Vazhakkai Fry Vazhakkai Varuval

About Vazhakkai Fry

Put in simple words, the English meaning of the Tamil word ‘vazhakkai’ is raw unripe banana or plantain and ‘varuval’ means ‘fried’ that can be deep fried, shallow fried or even stir fried. South Indian cuisine has many such easy recipes made with a variety of veggies that are not just super flavorful but also are nutritious. These work as fantastic side dishes to make a regular meal wholesome. One such preparation is the Vazhakkai Fry, regionally known as Vazhakkai Varuval. Why this recipe is all the more easy, is because apart from raw unripe banana, the other ingredients that go in the making of it are also very basic and available in most of Indian home kitchens, all year round. Also, since every ingredient is plant based, the recipe is vegan-friendly too. It is also a yummy gluten-free dish.   In addition to prepping up the raw plantains, another element of this varuval recipe is the coarse powder made with cumin seeds and black pepper. Along with this, other ingredients used in this recipe are mustard seeds, pearl onions, green chili, curry leaves and ground spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder. I would also suggest cooking the Vazhakkai Fry in coconut oil for an authentic taste and mouth-feel. I often make plantain stir fries in different ways – from a simple stir fry with minimal spices or with some fresh coconut to a spicy version. This particular recipe is one of the favorites. Making this recipe does not take much time. The banana cubes are added raw and then slowly fried over a low heat, with frequent stirrings. As a result, the banana gets slightly crisp with the spices coating it well and eventually resulting in a delish creation. In my weekly groceries, unripe banana is a must and every week I make one or two dishes with it. Apart from this Vazhakkai Fry, some other preferred raw plantain dishes that I make at home are this delish and simple Raw Banana Fry and a Tamil style Vazhakkai Poriyal. I have added pearl onions (small sambar onions or small shallots) in this Tamil style Vazhakkai Fry recipe. You can substitute it with the regular red onions. Onions can also be skipped, if you want. As I mentioned in the beginning, the best way to relish the flavors of this raw banana roast is to have it alongside any South Indian meal.

How to make Vazhakkai Varuval

Preparation

1. Take ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon black pepper in a mortar-pestle. Crush coarsely and keep aside.
2. Peel, rinse and chop 4 to 5 pearl onions in thick slices. Chop 2 medium bananas in small cubes, just before you start cooking. If you chop them earlier, then they darken. Thus, you need to soak them in water to avoid darkening.

Make Vazhakkai Fry

3. Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Instead of coconut oil, you can use peanut oil or sunflower oil also.
4. Keep heat to low or medium-low, and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
5. Let them splutter.
6. Then, add ¼ cup thickly sliced pearl onions (shallots or small onions), 1 chopped or slit green chili and 6 to 7 curry leaves. You can add ¼ cup chopped onions, instead of pearl onions.
7. Sauté on low heat for about 2 minutes.
8. Then, add chopped raw banana cubes.
9. Mix well.
10. On low heat, begin to sauté the raw plantains (vazhakkai).
11. Keep a check and stir after every 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Sauté plantains till they are half done or half cooked.
13. Then, add the prepared spice powder mix.
14. Next, add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon fennel powder and salt as per taste.
15. Mix the spice powders very well.
16. On low heat, continue to sauté till the raw banana (vazhakkai) is cooked.
17. Stir regularly at intervals so that the raw banana is cooked evenly or else the bottom layer gets too browned. Sauté till the raw banana (vazhakkai) is slightly crisp and cooked well.
18. Serve Vazhakkai Fry hot or warm as a side dish with any South Indian meal. You can even garnish Vazhakkai Varuval with some chopped coriander leaves, if you prefer.

Expert Tips

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Capsicum Fry | South Indian Bell Pepper Stir Fry Kovakkai Fry | Dondakaya Fry Potato Roast Recipe Bendakaya Fry This Vazhakkai Fry recipe from the blog archives, first published in February 2018 has been republished and updated on February 2023.

title: “Vazhakkai Fry Vazhakkai Varuval " ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-28” author: “Juanita Clark”

About Vazhakkai Fry

Put in simple words, the English meaning of the Tamil word ‘vazhakkai’ is raw unripe banana or plantain and ‘varuval’ means ‘fried’ that can be deep fried, shallow fried or even stir fried. South Indian cuisine has many such easy recipes made with a variety of veggies that are not just super flavorful but also are nutritious. These work as fantastic side dishes to make a regular meal wholesome. One such preparation is the Vazhakkai Fry, regionally known as Vazhakkai Varuval. Why this recipe is all the more easy, is because apart from raw unripe banana, the other ingredients that go in the making of it are also very basic and available in most of Indian home kitchens, all year round. Also, since every ingredient is plant based, the recipe is vegan-friendly too. It is also a yummy gluten-free dish.   In addition to prepping up the raw plantains, another element of this varuval recipe is the coarse powder made with cumin seeds and black pepper. Along with this, other ingredients used in this recipe are mustard seeds, pearl onions, green chili, curry leaves and ground spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder. I would also suggest cooking the Vazhakkai Fry in coconut oil for an authentic taste and mouth-feel. I often make plantain stir fries in different ways – from a simple stir fry with minimal spices or with some fresh coconut to a spicy version. This particular recipe is one of the favorites. Making this recipe does not take much time. The banana cubes are added raw and then slowly fried over a low heat, with frequent stirrings. As a result, the banana gets slightly crisp with the spices coating it well and eventually resulting in a delish creation. In my weekly groceries, unripe banana is a must and every week I make one or two dishes with it. Apart from this Vazhakkai Fry, some other preferred raw plantain dishes that I make at home are this delish and simple Raw Banana Fry and a Tamil style Vazhakkai Poriyal. I have added pearl onions (small sambar onions or small shallots) in this Tamil style Vazhakkai Fry recipe. You can substitute it with the regular red onions. Onions can also be skipped, if you want. As I mentioned in the beginning, the best way to relish the flavors of this raw banana roast is to have it alongside any South Indian meal.

How to make Vazhakkai Varuval

Preparation

1. Take ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon black pepper in a mortar-pestle. Crush coarsely and keep aside.
2. Peel, rinse and chop 4 to 5 pearl onions in thick slices. Chop 2 medium bananas in small cubes, just before you start cooking. If you chop them earlier, then they darken. Thus, you need to soak them in water to avoid darkening.

Make Vazhakkai Fry

3. Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Instead of coconut oil, you can use peanut oil or sunflower oil also.
4. Keep heat to low or medium-low, and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
5. Let them splutter.
6. Then, add ¼ cup thickly sliced pearl onions (shallots or small onions), 1 chopped or slit green chili and 6 to 7 curry leaves. You can add ¼ cup chopped onions, instead of pearl onions.
7. Sauté on low heat for about 2 minutes.
8. Then, add chopped raw banana cubes.
9. Mix well.
10. On low heat, begin to sauté the raw plantains (vazhakkai).
11. Keep a check and stir after every 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Sauté plantains till they are half done or half cooked.
13. Then, add the prepared spice powder mix.
14. Next, add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon fennel powder and salt as per taste.
15. Mix the spice powders very well.
16. On low heat, continue to sauté till the raw banana (vazhakkai) is cooked.
17. Stir regularly at intervals so that the raw banana is cooked evenly or else the bottom layer gets too browned. Sauté till the raw banana (vazhakkai) is slightly crisp and cooked well.
18. Serve Vazhakkai Fry hot or warm as a side dish with any South Indian meal. You can even garnish Vazhakkai Varuval with some chopped coriander leaves, if you prefer.

Expert Tips

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Capsicum Fry | South Indian Bell Pepper Stir Fry Kovakkai Fry | Dondakaya Fry Potato Roast Recipe Bendakaya Fry This Vazhakkai Fry recipe from the blog archives, first published in February 2018 has been republished and updated on February 2023.