Raw Banana Palya

Raw plantain dry stir-fry — unripe green plantain (balekai/raw banana) peeled, cut into thin rounds or cubes, and cooked with mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chilli, turmeric, and curry leaves in coconut oil until just tender and slightly golden at the edges, finished with a generous handful of freshly grated coconut folded in off the heat. The palya (dry vegetable stir-fry) technique is the Udupi standard for most vegetables: the vegetable is cooked until just done with minimal water, the coconut added at the end to preserve its freshness. Raw banana has a starchy, dense texture when cooked and a mild, subtly sweet flavour that absorbs the tempering's aromatics well. Considered one of the most nutritionally valuable vegetables in the Udupi kitchen; eaten with rice and huli as the standard vegetable side. Present at the Onam Sadya and all major Brahmin feasts.