Vazhakkai Milagu Errisery | Raw banana curry with black pepper | Kerala Recipe

My first tryst with Kerala was on a 26 hour train from Bangalore to Kanyakumari (or Cape Comorin) with my
parents and sis. By the time we finished the journey, we had learnt about different varieties of rice in Kerala, of Pazhampori (deep fried ripe banana friters) wrapped in newspapers, how banana and jackfruit and coconuts form the mainstay of Kerala, crossed a zillion rivers and rivulets, and the journey from the train window was more exhilarating with tiny drops of rain water flowing down the window panes and strong gust of wind blowing if we stood near the compartment door.

There is something about train journeys that a flight can't do. There is something about Kerala and it's beauty that can never be summed up in the 26 alphabets of English.

To live there, to experience Mother Nature and lie in the lap of the cool breeze stemmed by the lush coconut trees – well, this is my wish list. Soon perhaps we would make that visit again, this time me being a parent to my lil adorable kids and experience God’s Own Country all over again.

 Till then, this is a simple Kerala dish (from the Palghat cuisine side) which is practiced by more Tamil
Iyers living in Palghat than the locals themselves. A neighbour who is from that region gave me this recipe and this is a standard fare on the days I make just rasam and rice, and one cant really go wrong with this. If you happen to make more of this, even better. It tastes awesome with plain chilled curd riceJ

Recipe : Vazhakkai Milagu Erissery

(Raw banana in black pepper masala)

Dish type : Side Dish / Accompaniment ; Served with : Steamed rice and Rasam ; Spice Level : Medium to spicy

Prep Time :15-20 mins, Cooking time : 15 mins ; Serves : 2

Ingredients:

• Raw banana – 2 nos
• Turmeric – ½ tsp
• salt to taste

Ingredients to be ground

• Coconut (fresh / frozen) – ¼ cup
• Black Pepper Seeds – 1 TBSP
• Red chillies – 2 nos
• Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp

Ingredients for seasoning

• Mustard seeds – ½ TBSP
• Urad dal (split black gram) - ½ tsp
• Curry leaves – few
• Asafoetida – a generous pinch
• Oil – 2 TBSP
• Coconut Oil – 1 teaspoon (optional – I sometimes add)

Method:

Peel, cube the raw banana. Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt and par boil this veggie (about 6-8 mins) till its soft but not mushy. Drain.

Grind the ingredients under “to Grind” to a slightly coarse paste.

In a non stick pan, add oil. Splutter the ingredients to season. Add the paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.

Now add salt. Adjust spice and add the par boiled veggies.

Mixwell. It can be a slightly runny gravy, however we prefer it dry.

Saute for 3-4 mins on low flame.

Finish with Coconut oil if desired else serve with Rice, Rasam and Curd.