May 31, 2008

Raw Banana Stir Fry (Kaaya Upperi)


Raw banana with smashed shallots and chili, sautéed in some coconut oil… Love to have that with some curd and rice.

Buy raw bananas, any type. Usually in India, we get bananas that are used only for cooking. We call it ‘ponthan kaaya’, they are short and stout and is not good to eat when ripe. That is they are less sweet. So we cook them.

Anyway you can use the same for any raw banana.

Scrape the skin of lightly. Do not take the whole skin. Dip them in turmeric water (a little turmeric powder added to water) to avoid discoloration and to get rid of the sap while cutting.

Cook 3 cups of bananas diced into half inch squares in 2 cups of water with enough salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder.

Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil, sauté crushed shallots and a sprig of curry leaves, 4 green chilies, and add the cooked bananas. Sauté them well and smash it lightly. Instead of green chilies, you can add crushed whole pepper.

I have seen some add a tinge of asafoetida. I don’t, so you needn’t :-)

I would say coconut oil is a must for upperi/mezhukkupuratti (stir fry in English) like this, since the coconut oil gives the dish a very unique flavor and taste.

Serve with rice or roti.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't tried anything with raw banana yet, Inji. This looks really good, with the shallots and curry leaves, mmm...

പ്രിയ said...

:) i thought its about banana chips. kayaupperi means banana chips for us. and kaya mezhukkuvaratti for this.

(i came to see a picture of kaya upperi, and to see whether its round upperi or nurukkuppuri)

Red Chillies said...

whoa! I am so with you in regards to the coconut oil. It adds a distinct flavor to the cooking.
I add some asafoetida as well :-) along with urad and chana daal for seasoning. But thanks for reminding me of coconut oil!

Greg C said...

Hello
I stumbled upon your blog quite by accident but now that I am here, I wanted to comment. You have some great looking food here. I love using exotic spices in cooking. I was looking for some information on what to do with Mango Ginger. Any ideas. I got some plants from where I don't know and I don't know how to cook with them.

Kalai said...

Sounds heavenly, Inji! :)

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Unknown said...

greg with mango ginger in india pickles are made. A simple recipe is this: peel and cut it into small pieces. Add lemon juice and salt. Let it stay in the fridge for 24hrs so that the ginger absorbs the salt and lemon juice. Its can then be enjoyed with meals. If kept in a jar it will stay for weeks. Always use a dry spoon when serving. Or it will spoil.