kachhe kele ki bhujia | green plaintain stir fry with chilli garlic

I cannot resist when I see a fresh looking bunch of kachha kela in the vegetable market and end up buying the whole bunch. The kachhe kele ki bhujia being the most frequent subzi that I make, it is shocking that the recipe has not come on the blog yet. I dug out a picture this time and here it is for you.

This kachhe kele ki bhujia is a dry stir fry that tastes great with plain dal chawal or mung ki khichdi but it becomes a great tea time snack too if you make it with lesser chilli heat. I have even served this bhujia as an appetizer too but I like to chop the raw plantain in wedges in that case. You know it makes a great substitute to potato wedges.

Another plantain stir fry with curry patta is a nice fasting recipe we love as a snack too.

I must add that I prefer cooking the kachha kela or raw plantain along with the skin. Choosing the plantains with spotless skin is better when buying, but one can always scrape off the blackened portions and save the peel that is undamaged. The skin of the plantain (and even bananas) is more nourishing than the flesh inside.

If you don't like the peel in the subzi you can make a delicious plantain peel chutney too. 

Imagine how convenient it becomes to cook it along with the peel. Just chop off the two ends and slice before cooking. Peeling vegetables is not the best thing most cooks like doing. 

The skin on kachhe kele ki bhujia is so good that it flies off the platter when served in a gathering. I make a few variations of this bhujia and kachhe kele methi ki subzi and kachhe kele sem ki subzi are a few of those variations.  You can always make more variations according to taste.

ingredients 
(2-3 servings with dal chawal or khichdi)

4-5 raw plantains (about 400 gm)
4-5 cloves of garlic
2-3 green or dry red chilies 
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp mustard oil
1/4 tsp methi (fenugreek seeds)

procedure

Remove the stalk and the tip of the raw plantain, make a cut lengthwise and then slice. The thickness can vary according to preference. Thinner slices get crisp when cooked on low heat but turn chewy when cold. Keep the slices meaty.

Make a paste of chilies, garlic and turmeric powder and keep aside.

Heat the mustard oil and tip in the methi seeds and wait till they brown a little bit. 

Add the plantain slices, salt and stir fry on low flame. Let it cooked, stirring or tossing every couple of minutes to ensure even browning all around.

It takes about 15 minutes to get cooked this way. Add the chili garlic paste after about 7-8 minutes and keep cooking till the flavours get absorbed and the plantain slices are cooked through.

Serve hot with dal chawal meals or khichdi as I mentioned. Some bharta, chokha or raita pairs very well wit such meals. Kachhe kele ki bhujia actually makes a nice roti wrap too along with some raw onion slices.

This recipe of kachhe kele ki bhujia has a pronounced garlicky flavour and the texture is meaty. It actually tastes really good when hot or warm but starts getting a little dry when cold. Having said that, we don't mind it even cold and sometimes Arvind takes this bhujia to his lunch box too.

The bhujia doesn't refrigerate well as it gets drier but once reheated it gets better, though not quite like the freshly made bhujia. To use up the leftover kachhe kele ki bhujia I recommend making kachhe kele ke kabab by mashing up the leftovers along with some chopped onions and may be a mashed potato and some chopped nuts or seeds.

Raw plantain is an easy and versatile vegetable to cook with. Tell me what all you cook with these.

You might want to try this quick scramble of raw plantains for a breakfast some day. If you love kachhe kele ke kofte then you might have bumped into this recipe sometime.

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

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.

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.

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.