Trials & Triumphs ~ Aava Pettina Arartikaaya Koora

(Aava pettina aratikaya koora ~ Plantain - Mustard Curry)

'Aava pettina koora' - The addition of mustard paste to a vegetable preparation is popular in the Andhra region. Thanks to the flavor lend by the mustard seeds, a simple subzi preparation can turn into a special one.
The mustard paste can be a basic one made using mustard seeds, green chilies and salt as in my grandmothers' kitchens or a tasty  combination of several ingredients as in this version. Pedatha's recipe, Indira's description and images were so captivating and interesting that I have been planning to prepare this ever since Indira posted about this in her blog.
I am glad that I tried this delicious aava pettina aratikaaya koora, today. The combination of pungent mustard seeds, sweet coconut, spicy chilies and ginger, fragrant cilantro made this particular plantain curry pleasantly delightful.

Ingredients for 6 - 8 servings:
2 Plantains/ Aratikaya (peeled & cut into cubes - I got about 4 cups)
Salt and turmeric to taste
For popu or tadka:
1  - 2 Tbsp of oil
1 tsp each - urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds
4 red chilies broken into bits 
Few curry leaves 
A pinch of asafetida powder
For mustard seed - coconut paste:
Grind the following ingredients to a smooth paste adding little water if needed.
2 teaspoons mustard seeds and 4 tsp rice (I soaked in warm water for 30 minutes so that they can grind well)
¼ cup of fresh grated coconut
3 big sized Serrano peppers (or as needed)
1 inch piece of ginger
A handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Method:
Cook plantain cubes and turmeric powder in water just until tender & drain them.
Heat the oil in a kadai or sauté pan. Add urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter and urad dal starts to turn reddish, add the other tadka ingredients and toast for a few seconds. Add the ground mustard paste and sauté on low - medium flame till the raw smell disappears. Then add the boiled plantain cubes, salt and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle two Tbsp of water and cook covered for about 10 minutes stirring in-between.

This goes to
1. 'Blog Bites - 6' hosted by Nupur 
2. 'Dish name starts with A' hosted by Akila.

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