Banana Fry | Aratikaya Fry

Banana Fry or Aratikaya Fry recipe with step by step photos. This is a mildly spiced and slightly crisp South Indian style banana fry made with unripe bananas or plantains, spices and herbs. A no onion no garlic and vegan recipe that makes for an excellent side dish with South Indian meals.

I usually buy unripe banana or plantains when I go for veggie shopping. I try to include them in our diet and make various dishes with them. Some of the Raw Banana Recipes that I make often at home are:

1. Vazhakkai Poriyal – Simple and easy Tamil style recipe.
2. Vazhakkai Varuval – Tamil Nadu style spicy unripe plantain preparation.
3. Banana Bajji – Plantain fritters

The recipe is easy and quick to prepare. All you need to do is to cut the raw bananas into thin round slices. Then fry a few spices and saute the banana slices until tender.

However the recipe needs attention while cooking. So do prepare when you are cooking some other dish also.

This recipe of raw banana fry accompanies sambar-rice or rasam-rice or dal-rice very well. You can also have them plain or with chapatis.

This recipe can be easily scaled to make for more servings. It can also be packed for lunch box with a side of chapati or paratha.

How to make Banana Fry

1. Rinse 4 small to medium-sized raw unripe bananas first (300 grams) in fresh water. Then peel them lightly. I usually remove the black spots and keep the peels as they are.

Slice them in thin rounds and add them to a bowl containing water + a bit of salt (about ¼ teaspoon salt), so that they don’t darken. After you slice, then immediately add them to the bowl of water.

2. Before you start frying the spices, drain all the water from the raw bananas and set them aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a shallow frying pan. You can use any neutral-flavored oil.

Keep the heat to a low or medium and add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds. Saute till the mustard seeds crackle on low heat.

3. Then add 6 to 7 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (hing).

4. Stir to mix.

5. Now add the sliced bananas carefully. Due to some moisture being present in them they may splutter.

6. Mix the bananas with the rest of the tempered ingredients.

7. Then add the following spice powders:

• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.

8. Stir and mix the spice powders very well with the banana slices.

9. Spread the raw banana slices evenly on the pan, so that they get cooked evenly. Keep the heat to low to medium-low.

10. Don’t cover the pan with any lid and saute the bananas on a low to medium-low heat.

Do stir at intervals after 5 to 6 minutes for even cooking. Also, remember to turn slices and cook the sides which look uncooked or not roasted or crisp.

11. Cook till the slices become crisp towards the edges. Not all slices will become crisp, but most of them will be. When the banana slices are cooked, sprinkle salt as needed. Stir again and mix well.

12. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves and mix. For a slight tang, you can add some lemon juice at this step.

Serve banana fry hot or warm as a side dish with sambar-rice or rasam-rice or dal-rice or any South Indian meal of your choice. You can also have them plain or with chapatis or paratha.

Few more healthy veggie recipes you may on this website:

• Kovakkai fry
• Potato fry
• Capsicum fry
• Cauliflower fry

This Banana Fry recipe from the blog archives, first published in June 2016 has been republished and updated on December 2022.