Anjali's Food Kaleidoscope

Banana Dumplings in spicy tomato gravy

Kachha kela kofta

I am lovingly advised by my friends to explain my long sabbatical from blogging.

    Well as I had mentioned to you all that my headquarters was shifting from Goa to Vishakapatnam.

And though I had settled down pretty soon ,much to the awe and surprise of my friends around I had a very poor connectivity to the internet. Even though I am a die hard optimist, the beautiful panoramic view of the Bay of Bengal  from my house, the lovely sea breeze which is so strong sometimes that it blows the clothes stand away and you have to tie it to the walls with ropes, the pleasant climate , amazing and wonderful friends around  , were not enough to make my happiness complete….what was I missing…it was this enigmatic connection that I have with all those who read my blog. Thats what I needed to fill in the tiny void left to complete the otherwise perfect and blissful picture of happiness.
   I am back friends with a few recipes I prepared for my family while I was setting up the house. Hope you all are keeping fine and cooking with love.

Ingredients:

1.  Three raw bananas

2.   One medium onion coarsely blended with a little water

3.   Three medium tomatoes blended to a puree

4.   ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder

5.   ¾ teaspoon black pepper powder

6.   ½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste

7.   ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

8.   Oil for frying the croquettes

9.   2 tablespoon oil for the curry ( can use upto 5 tablespoons)

10.      Salt to taste

Method

1.   Boil the bananas with the peel in a big pot of water, add a tablespoon of oil to the water .That will prevent the pot from getting a black stain because of the banana peel.

2.   Cover the pan and let the water simmer on medium flame for 15 – 20 minutes.

3.   Check the bananas if they are done by piercing with the tip of a sharp knife and if the knife passes smoothly that means the bananas are done. One frequently made mistake is to take the bananas out even though they are not soft enough.

And if this mistake is realized after they are cooled and peeled then we can not obviously put them back in the water , then grate them and sprinkle with some water and microwave till they are soft and moist. Sprinkle the water generously and microwave in batches of small intervals.

4.  The bananas should be soft enough to mash with the fingers or a vegetable masher. Mash them well and add one tablespoon of besan to bind the koftas/ croquettes. If you feel that the batter is to dry , you can add a little water if necessary and mix gently with the hands to make a smooth and pliable mix.

5.   Shape the mixture into croquettes .

6.   Deep fry on medium flame till nice and brown and drain on paper towels. You will notice that the croquettes soak very little oil and get cooked quickly.

7.   For the curry , take oil in a pot and when it gets warm add half a teaspoon of cumin , two small sticks of cinnamon and a few cloves.

8.   Add the pureed onion and stir on medium flame till  it turns light brown.

9.   Add the tomato puree and the ginger garlic paste and stir on medium flame till the moisture dries up and the paste begins to leave oil.

10.      Add the turmeric powder and stir for a minute.

11.      Add about two to three cups of water and when the water boils and blends well with the puree , add the croquettes and give one boil.

12.      Add the cumin powder and black pepper powder and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

It is best to make this curry a few hours in advance and keep the curry as thin as possible to let the croquettes soak in as much curry as possible. Tastes best when served with steaming hot rice.