What did the baby plantain call his grandmother?
Answer : Ba-"nana". 
Jokes apart,I always loved the grandmother ,Banana than this baby ,plantains .During childhood days,I wondered if baby plantains were a vegetable or a fruit .I used to have a shhh-ecret conversation with these plantains (yes,I talk to plants & animals,they are so approachable and selfless than humans ),asking them if they will ever grow in size ,I guess they would have said,"You need a company after all " and when I asked ,will they ever turn yellow and guess what they answered me ,when they got ripe, by saying "how about black ,eh ?"
Did you know ?
According to the Better Health Foundation and Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) —the plantain is actually a…"FRUIT",an unripened banana!
Really ??? then why the heck do we not eat it like a fruit ,why do we eat it as a vegetable mostly in curries,chips,soups etc ...now that's an utter insult to the fruit kingdom .Don't you agree with me ??
Needless to say,I hated it ! My mommy darling would always preach me (as I do here-like mom like daughter :D ),reminding me how nutritious these "fruits" were . My virtual health advisor,Dr.Google totally seconds that too. Guess what :
A cup of sliced, cooked plantains provides (Source : healthyeating.safegate.com) :
Now if these plantains can't change into fruits,then we need to treat it as a vegetable ...YES I'LL !!
Happy Onam wishes,
Jokes apart,I always loved the grandmother ,Banana than this baby ,plantains .During childhood days,I wondered if baby plantains were a vegetable or a fruit .I used to have a shhh-ecret conversation with these plantains (yes,I talk to plants & animals,they are so approachable and selfless than humans ),asking them if they will ever grow in size ,I guess they would have said,"You need a company after all " and when I asked ,will they ever turn yellow and guess what they answered me ,when they got ripe, by saying "how about black ,eh ?"
Did you know ?
According to the Better Health Foundation and Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) —the plantain is actually a…"FRUIT",an unripened banana!
Really ??? then why the heck do we not eat it like a fruit ,why do we eat it as a vegetable mostly in curries,chips,soups etc ...now that's an utter insult to the fruit kingdom .Don't you agree with me ??
Needless to say,I hated it ! My mommy darling would always preach me (as I do here-like mom like daughter :D ),reminding me how nutritious these "fruits" were . My virtual health advisor,Dr.Google totally seconds that too. Guess what :
A cup of sliced, cooked plantains provides (Source : healthyeating.safegate.com) :
- Vitamin A - containing 1,818 international units, more than 50 percent of the recommended intake of 2,333 international units for women and the 3,000 international units recommended for men. Vitamin A improves your immune system,eye health, physical growth and development and also prevents various cancers and skin diseases.
- 17 milligrams of vitamin C.
- 1/3 of the vitamin B-6 you need each day.
- 49 milligrams of magnesium .
- 716 milligrams of potassium.
- 5 to 10 percent of the iron you need daily.
- 27 milligrams of thiamin, a B-vitamin.
- 24 grams of carbohydrates - Though green plantains are starchy for a diabetes diet ,if prepared without lots of fat, sugar or salt, then they are one of the best starchy vegetable options, according to the American Diabetes Association.
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| After couple of hours/Next day - this curry may become thick ! |
So,I am trying to compromise my hatred towards it by incorporating it into my diet by making a few recipes like green plantain cutlet and also a very popular signature Kerala Onam/Vishu sadya food item, Ethakka erissery . Ethakka erissery is basically a coconut based curry made with ethakka aka green baby plantains and cherupayar aka mung beans or mung dal .Addition of mung beans gives an extra healthy boost to this curry as mung dals are considered to be one of the highest source of protein ,fiber,phytonutrients .
[Related : How to make mathanga eriserry ]
[Related : How to make mathanga eriserry ]
Last year I made Mathanga erissery ,made with pumpkin and mung beans . My other Onam sadya recipes here ...
So,this is how I make ethakka eriserry ,a kerala special baby plantain and mung beans recipe.
Ethakka|Vazhakka cherupayar eriserry
Ingredients
Baby plantains / baby ethakka/vazhakka - 2 nos.
Mung beans/Moong daal/Cherupayar - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Coconut,grated - 1 cup + 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Garlic cloves- 2 nos.
Curry leaves ,a few
Chopped shallots/kunj ulli - 1-2 nos
Broken red chillies - 2-3 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Coconut oil - 1-2 tablespoons
Method : Please watch my quick video that will show you how to exactly make this Kerala sadya recipe.
Note :
- Baby green ethakkas are also called Vazhakka (and vice versa) in some places.
- If you pre-soak the mung beans overnight,you may have to pressure cook it for a whistle or two ,I didn't ,but then it may vary from one pressure cooker to another until you get soft,cooked mung beans.
- Some prefer to leave the plantains chunks as it is in the curry and some like me like it partially mashed .Some like it little dry and some like me prefer it like a gravy so please adjust water accordingly.
Now if these plantains can't change into fruits,then we need to treat it as a vegetable ...YES I'LL !!
Happy Onam wishes,
