Kerala
Vazhakkai Varuval
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Serves: 2-3 people
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Spice Level: Low
Authenticity Slice
For authentic Vazhakkai Varuval, avoid adding too much water when cooking. The raw banana might get mashed by the time water evaporates.
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Trivia Tadka
Ever wondered that raw bananas taste equally good as their ripe counterpart? Tamil Nadu’s hassle-free and quick vazhakkai varuval (raw banana fry) are consumed with rice varieties and traditional kuzhambu varieties. While this version is prepared by vegetarian Tamils, the other variation consists of onion and garlic.
Ingredients
- Raw bananas (2)
- Dry red chillies (sukhi lal mirch), broken (2)
- MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder (¼ tsp)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (¼ tsp)
- Fennel seeds (saunf) (1 tsp)
- Grated fresh coconut (nariyal) (1 cup)
- Salt (to taste)
- Oil (2 tbsp)
- Lemon (nimbu) juice (1–2 tbsp)
Method
- Always apply a drop or two of oil on your palms before you start to work with the fruit.
- Peel and cut the raw bananas. You can cut them in slices of one-inch thickness or lengthwise, as per your preference.
- Steam the raw bananas pieces for about 3–4 mins.
- Grind grated coconut, dry red chillies, MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder, MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder, fennel seeds and salt into a fine paste
- Pour oil in a heavy-bottom kadhai, add in the steamed bananas, sauté for a few minutes.
- Now add in the fine ground paste and sauté until the banana pieces are golden in colour, remove from heat.
- Squeeze lemon juice on top and serve immediately with a chutney of your choice or sambar.
