Banana Stem Stir Fry (Gabbe Upakari Recipe)
Banana plant is one where no part gets wasted. The leaves, stem, flower, fruits all get used. Each banana plant gives out one bunch of bananas & dies. After the banana bunch is chopped off it's stem is chopped & the inner most tender core is used in cooking. It's called gabbo in Konkani & made into many delicious dishes. To top it all off, the banana stem is so nutritious.
Banana stem dishes from the Konkani cuisine repertoire,
Gabbe upakari
That's made after getting banana stem like this:
Here's gabbe upakari recipe, it's simple, yet so tasty.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup banana stem
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon urad dal
- 1 dried red chilli
- A pinch of asafoetida powder
- 1 twig of curry leaves
- 1-1.5 teaspoon of oil
- A pinch of turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon of grated coconut (optional)
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Preparation Method:
1. Peel the banana stem until you can't peel it any more.
2. Dice it into small pieces.
3. As you chop it into roundels or bigger pieces, you'll see the fibres being pulled out. Pull the fibres out using your fingers & remove them.
4. Add chopped banana stem dices into a bowl of water with rock salt & turmeric powder.
5. Keep them for 5 minutes, this step helps remove any bitterness.
Put pieces immediately into water so that it doesn't oxidise & become brown.
6. Heat up oil in a pan, add in mustard seeds.
7. Once they splutter, add in urad dal, fry them until they start to brown.
8. Add dried red chilli pieces, curry leaves, fry them for a few seconds.
9. Add in banana stem pieces, salt for taste, and little water to cook them through.
10. Please don't add too much water at once. Add as required little by little. Doesn't take much water to cook, also, we want a dry stir fry in the end.
11. Cook closed on medium flame for 3 minutes.
12. Add grated coconut once all the water is evaporated & the banana stem changes in colour.
13. Put off the flame & keep it closed for a minute or two so that they soften.
14. Serve hot & enjoy.
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