Kaya Upma / Raw Banana Upma

 

 

  This is a really interesting dish from my dear friend, Manju Jyothish. We all know of different varieties of upma such as semolina upma, sabudana upma, rice noodle upma, vermicelli upma, bread upma, broken wheat upma, aval upma etc etc but have you ever heard of raw banana/ ethakka upma before? Though the ingredients are similar to that of an ethakka thoran, I can assure you that it does not taste anything like it. It can be had for breakfast or as an evening snack. Hope you like it!

Ingredients

Raw banana / ethakka – 2 medium, cubed
Green chillies – 1 – 2, finely chopped
Ginger – 1/4 inch, finely chopped
Pearl Onion – 3 – 4, chopped
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad daal – 1 tsp
Dried red chilly – 1- 2
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Coconut oil – 2 – 3 tsp
Salt – To taste

Method

1. Boil the raw banana cubes along with salt, until they are tender. Drain the water and keep aside to cool. Coarsely grind the cooked raw banana in a mixer or food processor. Alternatively, chop them into very small pieces.

2. Heat oil in a pan at medium heat and splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal. Brown it and then add pearl onions, green chillies, ginger, red chillies, curry leaves and saute till the pearl onions begin to brown lightly. Add the mashed plantain and mix well. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Add grated coconut and mix well. Taste-check for salt and serve hot.