Kerala Sweet Plantain Curry (Ethakka Pachadi)

A delightful curry option from Kerala, that’s sweet, sour and a little savory.. Great with Rice as a side dish. It can be part of Onam Sadhya or an everyday meal.

The Recipe Intro↓ has , more information as well as Recipe Video. Don’t forget to check it out.

Ingredients:

Ripe plantains (Use plantains that are ripe, but not overly ripe. Overly ripe plantains will not taste as good in this curry, the flavor will be 'off'.)		2
Turmeric powder		1/3 tsp
Chilli powder only		1/4 tsp
Green chilies (to taste), sliced		2 Tbsp
Salt( to taste)		As required
Grated coconut		1/2 cup
Shallots		2
Black mustard seeds (see notes)		1/2 tsp
Thick natural yogurt		1/4 cup

For Tempering:

Oil/ coconut oil		2 Tbs
Mustard seeds		1/4 tsp
Dried red chillies, broken		1-2
Fresh curry leaves		1 sprig

Method:

1. Peel and slice the plantain vertically. Continue to chop into  1 – 1.5 cm size half circle pieces ( as in the video).
2. Add to an earthen pot(preferred) or regular nonstick pot. Pour enough water to just cover the plantain slices. Don’t add to much water, we need this just to cook the plantain tender.
3. Add turmeric, chilli powder and salt along with sliced green chilli.
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer till the plantain is tender. 6-7 minutes, approximately, stirring occasionally. The plantain should be tender and soft but not overcooked and mashed. Most of the water will dry up as well. 
5. Meanwhile, add the grated coconut, shallots, and mustard seeds(see notes) to a small grinder jar, with just a little water to assist grinding. Grind to a smooth paste.
6. Add this paste to the cooked plantain mixture. Rinse out the mixer jar with ha;f a cup of water and add this as well. Stir well and bring back to a simmer.
7. Add a little turmeric if you feel it needs more color and, add salt after tasting (if required). Occasionally, you might notice the plantain is not sweet enough.. in this case, you can also add a tsp of sugar. If proper ripe plantains are used, this will not be required.
8. Beat the yogurt well and mix into the curry now. Just allow to come back to a gentle simmer and turn off the heat.
9. In a separate pan, heat the oil for tempering. Add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Only once the seeds have all popped, add the dried chillies and curry leaves. Mix till they become deeply colored.
10. Pour this tempered oil and ingredients over the curry.
11. Ready to serve with Rice.

Kerala Sweet Plantain Curry (Ethakka Pachadi)

Notes:

• Video for this recipe (in Malayalam) is available on the Intro page.
• Instead of grinding the coconut with mustard seeds, some like to replace this with cumin seeds. This is a personal preference. Although I prefer cumin in many other similar curries, here I prefer the mustard as it helps to balance the sweetness of the plantain.
• Do not boil the curry. Just bring to a simmer and cook very briefly.

Key Ingredients:  Plantain, Coconut, Yoghurt, Spices, Salt, Shallots, Curry Leaves, Mustard Seeds, Oil, Salt.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried –  Kerala Sweet Plantain Curry (Ethakka Pachadi)

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