Raw bananas evoke fond memories for me. I grew up in a hot coal mining town where tropical plants grew and thrived with gay abandon. We had a fairly large yard in my childhood home. In the front, were two huge neem trees. In the summer, we slept outdoors under their vast branches on foldable cots. There was no worry about personal or property safety back in the day.

In the backyard, we had three equally large mango trees. All summer-long, they yielded fruit. When the mangoes were raw, we ate tons of Mango Dal. We also made Pickled Mango with Fenugreek. To prevent the marauding parrots from stealing all our fruit, we picked them to ripen indoors. My job was to turn the fruit in the hay to allow them to ripen evenly, and to pick the choicest of fruit to make Mango Rasayana.

On the left side of the house was mom’s garden with carefully tended rose bushes, jasmines, tuber roses, canna lilies, henna and marigolds. 3 or 4 huge coconut trees provided shade from the relentless summer sun.

On the right side of the house grew two guava trees that bore delicious fruit. That side of the yard was also home to a large black cobra. It never bothered us, and vice versa.

 

Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita

 

Behind the snake’s lair were a clump of banana trees. They grew in an unruly fashion – untended, until mom decided that it was time to harvest the huge bunches of fruit. Once we cut down the tree to its stump, my mom used the raw bananas for making Crunchy Plantain Chips or Banana Nuggets (she deep fried what I bake today!). She also churned out various curries like Banana Potato Sauté or Kuruku Kaalan (Raw Banana-Yogurt Curry).

She used the leaves to serve food or to wrap batter to make delicious Idlis. The flowers showed up in this delicious Banana Flower Curry, while the white pith of the stem ended up in a lip-smacking Banana Stem Curry. Every single part of the banana plant was diligently and lovingly used. How cool is that right?

A side trivia for you: do you know what a bunch of bananas called? Well, let’s dissect. A single banana is called a “finger”. It is a “hand” when a group of banana fingers are attached (this is what we buy in a grocery store). The entire cluster of “hands” of the banana are called “bunch” or “stalk”.

This Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita is a family favorite. It is delicious, easy to make, and healthy on top of it all. You can make it as spicy or as bland as you wish. It will still be loved and appreciated.

If you love raitas, may I also suggest these wonderful additions to your kitchen repertoire: Mooli (Daikon Radish) Raita or Tomato Onion Tadka Raita.

 

Raw Banana Raita

Raw Banana Raita with (clockwise) Homemade Ghee, Easy Rasam, Raw Carrot Pickle, Homemade Yogurt and Rice.

 

How to Peel/Cook Raw Banana

 

Peeling the Banana Skin can be a royal pain. For one, your hands will turn dark and sticky (which will easily wash off with a bit of elbow grease and oil if you have the patience). For another, there is TONS of nutrition in the peel, which you may lose out on, if you peel. Instead, the easiest way is to cook the raw bananas as is. The peel comes off super quickly after that, with no fuss or muss.

Now, a word about cooking. Raw bananas cook super-fast. Almost as quickly as potatoes. You can pressure cook them (as I have), or simply boil them over the stovetop. The way to check if they are done, is to poke a fork. If the banana is cooked, the fork should go in with little to no effort.

If you are interested in learning more about raw bananas and plantains, watch the YouTube video where I talk to the Dallas Herb Guild members about the finer points of this amazing fruit.

 

 

Accompaniments for Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita

 

You will love this raita with almost any Indian meal of whole grains. In fact, you can eat it as an appetizer or side on its own. I’m offering you a few of my favorite things that go well with this raita. Let me know which one you enjoyed it most with. 🙂

 

Why is this Healthy?

Raw bananas contain resistant starch and fiber. This prevents issues like constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). They also have a low glycemic index (GI), and this is great for those that need to control their sugar levels.

 

Do you love our posts and recipes? We’d LOVE to see your creations so click a photo and tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #healthyindian3 and please give a star (★) rating below. Follow us on FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagramYouTube & Tumblr for healthy, easy and delicious recipes and lifestyle tips.

 

*There could be affiliate links in this blog. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Raw Banana Raita
Print Pin
No ratings yet

Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita

This Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita is to die for! Made with minimal pantry ingredients, this unique recipe is sure to become your family favorite.
Course Appetizer, Curry, Dip, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Keyword aratikaya pachadi, Balekai Mosarugojju, Kache Kele ka Raita, Plantain, Raita, Raw Banana, Raw plantain, Vazhakkai Pachadi, yogurt based, yogurt recipe
Special Diet Gluten Free, Grain Free, No Added Sugar, Nut Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 People
Calories 283kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 Cups Raw Banana - About 8 raw bananas
  • 2 Cups Yogurt - More or less based on your preferred consistency
  • 1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
  • 2 Green Chili Pepper - Or to taste
  • 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic - Chopped
  • 2 Teaspoon Lime Juice - Or lemon juice

Tempering

  • 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
  • 1 Teaspoon Chana Dal
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
  • 2 Dry Red Chili - Or to taste
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic - Minced
  • 1 Sprig Curry Leaves

Instructions

  • Wash the raw bananas.
    Raw Banana Raita
  • Slice off the top and bottom.
    Raw Banana Raita
  • Boil with the skin on. I have used the Instant Pot on High Pressure for 5 minutes. Use the quick pressure release method when done. Peel off the skin and mash with the back of a fork.
    Raw Banana Raita
  • Add green chili, cumin seeds, salt, lime juice and garlic to a blender. Blend to a coarse texture. Add the mashed raw banana and yogurt to the blender, and blend once again coarsely. Vary the yogurt based on your preference.

Tempering

  • Add oil to a small pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Add chana dal, red chilis, garlic, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Allow to roast for a few seconds.
    Raw Banana Raita
  • Pour tempering over raita, mix well and serve by itself or with rice.
    Raw Banana Raita

Notes

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita
Amount per Serving
Calories
283
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
 
4
g
25
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Cholesterol
 
16
mg
5
%
Sodium
 
720
mg
31
%
Potassium
 
958
mg
27
%
Carbohydrates
 
57
g
19
%
Fiber
 
5
g
21
%
Sugar
 
29
g
32
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
 
1885
IU
38
%
Vitamin C
 
42
mg
51
%
Calcium
 
169
mg
17
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter

News.  Tips.  Recipes.  Lifestyle. Blogs.  Never shared with Third Parties - Ever.

You have Successfully Subscribed, thank you! Our newsletter will be delivered to your email Inbox on Fridays. Please add us to your Address Book to make sure our emails don't get stuck in your Spam folder.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share This

Share this post with your friends!