Vazhakai Poriyal is a delicious and healthy South Indian curry or stir-fry recipe made with plantains or raw green bananas. It can be made in 30 minutes and is vegan and gluten-free.
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Cooking With Raw Banana
Green bananas, plantains, Kacha Kela, or Vazakai are unripe bananas that are packed with vitamins, minerals, and sugars that act like fiber. They are also a great source of energy. They cannot be consumed raw but they taste really good when cooked. They have a chewy texture, neutral flavor, and are starchy.
Actually, not just Indian cuisine but it is a staple food in tropical regions all around the world. Popular cooking methods are steaming and frying. It also acts as a substitute for potatoes. You can use it to make Tikki/patty, kofta, or practically anything that calls for potatoes.
What is Vazhakai Poriyal
Being a South Indian, I have a couple of favorite recipes and combos with plantains that I swear by. It was either in the form of this green banana fry or as chips which BTW, are yummy! We call it Vazakai Poriyal or Vazhakkai Varuval at home.
But for the benefit of all non-Tamilians, it's called Crispy Raw Banana/Plantain Fry Recipe that's mildly spiced, made with less oil, packed with flavor, and is very nourishing. This particular recipe of Indian Plantain Stir-Fry tastes the best when served with rasam or sambhar rice. Other Poriyal recipes on the blog are Beetroot Poriyal, and Beans Poriyal.
Why make it
- It's a family recipe
- Naturally vegan, and gluten-free
- Very easy and quick to make
- Can be made ahead of time
- Needs basic pantry ingredients
- It's cooked in less oil and is healthy
- No onion or garlic required
- Can be made under 30 minutes
- Great way to include plantains in your diet
Ingredients needed 🧾
Plantains - The raw bananas that are used for cooking are firm and long. Do not confuse them for ripe bananas. The plantains should not be sweet.
It has a slightly chewy texture when cooked and is great to taste in savory recipes. You can easily find them in any grocery store.
Spice mix - Sambhar powder is the special spice mix that we use to make this vegan stir-fry. You can either make it at home or get it from Amazon or an Indian grocery store.
Spices, lentils, and herbs - mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, gluten-free asafoetida, and cilantro are what you will need for this green banana fry recipe.
Cooking oil - I prefer to use vegan ghee or regular ghee when making this poriyal. But you can also use coconut oil or any other vegetable oil.
How to make it 🔪
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- Peel the plantains and chop them into medium size chunks. You can also slice them. Immerse them in water till you need them. This will stop it from blackening. Chef Tip - While peeling off the skin of plantain, grease your hands with oil to avoid stickiness.
- Heat ghee in a pan and once it's hot enough, temper mustard seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add asafoetida, urad dal, and curry leaves.
- Once the lentils become golden, add salt and sambhar powder.
- Add the chopped plantains. Mix, cover with a lid and cook till the plantains are done. This could take around 10-12 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Chef Tip - Sprinkle water if needed to help it cook. It should cut easily when it's fully cooked. Take it off the flame when done. If you want the stir-fry to be crispy, then cook it uncovered.
Serving suggestions 🍽
Before serving, garnish it with chopped cilantro and even freshly shredded coconut. Vazhakai Poriyal tastes best when it's served with a bowl of rice and rasam or sambhar. We also serve it as a side for lemon rice, curd rice, tomato rice, coconut rice, or any other flavored rice. Any kind of flatbread can also be served with this plantain stir-fry.
Raw banana curry is a popular dish that's also served at weddings and festive occasions. You can serve it for brunch, weekend meals, parties, potlucks, etc. It can also be packed in lunchboxes.
Top recipe tips 💭
Do not cook the raw banana for long. They will become mushy. They need to hold their shape. To give it a slight crunch, you can also add some crushed peanuts or sesame seeds along with urad dal. An alternate way to save on cook time is to steam the plantains beforehand. Then chop them and add to the pan. It will reduce your cook time.
Recipe FAQs
If you don't have homemade sambhar powder, you can also use any store-bought one. But otherwise, you can also use any curry powder or rasam powder. You can also make it with crushed black pepper or chilly powder and turmeric powder. But only sambhar powder will give this vazhakai poriyal that authentic taste.
While peeling the skin of plantain or a raw banana, grease your hands with oil to avoid stickiness and prevent your hands from turning black. Once you have chopped them, immerse them in water till you need them. This will stop it from blackening.
You can prepare this vazhakai poriyal or plantain stir-fry ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It stays well for 4-5 days. If you plan to add coconut as a garnish, add only at the time of serving. This raw banana curry can also be frozen for up to 1-2 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then heat it up.
More vegan Stir-Fries
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Recipe 📖
Vazhakai Poriyal | Plantain Stir-Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 plantains/raw banana
- 1 tablespoon vegan ghee
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 5 curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- 2 tablespoon sambhar powder
- Salt
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro
Instructions
- Peel the plantains and chop them into medium size chunks. You can also slice them. Immerse them in water till you need them. This will stop it from blackening.
- Heat ghee in a pan and once it's hot enough, temper mustard seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add asafoetida, urad dal, and curry leaves.
- Once the lentils become golden, add salt and sambhar powder.
- Add the chopped plantains. Mix, cover with a lid and cook till the plantains are done. This could take around 10-12 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Sprinkle water if needed to help it cook. It should cut easily when it's fully cooked. Take it off the flame when done. If you want the stir-fry to be crispy, then cook it uncovered.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Safwana says
Great work
Safwana says
Soo tempting and spicy.. Great work.
Aravind says
Awesome and quick recipe to make from banana. Great idea too. Keep up the good work.
Regards...