Make this delicious stir fried dish of green bananas with spices and herbs. It goes well with rice alongside rasam or sambar or with chapati.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 2 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Side
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 green bananas (/ plantains)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 to 1½ teaspoon ginger (grated)
  • ½ tablespoon urad dal ((skinned split black dal))
  • ¾ tablespoon chana dal ((Bengal gram dal/ skinned split chickpeas))
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch hing (/ asafoetida)
  • 1 medium onions (thinly sliced)
  • 2 green chilies (slit or chopped (or black pepper))
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon salt ((adjust to taste))
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (chopped finely)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice ((more if you want))

Method

  1. Prep up the Green Banana: Rinse and cut the stem of the raw banana and boil in a pot of water till fork tender. Cool down and peel the skin. Chop to bite sized pieces or crumble them.
  2. Temper the spices: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dal and urad dal. Let fry until golden and aromatic. Add the curry leaves and ginger. Saute for a minute.
  3. Stir in the hing, onions and green chilies. Saute until transparent. Add salt, turmeric and the cooked banana. Mix well and saute for 2 to 3 mins.
  4. Cover and cook on a low flame for 4 to 5 minutes. If the banana is still under cooked, add a splash of water and cook until fully tender. Taste test and adjust salt to taste. If you want it hot, add some black pepper. Turn off and squeeze some lemon juice.
  5. Garnish aratikaya kura with corinader leaves. Serve with hot rice, ghee and rasam or sambar.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.