Stuffed Plantains/Raw Banana ~ Stuffed Baalekayi

It was yummy making this stuffed baalekayi. Try it to know it better. 

Recipe inspirations from  Monsoon Spice & Sattva. 

Ingredients :

Raw Banana (Baalekayi) - 4 (Rinsed and Washed thoroughly)

Boiled Water - 2 cups

For Stuffing:

Peanuts -  1/4 cup

Kadale Hittu or Chickpea flour - 2 tsp (sifted)

Hing - a big pinch

Jeera - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 2-4 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch (washed and chopped)

Oil- 2 tbsp 

Salt- 11/4 tsp 

Ginger - 2 inch piece (peeled and sliced)

Green Chilies - 5-8 (washed and cut into small pieces.

Garlic Cloves - 2

Ready for the procedure to make it? Let's start..

1. Pound ginger, green chili and garlic in a pestle and mortar or grind it in a mixer grinder. Add a pinch of salt to it. Keep it aside.

2. Powder peanuts in a mixer to make it into coarse powder. 

3. Take all these ingredients in a mixing bowl. 

4. Add 2 Tbsp of oil and mix well.




5. Wash the green banana thoroughly. This is important because the recipe calls for using banana without peeling it. Cut 1 green banana into 5 pieces. Cut a cross on these pieces by running the knife to 3/4 inch deep. Take care not to cut through them. Stuff the filling in between the slits. Let it marinate for 5-10 mins.




6. Arrange these stuffed plantains in a wide mouthed non-stick pan and sprinkle oil around them and cook for 2 mins with lid closed on high flame. Now add remaining peanut mixture, 2 cups of boiling water, cover and cook for next 5 - 10mins mins on sim flame. Flip the plantains in between so that they are cooked uniformly.




7. Add little more water if you think it is getting dry. You can check if the bananas are cooked by inserting a knife or tooth pick inside. If the fork/knife or tooth pick gets inside easily it means bananas are cooked.  Also you can see the skin getting separated from the core when bananas are cooked well.

8. Once plantains are cooked switch off the stove and serve with Rice or Chapathi. We had ours with Khichd, Chapathi and Methi Matar Malai.