Roasted Raw Bananas

Potatoes, please step aside- Now, the stage is taken by something that's more delicious and a healthier option. The contender in question is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium, Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin B6.

What am I talking about? Raw Bananas... I love them. I always steam them and use the inner pulp to make a stir fry. This time around I tried something different. I cooked the raw bananas on a gas flame and roasted the inner pulp with a touch of coriander seeds and notched the heat with red chillies. Makes a wonderful starter with hot chilli sauce.

Roasted Raw Bananas

Ingredients

• 2 Raw Bananas
• Curry Leaves- a few
• one small onion- sliced
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• oil to fry
• Coriander seeds -2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• dash of asafoetida powder
• Dry red chillies- 3-4 (use more to make it spicier)

Instructions

1. Put the raw Bananas on medium flame and allow the bananas to cook. Cook the bananas till the outer skin is completely charred and the inner portion is soft.
2. Once cooked remove them from flame and allow them to cool.
3. Peel the skin and chop them in cubes.
4. Dry roast the coriander seeds with red chillies on a pan till they become aromatic (don’t burn them)
5. Coarsely grind the coriander seeds with dry red chillies.
6. In a pan add liberal dose of oil and throw in the mustard seeds.
7. As they begin to sputter, add dash of asafoetida powder.
8. Fry the onions on a medium flame till they become golden brown.
9. Add curry leaves and chopped bananas.
10. Roast them in the pan till they start turning golden brown.
11. Adjust salt according to taste and throw in the spice powder.
12. Roast them for another few minutes till the bananas absorb the spices.
13. Enjoy them with spicy sauce!

Raw banana curry/poriyal

I love raw bananas- My mom is an absolute genius when it comes to making something delicious out of them! I have literally grown up gorging on the stir fry she would make of raw bananas. Funny thing is, my husband hates them :( - He abhors raw bananas and I seldom cook them. The other day, I was shopping and found these gorgeous looking green bananas. I don't like to cook for myself but then I decided to treat myself with a stir fry that would make my mom proud. So, this dish is just for my taste buds and boy did they feel pampered :) - When was the last time you cooked to pamper your own taste buds???

Ingredients-

500 gms Raw bananas
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 dry red chilli broken into two
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt according to taste
curry leaves (couple of leaves, to enhance flavor)
cooking oil - 2 tbsp

Preparation-

Steam the raw bananas (with their skin) till they become soft and tender. Peel the outer skin and discard it.   Chop the inner pulp into cubes or slightly mash them (depending upon the extent to which they have been steamed). In a wok, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to sputter. Add red chilli pieces, green chilli pieces and curry leaves. Cook for a couple of seconds before adding the chopped/mashed raw banana pulp. Toss well. Add turmeric powder and adjust salt according to taste. Cook the bananas till light golden brown. Serve with hot steaming rice!