Achar Kela Recipe | Raw Banana Achar Masala | Vazhaikkai Masala Recipe (2024)

Achar Kela, a delicious dry curry made with plantain (raw banana) and freshly ground achar masala powder. We usually make simple vazhakkai poriyal with coconut or a roasted raw banana which goes well for most of the South Indian Main courses. But for Pulao, it would be nice if we have a spicy and masala rich stir-fry. Pulao is usually mild in spice and hence we need either a spicy gravy or dry curry. This Raw banana Achar Masala is one the perfect accompaniment for pulao. In this dry curry, sliced plantains are half-cooked and then concocted with onions and achar masala till they are soft. The flavor of the freshly ground achar masala gives a unique taste to the dry curry. Relish with pulao or roti and enjoy this dry curry!

Tips for making Achar Kela:

• Pre-cooking raw banana is optional. But some plantains take more time or becomes more stiff if cooked with spices. So half-cooked raw banana are easier to concoct with rest of the masala.
• For achar masala, we can add amchoor and onion seeds (Kalonji).
• Dry roast in medium flame so that the ingredients doesn’t get burnt.
• If you include amchoor in achar masala, we can skip lemon juice or adjust the quantity as needed.
• Gently mix half-cooked raw banana pieces with masala without mushing them.

You may also want to try:

• Vazhakkai Mezhukkuperatti
• Raw Banana Poriyal
• Raw Banana Podimas
• Vazhakkai Podi
• Raw Banana Bajji

Recipe Card for Achar Kela Recipe | Raw Banana Achar Masala | Vazhaikkai Masala Recipe:

INSTRUCTIONS WITH STEP BY STEP PICTURES:

PREPARING ACHAR MASALA

• Heat a pan, add corianders seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, kashmiri red chili and normal red chili.

• Dry roast everything in medium flame till you get a nice aroma and the coriander seeds turn slightly brown.

• Allow the roasted ingredients to cool off and then take it to mixer jar.

• Grind the roasted ingredients to smooth powder.

COOKING RAW BANANA

• Wash and peel the skin of raw banana. Slit in half and then chop it in 1/2″ thick pieces. Take the raw banana slices in a sauce pan. Add water to soak the raw banana.Also add a pinch of turmeric of 1/2 tsp salt to the sauce pan. Keep the sauce pan on flame and cook the raw banana for 5 mins.

• Strain water and set the pre-cooked Raw banana aside.

START WITH TEMPERING

• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to sputter. Also add few curry leaves and give a mix.

• To this, now add chopped onion and give a good mix. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute the onions till they are translucent.

• When the onions become translucent, add the pre-cooked Raw banana slices. Gently give a mix.

MAKING ACHAR KELA MASALA

• Next, add turmeric powder, ground achar masala and salt. Give everything a good mix. Gently mix so that the cooked raw banana pieces don’t become mushy.

• Keep in low flame and cook for 5 mins. The masalas gets combined well and raw banana gets cooked with masala nicely.

• Finally garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the flame. Allow it to cool for 2 mins and then add lemon juice and give a final mix.

• Delicious Achar Kela is now ready to serve!

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