Name: Kacche Kele Ki Sabzi (Raw Banana Fry)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 Raw Banana, peeled and sliced into thick discs; ½ tsp Mustard Seeds; 1 tsp Split Black Gram (Skinless), split black gram; 10 Curry Leaves; ¼ tsp Asafoetida; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder, adjust to taste; 1 tsp Ground Coriander; ¾ tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Cooking Oil, coconut oil or refined oil; 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped, for garnish

25 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

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Method

Strip the heavy peels from the raw bananas and slice the flesh into medium-thick, uniform discs. Submerge the discs immediately in a basin of cold water to prevent rapid enzymatic oxidation (turning black).
Heat the oil in a wide, flat pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait until they are popping.
Drop the urad dal into the pan. Fry the lentils continuously until they toast into a highly aromatic, crunchy, light golden brown.
Add the pinch of hing and the fresh curry leaves, allowing them to sizzle and perfume the oil for exactly 5 seconds.
5 sec
Thoroughly drain the water from the raw banana slices and tumble them into the skillet. Immediately dust the pan with the turmeric powder and the salt.
Toss the components vigorously to ensure every banana disc is slicked with the tempered, yellow oil. Arrange the slices into a single, flat layer across the pan to maximize surface contact.
Clamp a lid over the skillet and drop the heat to a low setting. Steam-roast the bananas for 8-10 minutes. Lift the lid occasionally to nudge the discs, preventing them from fusing to the metal bottom.
8–10 min
Once the banana slices surrender to the prick of a fork, proving their internal softness, remove the lid permanently.
Coat the softened discs with the red chilli powder and coriander powder. Spike the heat to medium and pan-toss the sabzi for 2-3 final minutes. This cooks the raw edge off the powders and sears the starchy edges into a crispy crust.
Take the pan off the heat, scatter over fresh coriander and serve.

How to tell it's done

The final discs demand a rigid, slightly crispy exterior heavily shellacked in dry, roasted spices, encasing a core that mimics the soft, yielding, starchy comfort of a perfectly boiled potato.

Getting it right

Tip

Plantains cook with blinding speed and contain massive amounts of starch. Attacking the pan with a stirring spoon will instantly mash the soft discs into an unappealing paste. Professional technique dictates physically tossing the pan by the handle to flip the slices, preserving their structural geometry.

What to serve it with

A formidable, naturally gluten-free structural side. Reaches its absolute zenith when plated alongside a fiercely acidic Rasam, a heavy Sambar, or a cooling bowl of Dal Rice.

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