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 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. 🙂
- Brown Rice Vegetable Pulao
- Quinoa Vegetable Pulao
- Savory Brown Rice Pongal
- Aloo Palak Paratha
- Wholesome Methi (Fenugreek) Paratha
- Bisi Bele Bath
- Jeera Quinoa
- Egg Tomato Spicy Rice
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.
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Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita
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.
- Slice off the top and bottom.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pour tempering over raita, mix well and serve by itself or with rice.
