Vazhakkai podi curry | Vazhakkai Poriyal | Vazhakkai varuval | raw banana curry | plantain poriyal is one of the traditional South Indian - Tamil Brahmin recipes. Freshly roasted ground spice mix gives a nice flavor to the raw banana / plantain. This dry curry goes well with many rice accompaniment. My personal favorite is pairing the curry with mor kuzhambu, thenga araicha kuzhambu, milagu kuzhambu or marundhu kuzhambu or poondu rasam When it comes to kizhangu variety vegetable raw plantain comes third in my priory list, it is always potatoes followed by Arbi, finally raw plantain. Among all the preparation with vazhakkai this curry is one of my favorite because of its texture. My first cooking experience with Vazhakkai was a total flop show, I am it will be top 10 among all bloopers to date. Once when my Amma was out of town I wanted to finish the raw plantain I saw in the kitchen.
I have seen the way Amma cook potato, cook it for 2 whistles in cooker with water. I tried the same thing. After cooking I could hardly see traces of plantain. It was so mushy and we didn’t have the courage to taste it😂😂 After that incident I learned how to cook raw plantain. The specialty of cooking Vazakkai poriyal this style is the aroma from the freshly ground spice mix. It gives a nice flavor to the curry. This curry is a quick side dish, within 15 minutes curry can be prepared. Vazgakkai podi curry is a two-step process. Dry roasting the podi and cooking vazhakkai. If you dry roast and keep the podi handy, poriyal can be prepared in no time. Podi is a multipurpose podi, it can be used for variety Rice like brinjal rice, bell pepper rice also for a dry curry like vazhakkai, brinjal, etc
vazhakkai recipe collection Poriyal recipe collection in TMF Brinjal rice bell pepper rice Kuzhambu recipe collection in TMF Ingredients: Vazhakkai / Raw Banana - 2, diced Salt - as needed Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Asafetida - a generous pinch Podi: Channa Dal - 2 tbsp Coriander seed - 2 tbsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Dry Red Chilli - 4 (According to your spice level) pepper - 5 For Tempering: coconut oil - 1 tablespoon + 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp Channa dal - 1/2 tbsp Curry leaves - 1 spring Method:
Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned under “Podi’ till they turn aromatic and golden brown. Switch off and set aside
Once they come to room temperature, grind it into a coarse powder without adding water
Boil hot water with turmeric powder; and when it boils well, add Vazhakkai
Cook for 4-5 mins or till it can be mushed with your fingers
Then turn off the stove and strain them in a colander and add little cold water. Keep it aside for 20 mins or until excess water drains completely
Add oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the ingredients listed under " To temper” and let them splutter
Furthermore, Add the cooked raw banana and little salt if required
Saute in low flame for 2 minutes and add the ground powder and combine well
Cook in low flame for 2-3 minute or until the powder is well coated in raw banana Add 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil and mix well Finally add hing, mix well and our tasty plantain poriyal is ready. Serve it with mor kuzhambu, thenga araicha kuzhambu, milagu kuzhambu or marundhu kuzhambu or poondu rasam
