107) KELA GALGALI

KELA GALGALI

A KONKANI SOUPY NENDRAN BANANA SIDE DISH

Ingredients:

     1)    Fully mature unripe Nendran banana – 500 gm.

     2)    Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

     3)    Dry hot red chilies – 4 Nos.

     4)    Asafoetida powder – ¼ teaspoon

     5)    Salt – 1 level teaspoon

     6)    Mild green chili – 1 No.

     7)    Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon

To Cook:

          Cut off both the sharp ends of the bananas and wash well. Use a sharp knife to chop into 1 cm. cubes, peel included. Break the dry red chilies each into 2 pieces. Split the green chili lengthwise. Set a thick cast iron wok on high heat. Pour in the coconut oil. Tip in the mustard seeds. As soon as they are about to finish spluttering, throw in both the chilies. Stir once and slip in the banana cubes. Pour enough water to immerse the banana cubes. Add the salt. Stir with an iron ladle and cover with a lid. Turn down the heat. Remember to keep the iron ladle in the wok the whole time. This is for the purpose of making the kela galgali dark in colour, full of flavor and rich in edible iron.

          Every few minutes, lift up the lid and stir well to prevent it from sticking to the base. In around 15 minutes, the banana cubes will be well cooked and the gravy will thicken nicely. Now sprinkle the asafoetida powder, stir and switch off the heat. Serve the delicious kela galgali with rice gruel or with cherupayar kanji(see my recipe) or with chapattis or with just plain cooked rice. If you like your kela galgali to be soupier, use more water and a bit more salt while cooking.

Note:

          If you do not wish to use chilies, you can substitute them with black pepper powder to suit your taste. Remember to avoid the asafoetida powder in the pepper powder version. This version is also extremely tasty. It is a great comfort as well as a relief to have the pepper powder kela galgali with cherupayar kanji when one is down with cold and fever.