Kitchen Tantra

Vazhaikai Chips:

Plantain Chips. Arattikaya Pakodi. Kacha Kela Ka Chips.

Ingredients:

Raw Plantain 1 large and slender
Salt
Pepper powder(fresh)
Oil for deep frying.

Method:

Slice the plantains into thin slices. Leave them in cold water until cooking/frying.

Now heat oil in a frying pan. When the oil is smoky hot...fry few slices till crisp.

Fry only few at a time. Do not crowd the oil. Always maintain the stove over medium heat. Leave the chips over kitchen tissues for a while.

Repeat the same for all the remaining batches.

Sprinkle salt and pepper while they are still warm.

Placing them in microwave is also a good idea, to make it extra crisp!

Serve as a snack/appetizers.

Labels: Plantain

Vazhaikkai Podi:

Plantain Podi to go with Rice. Arattikaya Podi.

Ingredients:

Raw Plantain 1
Salt
Turmeric 1 pinch
Chana dal 1 fistful
Urad dal 1 fistful
Pepper 2 spoons
Coriander seeds 1 fistful
Cumin 1 spoon(optional)
Curry leaves few(I dont find it here)
Dry red chilies 6
Asafoetida little bit
Oil for frying.

Method:

Chop plantain pulp alone and leave in cold turmeric water until cooking.

Heat oil, fry them till crisp.

Leave them in kitchen tissues.

Dry/with little oil toast/roast all the above mentioned ingredients(except salt). Maybe toast each seperately.

Now blend both fried palntain and above mixture togather.

Mix salt to it. Store in an air tight container.

Serve with steamed rice.

Labels: Plantain, Podi/Powder

Vazhaikkai Thol Thuvaiyal:

Raw Plantain Skin Dip. Raw Plantain Skin Chutney.

Ingreients:

Raw Plantain/ vazhaikkai - skin alone
chana dal 1 fistful
Urad dal 1 fistful
Dry red chilied 7
Garlic 6 beads
Black peppercorns 1/2 spoon
Salt
Oil few spoons.

Tempering:

Oil few spoons
Mustard sees 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Chana dal 1/4 spoon
Urad dal 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 3
Curry leaves few.

Method:

Slice the plantain skin and leave in cold water until cokking. Retain the pulp for other recipes.

Heat few spoons of oil in a wok. Add chana and urad dal to it. Toast real good, till golden brown. Set aside.

In the same oil, add garlic, pepper, dry red chilies and chopped palntain skin. Fry real good.

Add salt too. When the skin is semi done, remove from heat. Allow this to cool.

In a blender, wet-grind the above toasted and fried items togather. Add very little water.

In a seperate pan, heat oil. Fry the tempering items and run over the 'thuvaiyal' prepared above.

serve as a side dish for rice and chappathi.

Labels: Plantain, Thuvaiyal/Chutney

Vazhaikkai Poriyal:

Arattikaye Koora. Plantain Karaari.

Ingredients:

Plantain(raw) 1 large
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Cumin powder 1/4 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Wash and clean plantain. Chop into tiny bits. Leave them in cold water untill cooking.

In a pot, boil 1/4 cup of water. Add salt and turmeric to this boiling water. Now add plantain bits to this water. Cover and cook over sim heat.

Once the palntain is kind of semi-done without leaving any water...remove from heat.

In a wide wok, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin and asafoetida. Let them pop well.

Now add semi-cooked plantain to it. Fry over high heat. Let the oil coat evenly and make the bite size vegetable go crispy.

Further sprinkle chili an dcumin powder to this. Continue frying until nice aroma fills the room.

Serve warm as a side dish for South Indian Meals.

Labels: Plantain

Vazhaikkai Perattal:(Chettinad Style)

Vazhaikkai Thuvattal.

Ingredients:

Green plantain 1 large
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 6-8
Fennel seeds 1-2 spoons
Thoor dal 1 fistful(or pottukadali)
Poppy Seeds 2 spoons
Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a blender powder all the above said items(except oil and plantain)

Slice plantain into length wise, 2" -3" size pieces. Leave them
in cold water until cooking.

Boil the chopped plantain in limited water for 6-7 minutes.

When the veggie is half done, drain the water.

Now dust this semicooked plantain with the spice mixture prepared.

Let this sit for 20 minutes or so.

In a wide, non-stick skillet...heat oil. Spread this well-coated
plantains. Pan fry till it becomes crispy outside and aromatic!

Serve warm as a side dish to South Indian Meals.

Labels: Plantain

Vazhaikkai Mandi:(Tamizhar Style)

Vazhaikkai Varuval. Vazhaikkai Masala. Plaintain in Spicy Hot Masala. Attikkai Masala. Kacha Kela ki Masal.

Ingredients:

Raw Plaintain 1 large
Onion 1 large - finely chopped
Ginger paste 1 spoon
Garlic paste 1 spoon
Tomato 1 large chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Sesame oil 1/4 cup

To be Toasted Each Separately and Powdered Togather:

Black peppercorns 1-2 spoons
Fennel seeds 1-2 spoons
Cumin seeds 1-2 spoons
Cinnamon sticks 2
Cloves 3.

