Bengali Style Spicy Banana Roast

Name: Bengali Style Spicy Banana Roast
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tbp Cumin seeds; 1 tbsp Fennel seeds; 1/2 tbsp Fenugreek seeds; 1/2 tbsp Carom seeds; 2 tbsp Mustard seeds; 2 tbsp Oil; 1 tsp Cumin seeds; 1/4 cup Coriander leaves ((chopped)); 2 tbsp Green chilies ((roughly chopped)); 1 pc Raw banana ((diced)); 1 pinch Turmeric powder; 1 tsp Red chili powder; 2 tbsp Prepared spice mix; 1/2 tbsp Salt; 1 sprig Coriander leaves ((chopped))

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Indian food is all about flavors and experimenting with different ways to use a single star ingredient, and that’s what this spicy banana roast recipe is all about.

You may have heard a lot about prawn and chicken ghee roasts, which are essentially dry curries that have a mix of robust, earthy spices to add flavor to the dish, and this version of the recipe is a nice vegan twist on just that.

This dry curry recipe is perfect as a weeknight dinner, or for when you want to experiment and serve a unique Indian dish at your next house party.

Scroll down to get a closer look at everything you need to know about the recipe.

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Ingredients For the Recipe
How to Make the Bengali Style Spicy Banana Roast
Frequently Asked Questions
Tips & Tricks to Make the Bengali Style Spicy Banana Roast
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Ingredients For the Recipe

You’ll need two sets of ingredients to make this spicy banana roast dish.

For the spice mix

Cumin seeds: 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds: 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds: ½ tbsp
Carom seeds: ½ tbsp
Mustard seeds: 2 tbsp

For the raw banana roast

Oil: 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Coriander leaves (chopped): ¼ cup
Green chilies (roughly chopped): 2 tbsp
Raw banana (diced): 1
Turmeric powder: A pinch
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Prepared spice mix: 2 tbsp
Salt: ½ tbsp
Coriander leaves (chopped): For garnish

How to Make the Bengali Style Spicy Banana Roast

Once you have your ingredients ready, here’s the process you’ll need to follow to put the dish together.

add all the ingredients of spice mix in a deep vessel with oil and fry

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan/kadai. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle.

add chopped coriander leaves to the pan and mix well

Add the coriander leaves next and saute. Cook for 15 seconds.

add green chilies to the pan and mix well

Next, add the green chilies and saute.

add diced bananas to the pan and mix well

Add the diced banana next and mix well. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes. Keep sauteing in between.

add powdered spices to the pan and mix well

Add the powdered spices and salt and mix.

Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot as a side dish to your meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Else Can I Add to the Bengali Style Spicy Banana Roast?

Unripe bananas or plantains are the key ingredient for this dish, but you can also add in some other ingredients to liven up the curry.
Green peas, chopped green beans, diced carrots and chopped potatoes are all good choices. Depending on the kind of veggie you’re adding into the dish, you’ll need to make sure you add them at the right stage, so that everything is completely cooked.

How Do I Store the Leftovers?

If you have any leftovers, you can allow them to cool down before transferring them to an airtight container and refrigerating them.
The best way to reheat this banana roast is to microwave it with a little sprinkle of water to add some moisture to it.

Tips & Tricks to Make the Bengali Style Spicy Banana Roast

While putting this banana roast together is super easy, you might want to have these little tips and tricks handy too!

Since this is a dry curry, there’s always a risk of the spices sticking to the bottom of the pan while you’re cooking them. To keep this from happening, make sure you cook the spices on low or medium heat, while constantly stirring.
As an extra precaution, you can use a non-stick pan or pot to cook the roast.
To lend some more flavor and deliciousness to this dish, you can also add a bit of sambar powder.
When chopping the raw bananas, you’ll notice that they have a characteristic stickiness which can adhere to your hands, chopping board and knife. You can grease everything with a bit of oil to make the process easier if you want to.
Depending on the kind of texture you prefer, you can choose to grind the spice mix coarsely or into a fine powder.
If you’re chopping the raw bananas in advance, you may want to soak them in a bowl filled with water to keep them from turning dark before you add them into the spice mixture.
If you want your curry to have a slightly runny texture, you can add some chopped or minced onion (ideally the small sambar onions) into the spice mix and cook it for a while before adding the raw bananas into it.
To make the dish easier to digest and to add a bit of extra flavor, you can also add a pinch of asafoetida into the pan along with the cumin seeds.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

Just like any other Indian curry, you can serve this Bengali style spicy banana roast with some chapatis or parathas on the side.

This curry can also be enjoyed with some steamed rice and other common Indian accompaniments like pickle, poppadom and a crunchy salad.

If you enjoyed making this easy Indian curry, and are looking for some more fun and flavorful recipes you can try out, here are a few good ones you might want to take a look at.

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