Gabbe Hullela / Plantain Stem Curry.

"Gabbe Hullela/ Plantain Stem Curry" ... a delicious traditional curry from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine served as side dish during meals with dalitoy (spiced tuvar dal) and sheetHa (rice) ... Yummilicious ... 

** Hullela is a dish prepared somewhat in chutney style with added veggies from famous GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine. This is really simple to make and I would call this dish a sort of cross between chutney and salad. Salad because the vegetable is mostly cut and added to the masala mostly uncooked. But since Gabbo/ plantain stem if not very tender tends to leave out threads it is pressure cooked to one whistle befor adding in to the masala. The masala again is ground like the way we do for chutney and is added to the vegetable, mixed and seasoned, however the masala here is not cooked. 

** Again, this dish should be served immediately once prepared at room temperature as it gets spoilt if kept aside for few hours as it is not heated. It can be stored immediately in fridge and then keep it out for an hour before serving to bring it to room temperature too, however the taste changes minutes then. The same dish is prepared with cucumber by most Amchies and is famously known as Taushe Hullela (Cucumber curry). Preparing the same with plantain stem is an age old traditional recipe lost in the mists of time which I tried retrieving to spread our culture of vast cuisine with all here.

** This dish is really simply and awesome one, so if you are able to get plantain stem in you vicinity, do try out this dish. Plantain stem is very nutritious and good for health. Our nature has so much to give us and we ignorantly just throw them aside at times as we just do not want to search or catch up on our traditions. Plantain tree on the whole is useful as almost every part is used in someway which I am sure most of you know off, if not do browse through and you will find them in plenty. I have included quite a few recipes using the stem which you will find using search/ label options. 

** Here is my simple recipe for "Gabbe Hullela/ Plantain Stem Curry" ... my style ...

** Cut a 6 inch in length of cylindrical piece of gabbo/ plantain stem vertically into four pieces and then slice them into thin 1/3 inch slices with a sharp knife. If you use a very sharp knife for cutting then there will be lesser wastage of threads that leave out through the sides when cutting. As you cut them to slices, you will find there are threads coming out of the cut pieces plantain stem, these should be discarded. 

** The final cut pieces should have no loose threads hanging out of them. You will have about 3-4 cups of cut pieces. As you cut them put them directly into the water, as they tend to get blackened immediately. Leave them in water till the time of cooking. You can chop them into small pieces too if desired. I like the quartered cut pieces as you get to enjoy them better than small ones. You may choose as you wish.

** Put pieces in pressure cooker with little bit of water, they should be just about immersed in the water and pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles. Let the pressure fall on its own and once it is cool enough, open the lid carefully and allow the cooked pieces to cool completely and come to room temperature. If they turn brownish, do not despair, they are edible and can be consumed without worry.

** For Ground Masala : Grind to a fine paste 1 cup freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal), 1 red chilly, 2-3 green chillies (hari mirchi/ tarni mirsanga), a small marble sized tamarind (chinchama/ imly), ½ inch piece of ginger (alle' adrak). When the paste is almost done add ½ tsp of mustard seeds (rai/ sasam) and grind for another minute of two. Remove the paste and keep it aside ready till needed.

** Note : Do not add mustard seeds at the beginning of grinding the masala lest it turns bitter in taste, it should be always added towards the end ie once the masala is ground fine and then just coarsely ground to avoid bitterness and for best taste.

** Now add the prepared masala into a vessel along with ½ inch grated ginger (adrak/ alle'), 1-2 chopped/ slit green chilly (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi) and salt (meeta/ namak) to taste and the cooked gabbo/ plantain stem and mix well together. This is a semi dry curry, so add in more water only if necessary.

** For Tempering/ Seasoning/ Tadka/ Pannaka : Heat 1 tsp coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tel) in a small pan, when hot add 1 tsp of mustard seeds (rai/ sasam) and when they begin to splutter add 7-8 curry leaves (karbevu/ kadipatta) and pour this over the gabbo/ plantain stem curry– heullela. Mix all well and its ready. 

** "Gabbe Hullela/ Plantain Stem Curry" is done and ready to be served. Always serve this curry immediately on preparation as it tends to get spoilt if left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. A tasty dish served best as side dish along with dal- chawal and other dishes, which is the way it is served in most GSB Konkani Saraswat homes. Do try it out if you have access to plantain stem in your vicinity, remember they are highly nutritious and having immense health benefits.

** Note : This dish is not heated or cooked so remember to serve it immediately on being prepared.. It will get fermented if kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours. However you can keep the same for a few hours in fridge and bring to room temperature when serving. However it is recommended that it be served immediately.