Banana kurukku kalan is a typical Kerala dish usually prepared for Onam or Vishu feast. It is prepared from half ripened ‘Nendran’ variety banana. It is slightly sweet and sour dish that stays for about a week if you add sour buttermilk to it and reduce its volume by boiling on a low flame. The curry tastes when aged. Keep it refrigerated. You can have it as a side dish along with rice.
Ingredients
You need
- 2 half ripened raw bananas of ‘Nendran’ variety banana
- 6 to 7 glasses of butter milk (or dilute sour curd with water to buttermilk consistency)
- ½ tspn turmeric powder
- 1/4th tspn red chilli powder (or as per your spiciness level)
For the ground paste
- ½ of a coconut grated
- ½ tspn jeera
- 3 to 4 green chillies (or as per your spiciness level)
- 1 sprig curry leaf
- ½ tbspn grated jaggery
For seasoning
- Coconut oil for seasoning
- ½ tspn mustard seeds
- A small spoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 to 2 red chillies (or as per your spiciness level)
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
Method
Pressure cook sliced banana adding chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder. Pressure cooking without adding water in a separator will not lead to banana’s becoming mushy. You can even cook in water in a vessel also. I pressure cook as follows. Add the banana slices along with red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder mix everything in the separator of a pressure cooker and after one whistle simmer the flame and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Open the lid of the pressure cooker after it cools down.
Preparing the ground paste
Grind the grated coconut, jeera and green chillies (optional since you have added while cooking the banana) with sufficient water to a smooth paste.
Preparing the Banana kurukku kalan
Beat 6 to 7 glasses of buttermilk using a wired whisk. This will help in removal of the lumps. Put this in a vessel on the fire and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and curry leaves.
Reduce the flame to low and cook this till it has reduced to half. You have to keep stirring the butter milk every now and then. Do not add salt as it will turn the mixture watery and might even curdle the butter milk. Now add grated jaggery and stir well.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes then add the cooked banana slices and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
Now add the ground paste to the gravy and boil and stir well.
Once done heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add fenugreek seeds and red chillies. Finally add curry leaves and stir fry.
Add the seasoning to the gravy and stir well.
Your Banana kurukku kalan is ready to be served.
Tips
The buttermilk/curd used should be sour for best result.
This curry keeps for long and tastes good when aged.
Store the remaining dish in the refrigerator.
