JOIN USIf you are looking for a quick-fix snack after a long and tiring day, Nendrapazham, popularly known as the Kerala banana, is the way to go. A filling snack, Nendrapazham is a part of the botanical family Musaceae. Not only is it nutritious, it can also be stored for long. Bigger and stronger than the usual banana, they also cook better. They can be eaten in a variety of ways, both in their raw and ripe forms. Here are a few simple recipes worth a try:
Instant halwa
Ingredients: 2 nendrapazham (ripe), 6 tsp sugar, oil for frying, drinking water for sprinkling.
Method: Wash, peel and cut the bananas into small 1/2 inch square pieces. Next, make a bed of sugar in a shallow bowl using half the sugar. Heat the oil and fry the pieces. Once they are golden, drain and spread them on the sugar bed. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar on the pieces. Powdered spices like cardamom, nutmeg and clove could be sprinkled as well, if desired. If larger quantities are needed, alternate with sugar and fried pieces.
Sweet fries
Ingredients: 2 nendrapazham (ripe), 4 or 5 tbsp besan, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, salt to taste, water for batter, oil for frying.
Method: Slit the bananas into 2 or 3 slices according to its size. Then cut them in slices that are 2 or 3 inches in length. Smear them with a little salt and keep aside. For the batter, mix besan, salt and chilli powder. Spices like hing, garam masala and chat masala could be added to the batter. Make a batter of dipping consistency. Next, heat the oil. Then, coast each banana piece with the batter and deep fry till golden brown and drain. Serve with sweet chutney.
On the side
Ingredients: 2 nendrapazham (ripe), 2 tbsp rice powder, salt and chilli powder for taste, oil for shallow frying.
Method: Wash, peel and cut bananas as for the fries. Smear salt and keep aside. Mix rice
powder, chilli powder and salt. Roll each banana piece into the flour and keep aside for 10 minutes. Smear some oil on the tava, gently lift each piece, shake a little to get rid of excess powder and shallow fry on the tava on both sides. Serve hot as a side dish to a spicy meal for that sweet tinge.
Steamed snack
Ingredients : 2 nendrapazham (ripe), pepper (coarsely powdered) and salt to taste.
Method: Wash bananas and cut them into 4-or 5-inch long pieces with skin or without. Smear salt and pepper powder on the cut ends if they are with skin and all over if they are peeled. Steam them for 5 minutes and serve. This is ideal as an after-school snack.