Vazhakkai Poriyal | Raw Banana Poriyal
Vazhakkai Poriyal is a simple South Indian dry dish made with raw banana or plantain. The banana is cooked with a basic tempering of spices and curry leaves. Freshly grated coconut is mixed in at the end for taste and texture. This plant-based dish is served as a side with rice, sambar, or rasam.
Servings: 3
Calories: 308kcal
Ingredients
- 3 small to medium raw bananas (plantain or vazhakkai)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 or 2 dry red chili – seeds removed
- 1 green chilli – chopped
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black gram)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ to ⅓ cup water or add as required
- 3 tablespoon grated coconut
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse the raw unripe bananas first. Peel them lightly. I usually remove the black spots and keep the peels as they are.
- Dice them and add them in a bowl containing water, so that they don't darken.
Making raw banana poriyal
- Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a shallow frying pan. Keep the flame to a low and add mustard seeds and urad dal.
- Sauté till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turn golden
- Then add cumin seeds and sauté till they splutter.
- Then add the dry red chilli, chopped green chillies, a pinch of asafoetida and curry leaves.
- Stir and saute till the red chilies change their color and.
- Now add the raw banana and salt.
- Add ¼ cup water. Stir very well.
- Cover the pan with a lid.
- On a low flame simmer till the bananas have cooked well and softened. Do check a couple of times when the bananas are cooking. If the water dries up in the pan then add some more water.
- When the bananas have cooked, there should be no water in the pan. If there is then simmer without the lid, till all the water dries. Then add 3 tbsp grated coconut.
- Mix the coconut with the rest of the banana stir fry.
- Add chopped coriander leaves. Mix again.
- Serve banana poriyal with sambar-rice, rasam-rice or any kulambu gravy-rice or any South Indian meal. It can also be packed in a lunch box or had with chapati or plain paratha.
Notes
- The recipe can be doubled or tripled.
- For a spicy version add more green chillies or red chillies.
- If you don't have fresh coconut then add desiccated coconut.
- Coconut oil gives a very good taste. But you can use sunflower oil or peanut oil or any neutral flavored oil.
Nutrition
Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 968mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 2280IU | Vitamin C: 107.8mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1.7mg
