Phaldari Kofta aur Ananas Ki Tarri ( Plantain Koftas with Pineapple Gravy)

Fresh on the success of my watermelon curry and having fresh and juicy pineapples staring at me from the grocery aisles, it was only a matter of time that it found its way into some delicious item on my dining table. Fortunately, there were quite a few curry recipes made from Pineapple that I found on the internet, and some of them were from India - Southern part of India. This was strange since I assumed that I would end up finding some from the North-East part of India, where it is abundantly grown but did not find any from that part. The koftas on the other hand were my tried and tasted Plantain koftas. Plantains (Raw Bananas), unknown to many make for an amazing cooking ingredient. They are cooked and treated the same way as potatoes and are very popular in tropical regions across the world. 

Phaldari Kofta aur Ananas Ki Tarri ( Plantain Koftas with Pineapple Gravy)


Ingredients:


For the Koftas:
Plantains, boiled & mashed - 2
Cheese, grated - 3 Tblsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 1 tsp
Fennel Powder - 1 Tsp
Amchur Powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Flour - To coat


For the Curry:
Onion, sliced - 1 Cup
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) - A Pinch
Curry Leaves - 3-4
Pineapple - 4 roundels
Coconut, frsh & grated - 3 Tblsp (30 gms)
Cloves - 6
Cinnamon Stick - 1 (1 Inch)
Green Cardamom - 2
Ginger, chopped - 1 Tblsp
Red Chilies, dried - 5
Turmeric Powder (Haldi) - 1/4 Tsp
Jaggery - 2 tsp (You can substitute this with honey if you like)
Salt To Taste
Oil - 3 Tblsp
Coriander, finely chopped - To garnish


Method:


For the Koftas:
1. Mix all the kofta ingredients with the plantains (Except the flour) well.
3. Divide into equal portions and form round balls.
4. Coat with flour and deep fry in hot oil till they turn golden brown.
5. Drain and keep aside.

For the Curry:
1. Make a paste of grated coconut, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom and red chilies. Add in a tsp. of water if required while making the paste. Keep aside for use later.
2. Heat oil in a wok, and add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing. Add in the sliced onions.
3. Mix well and cook till onions turn translucent.  
4. Add in the coconut paste. Mix well and cook till the mixture starts to turn brown.
5. Add in 2 cups of water and stir to mix. Add in jaggery and turmeric.
6. Add in the pineapple pieces and cover and cook on medium flame for 10-15 minutes or till pineapple pieces turn soft and mashy.
7. Take off flame and cool. Process in a blender and pass through a strainer.
8. Transfer back to the wok and return to flame. Cook for 5 minutes and adjust seasoning.

To Serve:
1. Add in the koftas and serve garnished with chopped coriander.

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Phaldhari Kofta Curry

Now the banana tree is actually a plant and not a tree. The main stem in reality is a fake stem. having said that, the plant has many uses and almost all its parts are used for something or the other. The leaves are used as plates for serving food in southern India. It is said they increase the appetite and bring out the aroma in the food. The core of the stem is used in curries ( after removing the fibrous part), the underground bulb, the plantain and the fully ripened fruit are all used in dishes. These parts are even supposed to have medicinal properties and are used to cure stomach troubles and aid digestion among other things.

Every week when we visit our grocery store, plantains stare at us begging us to take them and make some exciting dish with them. I have tried in the past to make banana chips, but after several failed attempts and a desperate phone call to my mother-in-law it dawned upon me that these are not variety used to making the chips. So I did the next best thing. I made some koftas with them. I remembered vaguely making a dish with plantains called the phaldhari kofta curry which had koftas made with plantains. This time I tried my own variation of this.

Sri, needless to say, this is yet another contribution to the curry mela :)

Phaldhari Kofta Curry

Ingredients-

For the Koftas:
Plantains - 2
Potato, medium,boiled and mashed - 1
Cheese, grated - 3 Tblsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 1 tsp
Fennel Powder - 1 Tsp
Amchur Powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Flour - To coat

For the Curry:
Onion Paste - 1 Cup
Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp
Tomato Paste - 1 Cup
Garam Masala Powder - 1 Tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 Tsp
Cashewnuts - 5-6
Poppy Seeds - 2 Tblsp
Melon Seeds - 2 Tblsp
Salt To Taste
Oil - 3 Tblsp
Cream - To garnish

Method:

For the Koftas:
1. Skin the plantains and mash well.
2. Mix all the kofta ingredients with the plantains well.
3. Divide into equal portions and form round balls.
4. Coat with flour and deep fry in hot oil till they turn golden brown.
5. Drain and keep aside.

For the Curry:
1. Make a paste with Cashews, poppy seeds and melon seeds with some water.
2. Heat oil in a wok. (Use the same oil used for frying)
3. Fry the onion paste till it starts to turn golden brown. Add in the ginger and garlic paste.
4. Add in the dry masalas. Fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the poppy seeds,melon seeds and cashew paste. Mix well and cook for another5 minutes.
6. Add in the tomato paste and salt. Cook on a low flame for 5-10 minutes. Add in water to dilute the gravy.
7. Simmer on low flame for 5 more minutes.
8. Take off the flame and add in the koftas.
9. Garnish with cream and serve hot.

Note:
1. Remember to add in the koftas just before serving, else they will turn soggy and break.
2. If you want to, you can stuff a raisin in each kofta.

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