drumstick into 2 inch long pieces.
   
2. Boil moong dal with tomato,turmeric,sambhar powder in pressure cooker until done.
3. Meanwhile cook drumstick and salt in a vessel until tender.No add cooked moong dal to it and mix properly.
   
4. Grind coconut and rice flour with little water and add to the cooked drumstick,moong dal mixture and let it boil,remove from fire after one boil.
5. Heat ghee in a tadka pan and crackle mustard seeds and jeera.Add urad dal,curry leaves and hing and fry for a minute.Add chopped shallots and fry until the onion is soft and pink.
6. Add the tadka to the dal mixture and stir.

Serve it hot with rice and papad.

Note:

• For a Vegan version use oil instead of ghee for seasoning.

Raw Banana pepper fry:

Ingredients:

2-3 Raw banana
1 tsp sambar powder
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1 tbsp curds
1 tsp freshly ground pepper powder
salt to taste

for Tadka:
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 sprig of curry leaves

Method:

• Peel the banana's and dice them into 1/2" cubes and drop them in salted water mixed with curds.This helps in retain its color.For a Vegan version avoid adding curds to water.
  
• Wash the banana cubes properly and boil them in enough water mixed with sambar powder,salt and turmeric until they are nice and tender.Drain them and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai,crackle mustard seeds and add urad dal and curry leaves and fry for a minute and then add cooked banana pieces and stir fry on high flame for 1-2 mins until it is dry.Add pepper powder to it and mix well.
  
• Add grated coconut to it and mix well.

Serve it hot with hot steaming rice with ghee and papad.

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