Yes to banana: Every bit of the plant can be used

Rahul Verma

Now that the season celebrating the king of fruits is here, it’s time we gave some thought to a fruit that in some quarters is sadly known as the joker of fruits. But while I have no quarrel with the king — the much-loved mango — I think we should raise a roast to the so-called joker in the pack — the banana. Think of a banana, and you picture someone slipping over its peel. In some Indian languages, the words ‘raw banana’ are used as an insult. I think we do the banana a great injustice. It is actually a versatile fruit that grows on a versatile plant. Each and every bit of the banana plant is used by humankind — the leaves as an eco-friendly plate, and the fruit, flower and stem as food.

Ingredients for kofta

• Green bananas 400 g
• Ginger paste 1 tsp
• Green chillies (chopped) 2-3
• Cumin seeds 1 tsp
• Black pepper ½ tsp
• Mint leaves (chopped) 1 tbsp
• Rice flour or arrowroot powder 2 tbsp
• Salt To taste
• Oil for cooking and frying

Ingredients for gravy

• Tomatoes (chopped) 2
• Onions (chopped) 2
• Ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp
• Chilli powder 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1 tsp
• Jeera powder 1 tsp
• Dhania powder 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds ½ tsp
• Cinnamon 1 stick
• A pinch of garam masala and salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook the bananas (roughly 3 whistles). Take them out, peel them and mash them. Add the other kofta ingredients (barring the oil), make small kofta-shaped balls. Fry them in hot oil. Take them out with a slotted spoon. For the gravy, add the cinnamon stick and the cumin seeds to the same oil. Add the chopped onions, tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté well. Add the other ingredients one by one. Add some water (roughly 1 ½ cups). When it boils, add the koftas. Let them simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot.

Banana is a super food. It’s full of nutrients, and can be eaten in varied ways. I love the fruit, and have it with curd, some pressed rice (chiwda) and sugar every now and then for breakfast. We have mashed bananas dipped in a besan batter and fried these as pakoras. A friend says that her dessert often consists of a ripe banana, slit lengthwise and filled with jaggery. She zaps it in the microwave for a few seconds — and the result is a mouth-watering dish. Ripe bananas add zest to pancakes, too. We make a runny mix of flour and water, ladle some of it on a frying pan, roll it with a spatula, and then add some mashed bananas at the centre before folding it.

What’s interesting is that ripe bananas are used in so many of our savoury dishes. At a restaurant in Kochi a couple of months ago, I had a delicious beef dish with sweet banana fritters on the side. The sweetness and texture of the banana complemented the taste of the fried meat, and the two together did a gentle waltz that gladdened my heart.

The green banana, of course, has been a part of disparate cuisines. Kachche kele ke kofte is a particular favourite of mine (see recipe). The raw banana works well as sabzi, too — cooked with sliced onions, grated coconut, chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and urad dal. I have friends who maintain that a boiled and mashed raw banana, seasoned just with salt, is excellent for the palate and an ailing tummy. Green bananas are often put in fish curries and mixed vegetables.

The banana stem is eaten in many parts of the country and is quite a versatile dish. For the southern arati dhoota koora (banana stem curry), take the inside of a banana stem, discard the outer layer, chop it into small pieces and soak the pieces in buttermilk or water for a bit. Boil the pieces in water with turmeric until tender. In hot oil, add black gram dal, mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the stem pieces, cook for a few minutes, and then top with roasted, ground sesame seeds.

The banana flower is a great delicacy in many parts of India, too. Separating the florets is tedious, but eastern India’s mochar ghonto and mochar chop (banana flower sabzi and cutlets) are delightful.

Bananas bring to mind an old joke. “How do you spell banana?” a teacher asks a student. “I know how to spell it,” the boy replies. “Ba-na-na-na-na — I just don’t know when to stop.” I am like that with bananas. Once I start on them, I don’t know when to stop!

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