Vazhakkai Podimas – Plantain (Raw Banana) Stir Fry – Vegan

South indian style vazhakkai podimas / varuval recipe. Steamed plantain tempered in a fragrant spicy coconut masala. Makes a great side dish for sambar or rasam.

Plantain-vazhakkai is such a versatile vegetable that you can quickly whip up a curry, stir-fry, roast or even the quintessential south indian plantain chips. This recipe makes a podimas. Podimas is a rustic mashed veggie that is tempered with indian spices. This podimas is rich and flavorful with coconut and spices. Plantain is lets say a blank canvas. It needs that oomph to make it stand out. I use a fragrant dry roasted spice powder to add more flavor to this otherwise boring veggie.

I steam the plantains with the skin in a pressure cooker for 6-8 minutes (3 whistles). Then coarsely mash it and temper it with the spice masala. It makes a perfect side dish for a south indian lunch of sambar or rasam with rice.