Vazhakkai Podi – Plantain Rice Mix

We have seen plantains in various forms – chips, roast, podimas or dry curry. While majority of these recipes use them as a side, there are few recipes that make use of plantains in a main dish. This recipe is simple, tasty and better yet, can be served with rice. This is one of those great old-time recipes that has been almost forgotten in our generation.

Ingredients

Toor dal – ¼ cup
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Red chillies - 5
Asafoetida
Plantain – 2 small or 1 big

Method

Steam cook the plantains for 10 minutes until they are 3/4th done. Peel the skin, grate them into fairly bigger pieces. Grating them finer makes ‘em mushy. Set aside.

Dry roast the first four ingredients and grind them to a coarse powder. The spice mixture can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 3 months. Mix the spice mix with the grated plantains. Enjoy with rice and a tsp of sesame oil.

IMG0232038

Nupur, this is my ‘V’ entry for your A-Z of Indian Vegetables series.

34 comments:

Roopa said...

wow sukanya i love this grated version looks very lovely. will try this way soon.

archana said...

This recipe is such a nice recipe and so simple to make.It is a good change from the stir fried plantain or cutlets we generally make :)

Swapna said...

Wow..that sounds like a great podi..Thanx!

ushaprashanth said...

Hi suganya!
I know varuval! but this is different!!

Viji said...

We call it podimas Suganya. Nice presentation. Viji

sra said...

Suganya, I'm full of questions - you don't have to saute anything? Is the usual long, steel grater (with different-sized holes and a chip slicer) available in India enough for this, or is there some other technique? And steam cooking means no water in the container with the plantains but only outside/around, right? I can't wait to try this.

Priya said...

So true about this one being long forgotten. I just love this one, it would always find a place in a festival menu at home.

Suganya said...

Thank you everyone for your visit.

Viji, Podimas is a side dish that is made by adding turmeric, coconut and lemon juice. This is different.

Sra, Answering yr questions
1. You don't have to saute the plantain. Bcoz the spices and the plantains are separately cooked, you don't have to worry abt raw taste.

2. The grater you have mentioned is what I used. There is no special equipment involved. Make sure to use the bigger holes in the mandoline.

3. I steam cooked the plantains in a pressure cooker. Filled the cooker with water, took the plantains in an empty vessel, closed the lid, and let it steam for 10 minutes.

I know it sounds unbelievably easy. But believe me, it is tasty :). I hope this helps. I would be happy to clarify any other doubts too.

Nirmala said...

Suganya,
Very simple and excellent recipe! Should try it soon.

Anonymous said...

My mother adds some coriander seeds and a little bit of saunf to the dal before roasting and powdering - otherwise it's pretty much the same recipe. Yummy! :)

Sia said...

never knew cooking plantains could be this simple!

Nupur said...

Looks very tasty, Suganya!

Richa said...

hey, that looks yum :) do you think it will taste good with any other veg as well?

FH said...

Beautiful Suganya! I recently started cooking with plantains.I will deftly try this yummy:)

Laavanya said...

Very innovative - i'm aware of podimas but this is cool - a must try.

Unknown said...

Hi Suganya,
Plantain curry looks so delicious. Recipe is also very simple....have to try it.

Vini K said...

Hi Suganya,what a simple but nice recipe..got to try this one for sure.Plantains are my fav veggie too.

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Wow!!! Is it really that simple?!?! I am always on a lookout for simple recipes.... This ones a must try for me! :)

Anonymous said...

My husband can have vazhakkai podi for lunch and dinner and again the next day:) I make it pretty often, though I make the podi with udad dal and no tur dal. I break up the vazhakkai with my hand to medium sized pieces. So true, it is a long forgotton recipe in many households. You have done a wonderful job reviving it.

Anonymous said...

gosh what a simple recipe...I am sure it must taste great,,,I have never had it before...

Suganya said...

Shammi, Thx for letting me know that. Will try that version too.

Richa, I have never seen my mom use any other vege in this dish. I have no idea, dear!

Hema, Grating makes them presentable. Thats all :).. But if you are in a hurry, what the heck?

Saju said...

ooooh that's yum Sukanya, I love it

Sig said...

Sukanya... that is one good looking dish... I love all your pictures. This is the best looking plantain dish I have seen so far....

Anonymous said...

I have never seen a recipe with shredded plantains! It looks so tasty with the fresh spices :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Suganya,

Roast the plantains with skin in direct flame, until the skins turn black. Peel and use in the recipe.

This way it has longer shelf life, like "Thengai podi". It is easier to grate too. We can use the fine grater this way.

One of our neighbour in Thanjavur, does this way :)

Add some Curry leaves while roasting the dal and powder along with that...Heavenly!!

"V" will Meet soon. :)

Cynthia said...

I like plantains and enjoy learning about new ways they can be prepared. Thanks for sharing. The pic is fantastic.

Suganya said...

Live2cook, that is slightly different than what my mom taught me, but sounds equally delicious. Thanks for taking time to write me. Even this is a recipe from Thanjavur, my native :)

Nabeela said...

what an innovative way of serving plantains!

archana said...

Grating the plantain gives an entirely different dimension to this recipe, i will have to try this. Thank you.

sra said...

Suganya, I just finished making this plantain podi. The grating worked out great, only it still tasted a bit raw, so I sauted it in a couple of tsps of gingelly oil, added salt and the powder, now it's fine. Thanks for the recipe - will keep making it in future.

Suganya said...

Sra, Am glad you liked this. But did you steam cook them properly? Did the plantains were soft once you took them out of the cooker? Bcoz mine has never tastes raw.

sra said...

Well, I steam cooked them for 10 mins, like you said, let them cool, and only then grated them. They were not very soft - they held their shape, isn't that necessary to grate? I could mush them with my finger/spoon, though!

Anonymous said...

toor dal will work just as well as channa dal :) - i prefer this to "podimas" - cant stand coconut with vazhakkai

i wonder what cooker you use though - because in 10 minutes in mine i'll be greeted with a mushy mass - nothing takes more time than 5 minutes in the cooker in my experience.

Suganya said...

I have an age-old (underlined ;)) cooker that G's mom bought for him when he first came to the US. Its a Prestige Pressure Pan, to be precise. The plantains were perfect when they came out of the cooker. It even had a bite. May be yr cooker is a new one or kudutha kaasukku nanna ozhaikarathu ;)

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