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Friday, March 18, 2011

Kadali Manja Raee ( Plantain Stem Curry )

Kadali Manja or banana stem happens to be one of those delicious vegetables that are extremely low in calories and also loaded with fibers. It is highly recommended to those suffering from kidney/gall bladder stones, diabetes, hyper acidity and constipation. For ladies, who are usually prone to infections of the urinary tract, banana stem juice is considered to be an excellent home remedy.

Kadali Manja also happens to feature regularly in most odia meals. In the earlier days, almost every household had a few banana plants growing in their garden. Once the plant bore fruit and the plantain bunch was plucked, the plant was cut down and the tender portion of the stem extracted for consumption. Since, it is only the inner core of the stem that happens to be fit for consumption, the protective outer layers (more like a sheath) need to be discarded.

It is a rather cumbersome process yet the ladies in those days put in that extra bit of effort to ensure good health for the family. Given today's busy lifestyle, I have adapted the original recipe to reduce the cooking time as one cannot take any shortcuts with the prepping process.

Read on for the recipe -

















Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins ( Take it to be 45 mins including preparation )

Ingredients:

  • 7-8 inches long Banana Stem
  • 1 medium sized tomato
  • 2-3 nos green chillis 
  • 2 tsp thick mustard paste
  • 6-7 nos garlic flakes (crushed)
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tsp mustard oil for cooking
  • 1 tbsp cut coriander leaves
  • 1/2 tsp mustard oil for garnishing


Preparation: This is the most time consuming process. Clean and cut the banana stem into thin circles.

After slicing off one circle, one can feel the fibres when it tries to separate it from the remaining stem. Move you fingers in a circular motion and remove as much of the fibres as you can.

Cut the circles into small pieces. Add salt and turmeric and keep aside for half an hour.

After half an hour, squeeze out all the water from the banana stem pieces using both hands.

Cut the tomato into big chunks while removing the seeds.

Cooking: Take all the ingredients (except coriander leaves) into a pressure cooker. Add 1/4 cup water and close the lid. Cook for 1-2 whistles on medium flame.

Remove and keep aside till the steam escapes. Open lid and add the chopped coriander and 1/2 tsp raw mustard oil.


















Note: Cook the banana stem immediately. If not then immerse in a bowl of warm water to which salt and turmeric has been added.

5 comments:

  1. wonderful and tempting curry :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful looking curry,beautiful dish..

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow....this recipe is new to me !will giv it a try sometimes !

    ReplyDelete
  4. first time to ur blog n amaze to c ur recipe collections...glad to follow u ..looks delicious..

    ReplyDelete

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