Vazhakkai Karamani Poriyal

I often get asked at the Cafe how one can cook with Plantain, and this is an understandable question coming from anybody who isn’t very familiar with this vegetable yet.

Apart from the usual Bajji, another interesting way to cook this beautiful vegetable is to make Plantain Karamani poriyal.

The preparation:

❖ Prepare 2 large Plantains by cutting the ends off, and peeling till most of the green part is removed.

❖ Boil the Plantain in water briefly until slightly soft but still firm enough to grate (take care not to let it become too soft). Grate and keep aside.

❖ Boil the cowpea lentils or karamani, until it is soft and mushy.

❖ Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a thick bottomed pan, add 1 teaspoon of Mustard seeds and allow to splutter.

❖ Add the grated Plantain, boiled karamani, a large pinch of Turmeric, chilli powder, and salt to taste. Saute until the Plantain bits start to brown and seem to have roasted a bit.

❖ Add the grated coconut, give a quick and thorough stir, and turn the heat off.

❖ One may garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

This Plantain scramble goes well as a side dish with millet rice and a curry like Sambar or Rasam too!