Saturday, October 12, 2013

kachhe kele aur nariyal ki bhurji | raw plantain scramble with coconut



kachhe kele nariyal ki bhurji (Kaya upperi)

Raw plantain is one of my favorite starchy vegetables. Not only it is a healthy substitute of potatoes, it is a great variation on the count of taste as well. This kachhe kele aur nariyal ki bhurji (or scramble) is a tasty way to enjoy the vegetable keeping your diet plans intact. Yes it is a carb rich vegetable and I am adding a lot of coconut in it too, still we are getting loads of nutrients and good fats in this curry scramble.

And I always use the whole plantain with skin. Only the stalk and the flower end is discarded, any black blemished parts are also scraped off and the whole of this lovely vegetable is ready to be cooked. Retaining the peel adds more value to the curry or fries we make with plantains, more Vitamins (A, C and B complex), more minerals (potassium, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus) and more fiber of course. Cooking it with curry patta and coconut adds more nutritive value for sure.

raw plantains or kachhe kele

ingredients:
raw plantains (kachhe kele) 3 large or 400 gm
curry patta 2 dozen springs
sesame oil 2 tbsp
fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
rai seeds (small mustard seeds) 1 tsp
salt to taste

To be made into a coarse paste
scraped or grated coconut 1/2 cup or more
ginger roughly chopped 1 tbsp
dry red chilly 2-3 or as per taste
cumin seeds 2 tsp
black pepper corns 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp

procedure:

Clean the plantains, discard the stems and the tips. Scrape or peel any black spots and chop the plantain in small cubes by slitting it twice through the length and then chopping transversely to make cubes.

I always use an Iron kadhai to make plantain subzi and it makes the curry a bit blackish, but that's the way we like it. You can use any thick base or nonstick type pan for this.

Heat the sesame oil, add fenugreek seeds and rai seeds. Wait till they become fragrant and then add the curry patta. Tip in the cubed plantains almost immediately. Add salt and cover the mixture to cook on low flame. Stirring in between after every 3-4 minutes or so.

In the meanwhile, make the paste with the ingredients. Add this paste into the cooking scramble whrn the plantain cubes start getting dull in colour. Mix well and keep stirring till the mixture gets completely cooked and a pleasant aroma or cooked coconut and cumin etc emanates. Thrash the plantain cubes a bit so it looks like a scramble.

Serve right away. it tastes great when hot, but not bad when you eat it at room temperature too. So this can be a good lunch box subzi along with ghee smeared chapatis and some dahi.

kachhe kele nariyal ki bhurji (Kaya upperi)

Or just serve with daal chawal meal. A raita on the side is a must or just make a nice buttermilk and have 2-3 glasses of it during the meal.

Oh now I want to have a refreshing glass of buttermilk. This scramble I can have as a meal if there is a nice glass of buttermilk or even plain dahi.


3 comments:

  1. Kaya uperi - that is what we call it. I love it! its yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never had Kaya upperi the authentic way and was wondering how different it will be from the original. That was the reason I didn't mention its origin as some people feel offended when a bastardised dish is called by the same name :-)
      Thank you for letting me know.

      Delete