Baalekaayi Palya (Plantain Curry)

No. of servings:  4
Preparation Time:  10 mins	Cook Time:  35 mins

A delectable, traditional, Karnataka-style entree, eaten with rice.  This one is a 'Can-you-please-make-it-when-I-visit-you-Mom?' recipe!  Easy to make, satiating to eat.

Ingredients:

• Cooking plantains (Baalekaayi) - 3
• Tamarind paste - 1.5 tsp (or) extract of one large lemon-sized tamarind fruit
• Jaggery (or) brown sugar - 1.5 tsp
• Sambar powder - 1.5 tsp
• Salt - 1.5 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 0.5 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 8-10 leaves

Method:

• Cut the ends of the plantains and chop them into big chunks to be able to fit in a pressure cooker
• Pressure cook them in half a cup of water (9 min. in Instant Pot)
• When cooked, peel and dice the insides
• In a wide pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and season with mustard, cumin and curry leaves
• Add the chopped plantains pieces
• Saute for a minute and add tamarind extract 
• Add about 2 cups of water (including the tamarind water)
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes
• Stir in between to avoid a burnt bottom 
• Add more water gradually if needed and cook until plantains become tender
• Add jaggery and salt 
• Cook for couple more minutes
• Add sambar powder, mix and cook for 3 more minutes
• Serve it hot with hot rice and a generous blob of ghee! 

Tips and Tricks:

• Pressure-cooking initially helps in two ways - One, It is easier to peel them after they are cooked, rather than scraping the peels (they are very gummy and will need to oil the knife often to peel raw plantains).  And, it expedites the cooking time instead of cooking entirely on the stove
• Plantain pieces should start to (somewhat) disintegrate and that's when they are well cooked
• Amount of water needed depends on the variety of the plantain, some cook in less water and some take more

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: