Plantain Chips Fry - Aratikaya Chips Vepudu - Vaazhaikai Chips Poriyal

It's JFI time again and lovely host Mandira has chosen the ubiquitous fruit Banana to be the star this month. Banana is rich in potassium and is a powerhouse of energy. A glass of milk and a banana forms a complete meal. My original choice for JFI - Banana was a Banana Cream pie from one of my favorite cook books. But there has been a surge in the number of sweet items I am baking and cooking nowadays and for a change I changed my choice to a savory recipe using Plantains.

Onto the recipe now:

Plantains/ Aratikaya/ Vaazhaikai- 4

Channa Dal - 1/2 Cup
Urad Dal -1/2 Cup
Jeera - 1/8 Cup
Dry Red Chillies - 5
Garlic - 10 Flakes
Curry Leaves - About 10 big ones
Coriander - 1 bunch

Oil - 4 Tblsps

Peel plantains and slice into thin rounds. Use a mandoline if possible, as we need really thin slices. Add a generous amount of salt to the plantain slices and mix thoroughly. Set aside for about 5 to 10 mins. Then wash with water and drain thoroughly. Spread on a cloth and let it dry for 25 mins. Deep fry in oil and set aside.

Next, roast channa dal, urad dal and jeera, one after the other, till light brown. Fry dry red chillies and garlic in a little oil. Grind all of of it together.

Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves and coriander. Fry till they wilt. Add the ground powder and fry. But do not let it brown. Add the plantain rounds, reduce heat and stir gently to mix with the rest of the ingredients for about 5 mins. Remove from heat.

Serve with hot rice with drop of ghee or as a side dish.

Check out information about bananas here.