Crispy slow roasted Andhra Raw Banana Fry – Aratikaya Vepudu recipe with step-wise pictures. Simple, quick and delicious Plantain Fry – perfect side dish for rice!
Today I am sharing a very basic, simple Andhra recipe – Aratikaya Vepudu, crispy slow roasted raw banana fry. All these years of blogging, I never once thought of sharing this recipe because there is very simple and it is something I grew up eating. But food isn’t all about recipes, it is also about the stories and love behind certain dishes that can’t quite be captured just by sharing the recipe. So, today I talk about Aratikaya Vepudu, as I know it, from my earliest memories of my Ammumma (maternal grandmother) and my maternal grandparents place.
I think I inherited the love for Bangaladumpa Vepudu – Potato Fry and Raw Banana fry from my Thathi (maternal grandfather) because those were the only two vegetables he ate, apart from Avakaya. Among other things like coconut trees, a large flower garden, fresh almonds, pomegranates and buffaloes, my earliest memories of my grandparents place also include potato and banana fry. If Ammumma made potato for lunch, she would make Aratikaya Vepudu for dinner. On most days, we would sit on the cold stone floor in the kitchen with the door to the backyard slightly open, peeling and chopping the bananas in the glowing light of few candles talking nonstop. It is in her kitchen that I first learnt to use Kathi Peeta (a plank with a large knife attached to it, called as Aruvamanai in Tamil). She cooked food on a stove that ran on gobar gas – remember I told you about the buffaloes?! And the food tasted fantastic as I try to remember it today. Of course, there was always super thick homemade curd from buffalo milk and the ghee. Miss both sets of my grandparents, but I am lucky to have had wonderful memories to cherish for life.
Now that we have talked about the food stories, let us talk about the recipe now. It’s just a simple slow roasted fry made on a thick bottomed pan (preferably cast iron) until it is gold brown. Ammumma and amma always added jeelakarra/cumin seeds to the fry and apparently it is to help in better digestion. Once the raw banana is roasted to golden brown, just sprinkle red chilli powder and salt. That’s all. As a true blue Telugu, I like to have it just as it is with plain hot rice with a dollop of ghee. As someone wise said, you can take out the person from the place but you cant take out the place from the person 🙂
How to make Aratikaya Vepudu | Andhra Raw Banana Fry –
Aratikaya Vepudu | Andhra Raw Banana Fry
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
- 2 Medium Plantains/Raw Bananas
- 1 tablespoon Peanut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Jeera/Cumin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- Salt as needed
Instructions
- Peel off the skin of the plantains until there is no green part. Chop into small cubes of equal size. In a cast iron pan heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Once hot, set the flame on low. Add chopped raw banana and cumin seeds.
- Toss them until each piece is coated with oil. Continue cooking them on low flame.
- Mix them, toss them every few minutes as they turn a light brown.
- It is important to cook them on low flame, stirring every few minutes until each side turns golden.
- As they turn crispy and golden brown, remove from heat.
- Remove them onto a bowl and add red chilli powder, salt as needed.
- Cover it with a plate or bowl and give them a good shake to coat them with the spices when they are hot.
- Serve immediately with hot rice, tomato pappu and a dollop of ghee.
Nutrition
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Aratikaya Vepudu | Andhra Raw Banana Fry –
Peel off the skin of the plantains until there is no green part. Chop into small cubes of equal size. In a cast iron pan heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Once hot, set the flame on low. Add chopped raw banana and cumin seeds.
Toss them until each piece is coated with oil. Continue cooking them on low flame.
Mix them, toss them every few minutes as they turn a light brown.
It is important to cook them on low flame, stirring every few minutes until each side turns golden.
As they turn crispy and golden brown, remove from heat.
Remove them onto a bowl and add red chilli powder, salt as needed.
Cover it with a plate or bowl and give them a good shake to coat them with the spices when they are hot.
Serve immediately with hot rice, tomato pappu and a dollop of ghee.
Note –
- Using peanut oil gives a really good flavor to the fry, but it is alright to use any cooking oil.
- You can also make this in a non-stick pan, but slow roasting on cast iron pan gives perfect texture.
- Adjust spices as per preference.
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