Harve Kele Nonche/ Upkari (Raw Banana Spiced Bhaji).

"Harve Kele Nonche/ Upkari (Raw Banana Spiced Bhaji)" ... A simple spicy side dish prepared with raw bananas that are used in preparation of curries … tastes best served with poori/ roti/ chapati/ parathas though you can serve it with dalitoy- rice too ...... Yummilicious ...

** Here is a simple side dish prepared with raw bananas that are used for cooking. This veggie is one of my favorite and I love all dishes prepared using it. Koddel a curry with garlic seasoning from Konkani saraswat cuisine is my most favorite of all and then the simple upkari/ baji too is again a favorite of all. However, hubby loves tava fried podi prepared using them, so this veggie is always purchased whenever available with my nearby veggie vendor.

** I was on call with my friend Jaya Kamath while she casually asked me about preparation of lunch, well, I told her I had raw bananas of which I would prepare simple upkari to be served with dalitoy and rice which was already done. She told me of this recipe and I was very eager to try it as it was easy and hardly took much time. Once done and tasted, I had to agree with Jaya that this tasted best with roti/ chapatti/ parathas.

** Well, when it comes to food, taste buds always wind hands down, so I went ahead and prepared the wheat dough but thought of having poori as it had been quite some time since we had it and I was really craving for some. I must say this spicy side dish with raw bananas became a hit in my home as it paired on well with poori, I also kept aside some to be served with dosa for breakfast for following day. Thanks to Jaya for recipe we loved it.

** Recipe for "Harve Kele Nonche/ Upkari (Raw Banana Spiced Bhaji)" … do try it and serve with any dish of your choice, it really tastes great ….

** Wash, wipe dry and slice off as thinly as possible the outer skin of 3 medium sized harve kele/ kacha kela/ raw bananas (400 gms approximately) the one’s used for cooking. I have included in main picture, though they are smaller in size. You can also use stringing method and peel off skin which retains the innermost skin touching the banana intact, which is what we follow. Cut it into small cubes say the size of ½ inch and immediately put it in a bowl full of water and keep it aside. Adding it into water prevents it from being blackened and is a necessary step that should be followed. Keep this ready aside before you start cooking.

** In a small bowl add in tamarind/ chinchama/ Imly about the size of a small lemon with 2 cups of warm water, cover and keep it aside for 10 minutes. Now squeeze it well with the water and drain it through a fine sieve and keep it ready aside. You can also use the tamarind paste available in the market or if you prepare and keep the same too. We Konkani always buy salt preserved tamarind that is available in large sized balls during summer and stock it up of year round and use the same for all dishes. It’s available in all Mangalore stores round the country or you can use any tamarind available or that you use too.

** Heat 2 tblsp of any edible oil/tel in a thick bottomed kadai, when hot lower the heat and add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds (sasam/ rai) and when it begins to splutter add in ½ to 1 tsp of hing powder (asafoetida) followed by 8-10 fresh curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbev). Fry for a second and then drain off raw bananas put in water well and add to the seasoning, mix well. Add in 2 tsp of kashmiri red chilly powder (or any other +/- depending upon its spice level and individual choice), ½ tps of haldi (turmeric) powder and the drained and kept ready tamarind water along with salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and mix well.

** Cover with a tight lid and raise the heat and bring it to a rolling boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook till the raw bananas are cooked soft and done. Do stir the bhaji a few times in between for even cooking and also to check out water consistency. This is a semi dry thick mushy curry which will have a little bit of thick gravy like when done. If you find that the raw bananas are cooked well but there is excess water in it, just raise the heat and cook on open and it will thicken and dry out fast. Remove and keep it aside covered for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to seep in well, the curry does thicken on settling too.

** "Harve Kele Nonche/ Upkari (Raw Banana Spiced Bhaji)" is done and ready to be served. This is a semi thick spicy side dish that tastes best when served with chapatti/ roti/ poori/ parathas/ dosa etc. though, you may serve it with dalitoy/ saar and rice too if you prefer it that way. In all a very easy to prepare and tasty side dish that hardly takes time in cooking and will be ready in a jiffy. Also, I would like to add here that raw bananas are nutritious and should be included as much as possible into our diet. So do try it out if they are available in your vicinit and enjoy with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.