Green Banana
This Green Banana dish goes by the name Aratikaya Kura and is a staple from the Andhra cuisine, India. Boiled unripe green bananas are stir fried with aromatics like onions, ginger, garlic, green chili peppers, curry leaves and tempering spices. The finished dish is delicious with the heat coming in from the chilies and tang from the lemon juice.
Traditionally it is eaten as a side in an Andhra meal, with rice, rasam or sambar. But it also goes well with lemon rice, ghee rice or chapati/roti. This dish is a part of the festive and celebration meals and a lot of times made without onions and garlic. For those new to the South Indian cuisine or the green bananas, here is a little about them.
Green Bananas are different from the regular bananas that are eaten ripe. These are also known as cooking bananas and are somewhat like plantains but are shorter. These are not eaten as a fruit after ripening but eaten as a vegetable after cooking. In India they are known as raw bananas and it would be a misnomer. Green Banana are often used to make curries, stew, stir fry dishes and fritters known as Aratikaya Bajji.
About this Green Banana Recipe
In this post I share my Mom’s traditional recipe to make Aratikaya Kura. I also have this spicier Banana Curry made with garam masala and tomatoes. That’s a completely different kind of dish. The recipe shared in this post is made somewhat similar to the Aloo Masala we make for dosa. It is made with minimal spices like green chili and ginger (no red chili powder) but tastes fantastic.
However on occasions I also make the same dish with red chili powder and coriander powder. It turns out like seen in the picture below. If you do not fancy the yellow color in your dish, simply use coriander powder and red chili powder.
To begin with green bananas are boiled but they can be roasted in oven, air fryer or on the charcoal grill. For ease of cooking I have boiled them whole in a pot without peeling. This cuts down the task of peeling and chopping them. However boiling the whole banana with the skin, can leave a sticky residue in your pot and that requires a proper scrubbing. So sometimes I bake them whole in the oven.
The boiling time or the bake time depends on the size/age of the green banana. Mature bananas take longer while the young and tender ones can be peeled and chopped to cook directly in the tempering with little water. There are numerous ways to cook with green bananas. Another way is to chop and boil them al dente in water. Add them to the tempering and roast for a few minutes in the same pan.
Whatever method you follow to prep up the bananas you can still use this recipe for the tempering and finishing.
Step by step Instructions
1. Wash green bananas under running water. Cut off both the ends and add them to a pot of water. Bring water to a rolling boil on a high heat and reduce the flame to medium. Boil until the skin discolors and the inside becomes tender. To check poke it with a knife or a fork, if done it goes in without any resistance. If it is slightly under cooked it’s still okay. Alternately they can be grilled on charcoal or in the oven on broil mode.
2. Remove the banana from hot water and cool down. You will be able to easily peel them. Cube them or mash them gently as per your preference.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal and chana dal. When the lentils turn golden and aromatic, add curry leaves and ginger. Saute until the ginger begins to smell good, for about a minute. Add hing/asafetida if you want.
4. Add onions and slit green chilies. Saute until the onions turn transparent. Stir in turmeric and salt. I was making this for the kids, so had to cut down the green chilies. But note that the heat comes from green chilies alone so use as many as you prefer. If you want to use red chili powder (half teaspoon) and coriander powder (1 tsp), add them now.
5. Add banana.
6. Stir well. Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 to 6 minutes. If the banana is under cooked, sprinkle little water and let cook until fully done.
7. If you want you may use black pepper at this stage. Taste test and add salt before turning off. Sprinkle lemon juice and coriander leaves.