Aratikaya Allam Pachimirchi Koora

My 'Blogging Marathon' theme of the week is to pick one ingredient and cook three dishes with it. I chose to go with 'plantain' as my star ingredient and there are going to be three recipes based on it. Plantains are a good source of dietary fiber and potassium like bananas and is a staple food across tropical regions of the world. Especially in south India where I grew up, plantains are used to prepare curries and chips. 

The curry preparations of course vary region wise and today's version is a traditional one from Andhra. Cooked aratikaya / plantain is sauteed with a paste of ginger and green chili (allam - pachimirchi) and finished off with a drizzle of lemon juice. Plantains in the recipe can be substituted with peeled and cooked potatoes. This is a very tasty curry and enjoyed with some hot steamed rice and a spoon of ghee.

Here are some other plantain based curries.
Aava Pettina Aratikaya Koora
Plantain Fry
Plantain - Moongdal Curry
Vazhakkai Podimas

Ingredients:
2 plantains, peeled and cubed (About 3 cups)
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 spicy green chilies or to taste
1 inch piece of ginger
2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. split chickpeas / chana dal
1 tsp. split, skinned black gram / urad dal
10 curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:
* Pressure cook plantain cubes adding about 1/4 cup of water and turmeric, for 3 whistles and drain.
* Grind together chilies and ginger to a fine paste or grate them finely.
* Heat a pan and add mustard seeds, split chickpeas, black gram. When the dals turn reddish, add curry leaves and the chili - ginger paste. Fry the paste for a minute and add the cooked plantain, and salt. Gently mash the plantain, mix and cook the mixture for about a minute.
* Turn off the stove and add lemon juice to taste. Mix well and serve with warm rice.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon and check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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