"Cheater's" Tandoori Raw Banana Roast - Vazhakkai Roast

The thing about Tandoori Masala is the bright red color. That bright red color is what I don't like. Why add some useless color with all the other good spices. So I skip the color and use the spices that I have on hand like my friend did. She is the one who introduced me to this quick Tandoori recipe. She made it with chicken but I pretty much use it for fish, chicken, paneer and now this recipe with raw bananas.

Read in the paper today that this month marks the 100th anniversary of Reader's Digest. I guess I started subscribing to it because my dad did when we were growing up. I also learned that Alex Hailey the author of Roots, the book that kept me engrossed for hours together during the summer holidays when there was practically nothing else to do. No internships just summer fun with absolutely nothing to do :) I digress, apparently Alex Hailey worked at Reader's Digest when he wrote Roots. Did not know that. Thought that was interesting because that book changed a whole lot of people's minds about what it means to be brought to a country unwillingly and so brutally.

With that tidbit, let's move on to this recipe which is beautiful in its simplicity. Here's the recipe in pictures,

Steam raw banana with a couple of tbsp of yogurt.
Peel and slice the raw banana and add the powdered spices.
Mix the banana pieces with the spices with the addtion of some oil.
Roast the spice coated raw banana pieces till they are nice and roasted.

These are tasty enough to be eaten as is or can be eaten as a side with rice.

Tandoori Banana Roast
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 medium sized Indian raw bananas or 2 raw plantains
2. 1 tbsp of yogurt or buttermilk
3. 1/2 tbsp ginger powder
4. 2 tbsp garlic powder
5. 1 tsp turmeric powder
6. 1/2 tbsp chili powder
7. 1 tsp pepper powder
8. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
9. salt to taste
10. 2 tsp + 1/2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Cut the tips of the banana off and cut in half, steam tne raw bananas in a steamer (I used a pressure cooker) by sprinling the yogurt on them to avoid discoloration.
2. Once cool peel the skin and cut the into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Take them in a bowl.
3. Add all the powders, salt and the 2 tsp of oil and mix well so the raw banana pieces are all coated.
4. In a wide mouthed cast iron pan add enough oil to coat the pan, when the pan and oil get hot add the banana pieces.
5. Let fry for a couple of minutes and then flip around and cook for another couple of minutes. Trun off the heat. Do not overcook the banana becomes hard.

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