Get ready to entice your senses with this south-Indian style Kacche kele ki sabzi also called as Bareda kai ajadina (Raw banana/plantain dish) in Mangalore. Serve this simple yet flavorful dish on its own with rotis or as a side dish with rice and dal to make a light lunch or dinner.
Cooking the plantain - In a saucepan, boil 2 cups of water, add the chopped plantain along with tamarind and salt. Cook the plantain till they are soft AND not mushy (This will take around 15-20 minutes).
Heat the oil in a medium sized wok or kadhai over medium heat and add mustard seeds to it. When they start spluttering, add kadipatta to it. Let it fry for around 20 seconds and then add onions and garlic paste and fry them till they are translucent.
Add the boiled plantain along with jaggery to the pan and mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes. [Add around 1/4 cup of water if you think the plantain is not quite cooked as you want it to be]
In a small bowl, mix Kundapur masala powder, grated coconut, chili powder, and salt to the pan and mix well. Add this mixture to the kadhai with the cooked plantain. Mix well. [Note - Make sure all the water is absorbed before you add the coconut- Kundapur masala mixture]
Let the plantain simmer in the wok for another 5 minutes before taking it off heat.
Serve hot with steamed rice and curry.
Using an Instant Pot
Cooking the plantain - Add the plantain along with 2 cups of water, tamarind paste, and salt in the steel insert of the Instant Pot. Select "Pressure Cook." Adjust the time to 4 minutes and set the pressure selection to high.
Cover the Instant Pot lid and lock it. Make sure the vent is at sealing position. When the cooking cycle is complete, wait for 10 minutes before releasing pressure. Drain the excess water and set the plantains aside.
Rinse and dry the Instant Pot and add oil. Add oil to the steel insert of the Instant Pot and press the Saute function. Press the Adjust button to move the selection to "low" and wait till the display reads "Hot."
Add mustard seeds to it. When they start spluttering, add kadipatta to it. Let it fry for around 20 seconds and then add onions and garlic paste and fry them till they are translucent.
Add the boiled plantain along with jaggery in the steel insert and mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes. [Add around 1/4 cup of water if you think the plantain is not quite cooked as you want it to be]
In a small bowl, add Kundapur masala powder, grated coconut, chili powder, and salt and mix well. Add this mixture to the Instant Pot and mix well. [Note - Make sure all the water is absorbed before you add the coconut- Kundapur masala mixture]
Let the plantain simmer in the Instant Pot for another 5 minutes. Press "Warm / Cancel" button.
Serve hot with steamed rice and curry.
Notes
To make Kundapur masala powder for this recipe - you need 10 byadgi chilies,1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/4 teaspoon methi seeds, 7-8 black pepper seeds. This may yield approximately 3-4 tablespoons of Kundapur masala powder. You need only 2 tablespoons for this recipe. Save the rest for later.
Instructions
Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat.
Add chilies to it and roast them till an aroma emanates from it. Remove the chilies and keep them aside.
Roast the remaining ingredients (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper seeds, and fenugreek seeds) for a minute or till it turns aromatic. Set it aside to cool it down (for approximately 10 minutes).
Transfer them to a blender along with the chilies and grind them to a fine powder. Store it in an airtight container for future use.