Kola urundai is a very famous Chetinad dish made with meat. Few weeks back, in a tv cookery show by a famous chef, Mr Venkatesh Bhat, I watched him making raw banana kola urundai as a snack. Inspired by that recipe, few days back I made Raw banana Kola urundai Khuzhambu.
It came out just the way I had imagined. The flavour of cinnamon in the kola urundai was very inviting. And simmered in spicy, tangy khuzhambu, kola urundai was indeed a treat to the palate.
Everyone at home enjoyed the kola urundai khuzhambu with hot steamed rice and a drizzle of sesame oil. Hope you all would like this recipe too:)
Ingredients
————–
For the Khuzhambu
———————
Small onion – 1 cup
Garlic – 1/4th cup
Tomato – 4
Tamarind- Amla(gooseberry/nellikai)sized
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1+1/2 tsp – 2 tsps
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Fennel powder – 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil – 2 tbsps
Mustard – 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds ( methi/ vendhayam) – 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds ( saunf/ sombu)- 1/2 tsp
Hing – 2 pinches
Curry leaves – 3 sprigs
For the kola urundai
———————-
Raw banana – 2
Refined oil – as much required for deep frying
To grind
———
Ginger – 1/2 inch
Garlic – 4
Coconut – 1/2 cup
Roasted chana dal – 3 tbsps
Cardamom – 2
Cloves – 2
Cinnamon- 1 inch
Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
Method
———-
To make the kola urundai
—————————-
Boil the raw banana in lots of water till its well cooked.
Drain, cool, peel and mash the banana well.
Grind together coconut, roasted chana dal, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and fennel seeds to a fine powder. No need to add water.
Add this to the mashed banana, salt to taste, mix well till its blended well.
Divide into 12-15 equal portions and make smooth balls without any cracks.
Deep fry in medium hot oil till it turns golden and crisp. Remove and keep it aside.
To make the Khuzhambu
—————————
Soak the tamarind in one cup of water for 20-30 mins. Squeeze well and take the extract.
Wash and chop tomatoes.
Peel and wash small onions and garlic.
Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan. Add garlic and sauté for a min. Add the small onions and sauté till it turns slightly golden.
Add the tomatoes, sauté for a min.
Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, fennel powder and salt to taste.
Mix well and cook till the tomatoes turn soft.
Cool and grind it to a purée.
Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan.
Add mustard. When it starts spluttering, add fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, hing and curry leaves. Sauté for a min and add the ground purée. Mix well and add the tamarind extract and 1 cup of water. Mix again and check the seasonings.
Let the gravy cook for few mins.
Add the kola urundai to the gravy, close the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 12-15 mins.
Serve the kola urundai Khuzhambu hot with steamed rice drizzled with melted ghee or sesame oil:)
