Raw Banana Pepper fry & Drumstick kootu.....a platter from Rak's Kitchen

Sometimes we will run out of ideas about what to cook for lunch/dinner and I am sure that this will be a common problem for most of us....;)In that sense,blogging is helping me a lot in getting lot of ideas,infact it is inspiring me more to try out new dishes from different regions and cuisines.I generally make sambar out of drumstick or I will use in aviyal at the most and I rarely cook raw banana at home.When I saw Rak's post I was sure that I will be going to cook that combo for my hubby's lunch box.On the same day I went to buy those veggies from the vegetable vendor just next to our building(that is the comfort of staying in our mother country,everything is easily accessible..) and prepared it for hubby's lunch box next day.Thank you Raks for sharing this,we just loved it.I modified the recipes lil bit to adjust according to our taste.

Drumstick kootu:

Ingredients:

2 Drumsticks
1/4 cup Moong dal
1 tsp sambar powder
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1 Tomato,chopped
2 generous pinches of hing
salt to taste

To grind:
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp Rice flour

for Tadka:
1 tsp ghee/Oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp jeera
a pinch of hing
a sprig of curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped shallots



Method:

1. Cut drumstick into 2 inch long pieces.
   
2. Boil moong dal with tomato,turmeric,sambhar powder in pressure cooker until done.
3. Meanwhile cook drumstick and salt in a vessel until tender.No add cooked moong dal to it and mix properly.
   
4. Grind coconut and rice flour with little water and add to the cooked drumstick,moong dal mixture and let it boil,remove from fire after one boil.
5. Heat ghee in a tadka pan and crackle mustard seeds and jeera.Add urad dal,curry leaves and hing and fry for a minute.Add chopped shallots and fry until the onion is soft and pink.
6. Add the tadka to the dal mixture and stir.

Serve it hot with rice and papad.

Note:

• For a Vegan version use oil instead of ghee for seasoning.

Raw Banana pepper fry:

Ingredients:

2-3 Raw banana
1 tsp sambar powder
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1 tbsp curds
1 tsp freshly ground pepper powder
salt to taste

for Tadka:
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 sprig of curry leaves

Method:

• Peel the banana's and dice them into 1/2" cubes and drop them in salted water mixed with curds.This helps in retain its color.For a Vegan version avoid adding curds to water.
  
• Wash the banana cubes properly and boil them in enough water mixed with sambar powder,salt and turmeric until they are nice and tender.Drain them and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai,crackle mustard seeds and add urad dal and curry leaves and fry for a minute and then add cooked banana pieces and stir fry on high flame for 1-2 mins until it is dry.Add pepper powder to it and mix well.
  
• Add grated coconut to it and mix well.

Serve it hot with hot steaming rice with ghee and papad.