Vazhaikkai Fry/Raw Banana Stir-Fry
There are some recipes which you learn over time making mistakes. One such recipe is this Banana Fry. My amma makes it the same way and every-time it will turn crisp, crunchy,mildly spiced and oh yumm!! I needed a bit of practice and patience to get that perfection. It is relatively a simple recipe and needs very less time than many other subzi's.
The first time i made them , well i shouldn't be saying it a fry, it will be an absolute insult, and my hubby thought i made banana mash. 🙁 He being a foodie and from a family of foodies, who know how to cook a perfect banana fry, simply ROFL-ed. Till date, he compares mine with this father's banana fry and the later wins hands down, i still manage to get second place :). So, here is my simple recipe that won second place in my house, with some pointers to get a delicious fry every-time.
Ingredients
3 nos Raw banana
1.5 teaspoon Homemade sambhar powder
salt to taste
Tempering
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
2 pinches of hing
2 pinches of turmeric powder
a sprig of curry leaf
Method
- Peel and slice the banana into roundels. The size of the roundel matters. Too thin, there is a chance of getting mashed, too thick will not cook even. So, cut them in even sized roundels. Keep them soaked in water until use.
- When ready to make the fry, drain the cut banana in a colander. Heat a pan with oil given under "Tempering". Splutter mustard seeds, next add hing, turmeric and curry leaves. Saute a minute or two.
- Next add drained banana. Let it sit untouched for a minute. Now mix gently so it coats well with the tempering. Next add sambhar powder to it and mix gently. Let it cook covered for 5 minutes in medium flame. If you feel the curry is burning, sprinkle water 2 or 3 times.
- After 5 minutes of covered cooking, take off the cover, turn gently with a spatula again. By this time, the banana's would have cooked soft.
- Add salt to the curry, mix gently.Now cook uncovered for another 10-12 minutes. Turning them after every 5 minutes, as we don't add water, the curry might stick to the pan.
- Once they turn crisp and well browned around the edges, take it off the stove. Serve warm as an accompaniment with rice.
Notes
- Do not add water while making a dry curry fry. It is better to sprinkle water, cover and cook for a little time, so the water vapor helps in cooking the veggie soft and uncovered cooking for a little more time make it crisp.
- Avoid turning the veggies while it is cooking. Turning/mixing it often will make it soft , clumping together and make it a mash.
- Keep the flame in medium. Too high will burn it fast and too slow will make it soft. Medium is the key.
- And do not crowd the pan. Always use the right size of pan for cooking.
Sending this to Cooking from a Cookbook challenge a weekly event happening @ +srivalli jetti space.
amazing looking stir fry....
looks very nice. love this with rice..
Such a crispy & delicious looking raw banana fry.
What a lovely accompaniment with your lunch... perfectly done, Priya!