Very few people know how versatile bananas can be. In India, a raw banana dish can be made in many ways (Kerala style, Bengali style etc). Inspired by my grandmother’s recipe, this one has a touch of Bihar. Soft and crispy kofta and a thick spicy gravy pulls the entire dish together, paired excellently with rice and even tortilla. This banana kofta is mostly our Sunday lunch where the entire family gets together for a meal.
Ingredients
- 3 Raw Bananas (boiled with 2 cups of water until 2 whistles)
- Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 2 Red Chilis
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 Tbsp (Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Black Pepper Powder, Red Chili Powder, Jeers Seeds and Garam Masala)
- 1 Tbsp Besan (to bind the koftas)
- Salt to Taste
- 3 Onions
- 1 Tomato
- Oil (for frying)
- Coriander Leaves (for garnishing)
Preparation
Prep: 25 minutes
Cooking: 40 minutes
- Take the boiled banana in a plate and peel it off. Mash it along with salt, black pepper, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste.
- Make a besan paste with water, salt, a pinch of turmeric and black pepper powder.
- Heat the pan with oil and make this banana dough into a medium-size ball, dip it into the besan paste. Fry the banana dumplings till it turns brown (you can also serve these banana balls as snacks with sauce).
- Heat a kadai and add 3 tablespoons of oil in it. Then add jeera seeds, bay leaves and red chillis.
- Put chopped onions in a kadai, add salt and let it cook. After the onions become brown and soft, add ginger-garlic paste. Cook this for 15 minutes on low flame.
- Now add tomatoes and spices in it (turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and black pepper powder).
- Cook this for 15 minutes on low flame and keep stirring in between.
- Once this onion and tomato masala gets ready, put 1 cup of water and wait till it comes to a boil.
- Check the consistency of the gravy (if it’s too thick then add more water and let it boil or if the gravy is fine then switch off the flame).
- Now it’s time to add the fried banana dumplings in this gravy and cover the lid for 5 minutes.
- Gently transfer this raw banana kofta gravy in a serving bowl, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.