Ingredients
600 gms kanch kala or green bananas
2 medium potatoes, skin peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 bay leaves
2 inches of long cinnamon
3 whole green cardamoms
3 cloves
2 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp Bengali garam masala (a grind of green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and cloves taken in equal proportions)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp ginger paste
1 green chilli (slit, keep it whole if you don’t prefer spicy)
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
salt as required
For frying koftas
1/2 cup mustard oil (you can substitute it with any other cooking oil)
Method
Cook the green bananas with their skin on. Once they cool down, drain the water. Peel the skin off. Mash the green bananas thoroughly, adding a bit of asafoetida and salt. Make small balls of the mash in your palm. (Add all-purpose flour if you need some binding.) Keep aside.
Heat a deep-bottomed wok or a bowl-shaped frying pan and add half a cup of oil. Fry the balls until they turn golden.
Next, take a pan and add a tablespoon of mustard oil. Fry the potatoes lightly. Keep aside.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of clarified butter to the pan. Once it heats up, add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cloves and the green chilli. Add the ginger paste and stir it in.
After tempering, add the fried potatoes and enough water to cover the potato cubes completely. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric, cumin, and garam masala powders.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook it on a low flame until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
Add the fried koftas gently into the gravy and turn off the flame.
While the kofta gravy is still simmering, add a tablespoon of ghee and sprinkle in Bengali garam masala.
Serve hot with steaming white rice.
Note:
Koftas are delicate and tend to crumble if cooked in gravy for a long. The best thing is to add the fried koftas once the sauce is ready and the potatoes are fully cooked.
Try this recipe at home and let us know at food@gulfnews.com
