Kache Kele ke kofte….Raw Green Banana Kofta curry- Its healthy…Its delicious….

This post is specially for one of my fellow blogger whose garden is overflowing with bananas. Blodieaka( I know your blog name only), it for you. There are so many delicious dishes we prepare with green bananas. It has numerous health benefits. It is good source of fiber, vitamins high on Iron, help control blood sugar too. So make as many dishes as possible and enjoy the fruit.

Green  bananas are also eaten boiled just like mash potatoes. We mash it with salt, oil and green chili. This is popular as village food. To make it exotic, coconut scrape and mustard paste is also added. Banana chips are as popular as potato chips. It is cooked, as curry, dry with variety of spices.

Here, I am sharing the recipe for green banana kofta curry. I have added cottage cheese to make it more flavourfull but the koftas made out of only bananas are also delicious. It could be eaten as snack and if cooked curry, it is good as mains.  Eggs are also used as binder for forming koftas.  I have kept my recipe total vegetarian so I have used corn flour as binding agent.

 Ingredients for kofta:

1. Raw Green bananas-2
2. Cottage cheese—1/2 cup(optional)
3. Finely Chopped onion- 1/4^th cup
4. Grated ginger- 1 tspn
5. Chopped green chili- 1 tspn (or more)
6. Coriander powder- 1 tspn
7. Shahi Garam masala powder– 1 tspn
8. Red chili powder- ½ tspn(optional)
9. Amchur(dry mango ) powder- 1 tspn
10. Corn flour- 1 tblspn(as binding agent)
11. Chopped dry fruits for filling(cashew, walnuts, raising, pistachio or dry berries)
12. Butter cut into very small cubes
13. Salt to taste
14. Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for Curry:

1. Onion paste- ½ cup
2. Ginger paste- 1 tspn
3. Fresh pureed tomato- 1/4^th cup
4. Whipped cream- 2 tblspn
5. Whipped curd- 1 tblspn
6. Cumin powder- 1 tspn
7. Coriander powder- 1 tspn
8. Turmeric powder- 1 tspn
9. Kashmiri chili powder- 1 tspn
10. Garam masala powder- ½ tspn
11. Cumin seeds- ½ tspn
12. Bay leaf- 2
13. Green cardamom- 3-4 lightly beaten to open mouth
14. Cinnamon stick- 1
15. Cloves – 4-5
16. Green chili-2 or more
17. Dry red chili-1
18. Oil for cooking
19. Clarified butter- 1 tblspn
20. Sugar- ½ tspn
21. Salt to taste

Slit the top and bottom of the bananas. Pressure cook  the bananas with skin on till soft.  Peel , but do not throw the skin. You can make delicious dish, condiment out of it. (recipe below at the end).Mash the cooked banans to smooth. Add , all dry ingredients of kofta as mentioned except cashew, butter and oil.

Mash everything nicely to make a douh. Its better to use your finger to make a dough. Make equal lemon sized balls out of the dough. Take one ball on you palm and make a hole in the middle with your finger. Fill the hole with  dry fruits and a butter cube in it. Close the mouth and re shape it like small ball. Repeat and make such balls out of the dough. Sprinkle , little corn flour over it and keep aside.

In a deep wok add enough oil for deep frying the koftas in batches of 3-4. Deep fry in medium flame till brown. Do not fry in high flame otherwise the koftas will be browned from outside and inside it will remain under cooked.

Check the remaining oil in the wok. If it is more than 3 tblspn and the oil is not burnt, then do not add any more. Cook the curry in the same oil.

Add cumin seed in hot oil and let it start splattering.  Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf one by one. Stir till the oil is aromatic. Add onion paste and fry till browned.

Add all dry masalas, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder , ginger paste, sugar and salt. Sprinkle little water and stir fry the masalas for 1 min. Add pureed tomato and stir till oil is separated and visible on sides.  Add whipped curd and cream together and stir continuously so that it is not curdled.

When oil separates,  add ghee, stir and pour 1 ½   glass of water(for cooking 8-10 koftas). If more add proportionately. Cover and cook the curry in medium flame for 5-7 mins. Add the koftas and cook covered for 2 mins only then uncover otherwise the koftas will be mashed.

Otherwise cook the koftas and curry separately in advance.  Heat both just before serving. Arrange the koftas in serving bowl and pour the curry over it. Garnish with fresh cream and coriander leaves.

Best with Naan, Rotis, Parathas or Pulao.

Recipe for banana peel: I do not have photographs so posting the recipe only.  The banana skin had blackened so I did not make the dish this time. For eating the skin, the bananas skin should be fresh and green.

 For two banana peels you need ,   coconut scrape1/3^rd cup, mustard paste 1 tspn, poppy paste(optional), green chili 2 or more depending upon the liking for heat, ½ tspn sugar, salt to taste and oil. If you can tolerate the pungent flavor of mustard oil its fine otherwise use extra virgin olive oil.

Boil the fresh green bananas with skin on. Peel off the skin. You may find few ling threads with the skin. Discard it. Take half peeled banana also.

In a mixer grinder, put all the ingredients except the boiled banana and spin it.  Add the banana at the end otherwise it becomes too sticky and difficult for spinning.  Its done. Transfer it in a bowl. Garnish with more coconut scrape, chopped green chili and spoon oil. Its ready to eat . You may spoon fresh coconut milk over it.

2^nd option, just mash all the ingredients together, then steam it for 5 mins. Then serve as above.

We like it with hot steaming rice. Arrange the rice in plate. Make a well in the middle. Place the paste in the well. Garnish as above and enjoy.

You may spread it over bread loaf too.

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