Method:

Wash and pat dry the plantains. Trim their ends off. Now cut them into chunks. Leave these chunks in cold water. Maybe add salt/ lemon juice / turmeric 1 pinch to this water...just to avoid discoloration.

Microwave plantain or boil stove-top with limited water. Maybe till they are 1/2 done.

Meanwhile....toast the above said items and hand pond it if possible. Set aside.

In a large Iron wok,(preferably iron) heat oil. Add mustards and wait till they pop.

Now add onions and fry till they turn to golden color. Followed by ginger + garlic paste....fry real good, till its fragrant.

Add tomatoes too, wait till they become pulpy.

Add salt, turmeric, chili and powdered spices too. Continue stirring. Maybe till they are fragrant.

When oil shows up on sides, stir-in semi-cooked plantains. Cover and cook over emdium heat. Maybe till the plantain is done completely.

Adjust sesonning to your taste. Serve warm as a side dish for rice or chappathis.

Labels: Plantain

Vazhai Thandu Thayir Pachadi:(Tamizhar Style)

Plantain Stem with Yogurd.

This recipe was shared by AK's older brother's wife, Chandhara Praba...when I visited their place. I never tried plantain stem salad/yogurts based salad before. She prepared this....in front of me. When she chopped it finely and never took it to cooking, I was wondering what is she doing. Later she flipped a cup of yogurts and kept it aside. I was going on asking when...you are going to make that recipe. She was smiling and said....its done already. Later when she tempered some spices and ran over the salad...I understood....its off stove cooking! It tasted so fresh and nice to me. So thought of cooking it for pretty long time. When I visited my place(India home) I made this! Here you go...

Ingredients:

Tender plantain stem 2 feet
Yogurd 5-7 cups
Salt as per taste
Green chilies 8 finely chopped
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Chana dal 2 spoons
Urad dal 2 spoons
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Sesame oil fews spoons.

Method:

Clean and wash the plantain stem. Remove its outer bark.

Finely chop them without any lengthy fibres. Salt them....as they may chage color soon.

In a pan, heat oil. Add all the remaining items, except yogurd. Let them pop and splutter well.

Run this sesonning over yogurd. And mix this yogurd to finely chopped stem.

A healthy salad is ready.

Labels: Plantain, Salad/Pachadi

Vazhai Thandu Sambar:

Plantain Stem/ Banana Stem/ Thandu in Tamil.

Ingredients:

Plantain Stem - fresh 2 feet long, young and tender.
Thoor dal/Thuvar dal 1-2 cups
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3
Onion 1 large chopped
Tomato 1 large chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Coriander seeds powder 1 spoon
Sambar powder 1-2 spoons
Oil 1 cup.

For Garnishing:

Crisply fried curry leaves 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves finely chopped 1/2 cup

Method:

Wash and clean the stem. Remove the hard barks out of it...retain only the inner fine stem. It should be tender and soft. Now chop them into rings...maybe removing each time the fine fibres arising while chopping. Set them aside in water filled vessel. As they turn color on exprosure to air. Its better to ass salt, lemon juice and turemric to this water.

Pressure cook dal. Add 4 cups of water, salt and few spoons of oil to it. The thin film of oil on top of the water....will allow the dal to get cooked properly, without allowing all water to get evaporated. (My Dad told me this method) Okay.....once the dal is done, set aside in a bowl.

In a wide non-stick deep pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida and dry chilies to it. Let them pop and splutter well.

Then add onions and tomatoes to it. Followed by salt, turmeric, chili, coriander and sambar powder.

Fry them real good for a while and add ringed stem now. Throw the stored water.

Further add cooked thuvar dal/thoor dal too now. Allow them to boil well and come to 'sambar consistency'. Cook over medium heat for long time.

Garnish with fried curry leaves on the top. Enjoy with nice steam cooked rice.

Labels: Plantain, Sambar

Plantain Fry:

Vazhaikkai Varuval/ Attikkai Koora/Fried Kacha Kela.

Ingredients:

Plantain 2
Garlic 2 (nearly 15 cloves)
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Red chili powder 1 spoon
Salt
Ground Black pepper 2 spoons
Ground cumin powder 2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves 1 cup
Oil 1-2 cup

Method:

1. In a deep bottomed vessel add 1/2 cup of water. When the water is warm enough add salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, pepper powder and cumin powder.

2. To this masala add plantain pieces and cook with lid. Sim cook with lid. Never add extra water to this. The plantain should be cooked with this masala alone.

3. When the vegetable is almost cooked without leaving any water. Add Tamarind paste and rotate them to all sides with spatula. While using spatula make sure of not cutting the vegetable. Better to have wooden spatula.

4. In a deep frying pan add oil. When the oil is hot enough. Add Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, garlic. Fry them for a while and add plantain. Do not cover them now. Maintain the stove in low heat.

5. Let the plantain get well fried the other side too. The plantain should be crispy outside and yet bajji like inside. This is the correct time to serve.

6. This fry is good combo with simple Dal rice, Curd rice or Rasam rice.

Labels: Plantain