“Gabbo ~ Piyava Kismuri / Plantain Stem ~ Onion Dry Masala Curry” … A dry coconut based side dish that goes very well with Dalitoy ~ Rice or even roti / chapati … All of us know the benefits of ripe bananas but many are ignorant about the uses of flower and the inner stem. Specially the inner stem. People are reluctant to use them, but the nutritional value of the stem is immense .......
** Plaintain Plant like Coconut Tree, Colocasia and some other plants are almost fully useful and edible plants. Speaking of Plantain / Banana plant, the Fruit (Banana / Kele), the leaves (Kelipaan), the flower (Bondi), the Stem (Gabbo) are all used in some way of the other. While all of us know the benefits of ripe bananas, many are still ignorant about the flower and the inner stem uses of the plant. Specially the inner stem. People are reluctant to use them. But the nutritional value of the stem is immense. The plantain stems contain high source of dietary. The juice consumed of stems is beneficial in diabetics and helps in case of constipation and aids in digestion.
** The only hitch part of this Gabbo / plantain stem is you have to be careful while cutting it and prepare it the right way. The excess fiber present in the plantain stem if not removed properly will be difficult to swallow. Also if threads are hanging out of the piece, it is neither pleasing nor appealing. So cleaning the vegetable well is important and difficult task and you have to learn it properly. Also if you want to consume it a juice, you have to add in higher content of spices to balance the bitterness of the stem if ground. But in all once you learn to deal with the fiber part a very useful and healthy vegetable.
** Today I cut them into small cubes and prepared kismuri with addition of onions. Kismuri are of two types one that is a sort of salad type where the vegetable is deep fried / cooked and mixed with onions and seasoned while the other is with the addition of coarse ground coconut masala. We GSB Saraswat Konkani’s prepare it both ways. In all a dry side dish which is enjoyed along with other dishes as accompaniment. I have already posted many kismuri with maasala addition before like of bitter gourd, ivy gourd, spine gourd etc. You may use the label section or search option in the blog for the same. I have added two links at the bottom of the recipe which you may check upon to get a wider picture of the usage of gabbo / plantain stem.
** This dish is simply awesome in taste and can be relished as side dish as it’s semi dry in texture. Goes very well as a side dish with Dalitoy and Rice / Poori or Roti. Do try to learn and add in plantain stem / gabbo if they are available in your vicinity. I will be adding many more recipes using the same. I will try to explain as much as possible about the cutting method of gabbo / plantain stem. You may also ask anybody who knows the same and observe when they do so. Once you learn to do it then half the pressure of preparing any dish with the addition of it is gone. Also a little bit of fiber if remained is not harmful at all. It’s just that it becomes a little bit difficult to eat. But don’t give up keep trying and you will be able to do it.
Ingredients :
Gabbo / Plantain Stem : One 10-12 inch piece thick one.
Onion : 2 large sized
Salt to taste
For Masala :
Coconut : 1 heaped cup freshly grated.
Coriander seeds : 2 tsp
Kashmiri Red Chillies : 8-10
Tamarind : small marble sized.
Jeera / Cumin Seeds : ½ tsp (Optional)
Methi / Fenugreek Seeds : ¼ tsp
Oil : 1 tsp
For Tempering:
Oil : 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Curry leaves : 8-10
** Cut cylindrical piece of gabbo / plantain stem vertically into 6-8 pieces depending upon the diameter of the gabbo and then cut them into small pieces of medium size with a sharp knife. If the outer coverings have gone darker or looks spoilt / unedible they can be easily peeled off and discarded before cutting them. Use only the bright, firm white part for cooking.
** 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 are fibers that should be pulled off and 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 discoloured immediately. Leave them in water till the time of cooking
** Wash and put the cut pieces in pressure cooker pan with little bit of water just enough to cook them, ie 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. Once cool enough, open the lid carefully, stay away and let the steam pass off. Now 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 worrying.
** Peel off the skin of the onions and cut them also into small cubes similar to the size of gabbo / plantain stem cubes. Keep them ready aside. Always while you cut vegetables see to it that they are all of almost equal sizes. They look good and very professional when done this way. Always put your heart into any cooking part of recipes. Presentation of the final cooked dish is also quite important.
** For grinding masala : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot add in the coriander, jeera and methi seeds and fry for a few mins. Add in the red chillies and further fry for few seconds. Remove.
** Add in freshly grated coconut and the fried ingredients along with tamarind into a mixer grinder and grind to a semi coarse paste with little water. The masala should be ground with very little water and should be dry in texture. Sort of crumbling texture. You can use the gabbo / plantain stem cooked water while grinding the masala. Remove and keep this aside ready.
** In a large thick bottomed kadai heat oil, when hot add in mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add in curry leaves, fry for few seconds and then add in the onion pieces. Fry on medium heat till the onion turn slightly translucent.
** Now add in the ground masala and mix well. Fry for a few minutes on medium heat till well heated. Now add in the pressure cooked gabbo / plantain stem, salt to taste and mix well. If you find the masala thick or sticking to the bottom of kadai or getting burnt sprinkle some water and mix well. Again you can use the cooked water if any is left from gabbo. Cover with a tight lid and cook on low heat for 5 mins stirring often in between.
** “Gabbo ~ Piyava Kismuri / Plantain Stem ~ Onion Dry Masala Curry” is done and ready to be served. Serve hot with Dalitoy and Rice as an accompaniment. Goes well with roti / chapatti too. A yummy dish when served with other dishes as a side dish. Here I should mention that Gabbo / Plantain stem on its own does not have much taste of its own and is somewhat bland, it’s the way you cook using spices that adds on to the taste. As it is very good for health, you should go ahead and have it any way that is suitable to your palate.
** You can check out on two links shared below among many that have been posted in blog. It will give you the idea of the various dishes in which the same can be used.
** An earnest Request : For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. You can also go to my page (add on the left side of blog) and leave a message and I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible … Thank you.
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