Raw Banana Fry is also called Pacha Kaya Mezhukupuratti or Vazhakka Mezhukupuratti in the South Indian state of Kerala. Pacha Kaya or Vazhakka means Raw banana and Mezhukupuratti means pan fried in oil.
It’s a traditional dish made with Raw Bananas and is popular as a side dish to go with gravies, especially the ones that are coconut based gravies.
It’s so comforting to have this raw banana side dish with steamed rice and just curd. Since its texture is similar to potato when cooked, its one big favorite of many.
Raw banana fry can be had for lunch or dinner. Its easy going as far as cooking time is concerned. You can spice it mildly or make it spicier to suit your liking.
I have made the spicier version for this recipe, by adding red chilly powder. You can add crushed dry red chillies for tempering it too.
Adding red chilly powder gives this raw banana fry a warm orange tint.
It is cooked in some powdered spices such as turmeric and red chilly powder. A tempering is prepared by spluttering some sweet fennel seeds, that are excellent for digestion.
To this, I also added some curry leaves and crushed garlic. Fry this entire mixture and add it to the cooked raw banana.I use coconut oil for the tempering which gives it an authentic flavor.
You will love to have this raw banana as a side dish with Moru Kachiyathu (spiced Buttermilk curry), and Red fish curry. (My mouth is watering already 🙂
This time, I made it to go with my favorite coconut based Raw Mango curry. Yummm!
Try your favorite combination too and let me know in the comments section below. I will try it too.
Now, let’s make the simple and delicious recipe of Raw Banana Fry!
Ingredients
- Powdered Spices
- Ingredients for tempering
- Other
Instructions
- Peel the raw banana. Cut it into small pieces and put immerse in salted water as you are cutting them. This will prevent the pieces from turning dark due to exposure to air. The sap of the raw banana will also seep a little into the water. Wash it thoroughly 2-3 times till the water runs clear.
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Now, it is ready for cooking as shown.
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Pour water into the pan. You need not immerse in water completely, since raw banana can cook quickly. Add till it about 1/3 immersed in water. Add turmeric, red chilly powder and some salt.
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Cover and cook till done. It should not be too mushy. Stir in between to prevent the raw banana from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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Once it is cooked, we will temper the raw banana. For this, we need shallots, curry leaves and some garlic.
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First, crush the curry leaves and garlic with a pestle roughly.
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Then, heat some coconut oil. Once hot enough, put in fennel seeds.
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Allow the fennel seeds to crackle.
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Next, add in the some finely chopped shallots and the crushed mixture of curry leaves and garlic.
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Fry them in the oil till golden brown in color.
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Pour this tempering onto the cooked raw banana. Mix well. Sprinkle some garam masala too for added aroma and taste. Keep aside for few minutes before serving, so that the aroma and flavors of the tempering merge well in the dish.
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It is now ready to serve. Enjoy with some steamed rice, and raw mango curry like I did. Or have it along with your favorite gravy or simply as it is!
Notes
- The raw banana is cut into small pieces and put into water that is slightly salted, so that it does not darken on being exposed to air.
- Also, you will find that a little sap of the raw banana also seeps into the water. Wash it 2 or 3 times till the water in which the raw banana is soaked is clear. This is an important step. After these steps, the raw banana is ready for cooking.
- Raw bananas can cook quickly. You can adjust the water used for cooking accordingly, to prevent it from getting mushy.
- If you use red chilly powder, your final dish gets a warm orange tint. If you use dried red chillies instead during tempering, you can get a pleasant green shade for the final dish. Kashmiri chilly powder is mildly spiced, but gives a richer red color. Regular chilly powder is spicier, and has a milder red color.
- You can also sprinkle freshly crushed fennel seed powder, instead of spluttering them in the oil.