Jain Vada Pav

Jains also love the raw banana because it is the closest substitute to potatoes and can be used by them to make awesome Vada Pav and Pav Bhaji amongst other tasty dishes!

Jain Pav Bhaji (using Raw Bananas)

Raw banana, as the name suggests is the raw stage of the banana. It is green in colour and firm, and cannot be eaten raw.

However, it lends itself to the preparation of several extremely tasty dishes. Known by names like vazhakaai and kaccha kela in Indian languages, raw banana is easily available in all parts of the country.

Pongal Kootu

Three popular jar snacks using raw bananas

Raw bananas can be used to make extremely tasty and crispy chips, with a texture and taste that is thicker and more rustic than potato wafers. This makes it very popular with Indians.

Banana chips can be made with normal raw bananas as well as with surti raw bananas, a special variety of Kerala bananas that are slightly yellowish in colour and have a distinctive flavour.

Yellow Banana Chips

You can easily make raw banana chips at home, seasoned deliciously with salt and red chilli powder or pepper. The surti banana chips are flavoured in a unique way by mixing the seasonings into the oil itself! This helps the zesty flavours to coat the chips uniformly.

Chana Dal Seekh Kebab Or How To Make Seekh Kebab Recipe

1. Yellow Banana Chips
2. Spicy Yellow Banana Chips
3. Banana Pepper Wafers

Spicy Yellow Banana Chips, Banana Wafers, Raw Banana Wafers

South Indian recipes using raw bananas 

Not a week passes in a South Indian home without raw banana being cooked in some form, be it as crunchy bhajiyas, a spicy curry or crispy wafers.

1. Kai Kutan, Raw Banana Coconut Curry : A traditional preparation from Kerala where "kai" means plantain and 'kutan' means curry. 

Kai Kutan, Raw Banana Coconut Curry

2. Avial is a dish that originated in kerala, but gained an equal fanfare in tamilnadu as well. Rare is the wedding or festive menu that does not include avial!

Avial

3. Kacche Kele ki Errisery : Go south with Errisery! This variation of the popular south Indian dry vegetable dish uses raw bananas whose bland taste accentuates the spiciness of the tadka.

Kacche Kele ki Errisery

4. Banana Pepper Wafers : Crisp and flavourful Banana Pepper Wafers taste best when made the traditional way! Here, salt is added to the oil to ensure even coating on all the wafers.

Banana Pepper Wafers

Sabzis using raw bananas 

1. Raw Banana Methi Subzi : This unique recipe transforms raw bananas into a tongue-tickling delicacy! Indeed, the addition of fenugreek leaves gives the raw bananas a total makeover, enhancing its flavour and aroma to a great extent. 

Raw Banana Methi Subzi

Handling Raw Bananas

Unless your recipe specifically calls for mildly-sweet or slightly-ripe raw bananas, you have to use fresh, green and firm raw bananas.

Normally, the raw bananas will start ripening in a day or two and the flavour will change after that. It might take longer in winter to ripen.

Oondhiya

Nevertheless, it is better to buy the raw bananas on the day of cooking or a day before. It is preferable to store them at room temperature, but if the weather is too hot, you can store the raw banana in your refrigerator’s vegetable tray in a paper or cloth bag, for a day or two.

Enjoy our  raw banana recipes | raw banana Indian recipe collection | below.