Vazhakkai Podimas / Grated Raw Banana Fry

   Vazhakkai podimas is a south Indian dish, made with vazhakkai or raw banana. This dish is very easy to make with less ingredients, flavorful and healthy. This is my mom's recipe. I love to eat this for rasam rice or puli kulambu. You can cook the raw banana either in pressure cooker or in stove top. I prefer stove top method. Raw banana we use in this recipe should be soft but not mushy. It tastes yummy as a side dish for sambar rice or rasam rice. 
   Ingredients
   1 Medium Size Raw Plantain, Grated
   2 Tsp of Oil
   1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
   1 Tsp of Urad Dal
            2 Red Chillies
   Pinch of Asafoetida / Hing
   Few Curry Leaves
            3 Tbsp of Chopped Onion
   1/4 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
   1 Tbsp of Grated Coconut
   Salt to Taste
  
     Method

• Wash and cut both the ends of raw plantain.
• Heat a pan with enough water, add raw banana to it, cook till it changes skin color and turns soft but not mushy. It takes about 10 mins in high flame.

• After it cool down, peel off the skin and grate it.
• Heat a pan with oil, add red chillies (Break it),  mustard seeds and urad dal, after it splutters,  add asafoetida, curry leaves, chopped onion, turmeric powder and salt, fry for 2 mins.
• Keep the flame in low, add grated vazhakkai (raw banana), cook for 2 mins.
• Add the grated coconut, mix well and turn off the flame.
• Serve hot with sambar rice or rasam rice or pulikulambu.

   Tips

• You can cook vazhakkai in pressure cooker for 1 whistle instead of cooking it in the pan.
• Add chopped green chillies for more spicy taste in addition to red chillies.
• You can also add 1 tsp of lemon juice at the end for a slight tangy taste.

   Health Benefits of Vazhakkai / Raw Banana

• Good source of resistant starch, a type of starch that cannot be broken down by enzymes in our digestive system, acts like fiber than starch, good for diabetes. 
• High in potassium and vitamin B6.
• High in fiber content.