Recipes, Vegetarian

Raw Banana Kofta

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

  1. 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.
  2. Make a besan paste with water, salt, a pinch of turmeric and black pepper powder.
  3. 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).
  4. Heat a kadai and add 3 tablespoons of oil in it. Then add jeera seeds, bay leaves and red chillis.
  5. 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.
  6. Now add tomatoes and spices in it (turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and black pepper powder).
  7. Cook this for 15 minutes on low flame and keep stirring in between.
  8. Once this onion and tomato masala gets ready, put 1 cup of water and wait till it comes to a boil.
  9. 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).
  10. Now it’s time to add the fried banana dumplings in this gravy and cover the lid for 5 minutes.
  11. Gently transfer this raw banana kofta gravy in a serving bowl, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice. 

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Kriti Singh

I got interested in cooking looking at my mom who would cook for the entire family of 10 to 15 people and never got bored of it. The lockdown presented me with an opportunity to spend time with her and learn a few traditional recipes. It became a beautiful way to relive old memories. For me, cooking is simply therapeutic. It does wonders to the brain in terms of unwinding and relaxing. Apart from cooking, I also enjoy solo travelling, photography and gardening. All my hobbies go hand in hand - wherever I travel, it allows me to taste the food of that region. In India, flavours change every 50kms so there are many food cultures to learn about and that excites me.