As I am continuing to document recipes from a Goan cuisine, sharing an another vegan friendly side dish here – Stir Fried Raw Banana.

Due to climatic conditions traditionally raw salads are not much eaten in India. In Goa and other coastal states; stir fried vegetable is a part of regular meal. In a balanced Indian meals; stir fried vegetables completes your fibre intake. And here in India, one can find variety of vegetables which are packed with nutrients. Some of them are seasonal while some are available throughout the year. One of them is a Banana that is available throughout the year. They can be eaten as a vegetable when raw and once ripe can be enjoyed as a fruit. Even banana blossoms are used to make a delicious side dish ( I have already parked this recipe for some other time). And there are many recipes that you can try using raw or ripe bananas. Such a wonderful plant and useful in many ways. Thus almost every Goan house has at least one banana tree in their garden; even we have couple of them.

This recipe of stir fried raw banana is known as ‘Kacchya Kelyachi Bhaji’ in a local language. It is one of the simple and easy dish that anyone can make. You need few staple ingredients and it can be ready in 30 minutes. This can be served as a side dish with your main meal. It is not spicy but has subtle and slightly meaty flavours. So, perfect for hot weather or when you want some simple side dish. Also, it balances well with spicy veg or non-veg gravies in a typical Goan thali.

Ingredients :-

• 2 raw bananas
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 green chilli
• 1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
• Salt as per taste
• Water for cooking

How to make :-

Raw bananas have slightly sticky texture once peeled off. So, apply some coconut oil to your fingers.

Peel off bananas with knife or peeler. Then chop them into bite sized pieces. Bananas will start to turn dark so immediately soak them into water.

Finely chop the onion and keep it aside.

In a pan heat the oil. Once oil is hot; add mustard seeds into it. Turn heat to low and let mustard seeds crackle for few seconds.

Next tip in chopped onion into the pan. Stir it over the medium-low heat until it turns translucent.

Now add bananas along with sliced green chilli. Season with salt and combine everything together.

Add little water, maybe 1/4 cup or so. Cover with lid and allow to cook over low-medium heat.

Keep stirring in between; so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add little water if required. Once bananas are cooked, they will turn soft. You can insert the fork and check the texture. Once bananas are cooked, add coconut and gently mix together.

Cover with the lid. Simmer it for another 5 minutes and turn off the heat.

Our stir fried bananas are ready to eat.

Variations you might want to try :-

• You can use curry leaves and urad dal in the tempering.
• Traditional recipe do not use turmeric or red chilli powder. But if you fancy then use the same.
• You can skip the mustard seeds tempering and make it oil free. In this case, add onions, bananas and chilly along with some water and cook it until bananas are well cooked. season with salt and garnish with some grated coconut. Many Goan families prefer this simple oil free version of recipe.

I hope you loved this recipe and would like to give it a try. 

I have already posted some amazing recipes from Goan cuisine on my blog; you can find all the recipes here.

As always, your feedback is valuable and I would love to read your emails. If there are any suggestions, do let me know in comments section.

Thanks for stopping by and reading this post. Do like, share and subscribe to my blog. You can also connect with me on Pinterest || Instagram  for some amazing food.

You might also like following recipes;

• Besan-Simla Mirchi Bhaji | Side dish with capsicum & chickpea flour
• Chutney Sandwich Recipe
• Kobichi Bhaji | Cabbage Stir Fry Recipe
• Vangi-Batata Bhaji | Aubergine-Potato Curry
• Beetroot salad recipe

---

Recipe