Pazham Nirachathu / Stuffed Plantains

Today also i am posting another famous snack from Malabar "Pazham Nirachathu" / Stuffed Plantain. This is a very tasty and inevitable snack prepared for evening tea time. This is one of the important snack served during Iftar (nombhu thura/ breaking the Ramadan fast) in Malabar. This snack is prepared by stuffing a mixture of coconut , sugar, cardamom, cashews , raisins and sugar. Slit open the plantains and stuff the filling and shallow fry in oil.

Scroll down for the full recipe...

Ingredients

1. Ripe Kerala Plantain - 3 nos.(not too ripe)
2. Grated coconut - 1 1/2 cups
3. Sugar - 1/2 cup (add more if you need )
4. Cardamom pods crushed- 5-6
5. Cashew nuts roughly chopped - 2 Tbsp
6. Raisins - 2 Tbsp
7. Ghee - 1 1/2 Tbsp
8. Oil - for frying
9. All purpose flour/ Maida - 1/4 cup
10. A pinch of salt
11. Water - to make a thick paste

Preparation

• Heat ghee in a frying pan, add the chopped cashew nuts until golden brown. Transfer them to a paper towel.
• Add the raisins, let them puff up like cute little balls. Remove them to the paper towel before they get charred. Keep aside.
• To this ghee add the grated coconut, saute for 2-3 minutes add sugar and crushed cardamom. Mix the cashew nuts and raisins and keep the filling aside. 
• In a bowl mix maida , salt and water to make a thick paste to cover the slits of the banana.
• Now peel the plantains. Make a shallow slit lengthwise in the center of the plantain. The depth of the slit should be made until it reaches the center of the plantain.(Do not cut open the slit.). Now make another slit nearer to that, about 2 inches width. Remove the piece from the banana.
• Now using spoon , fill in the prepared coconut mixture into that gap. Press them tight using your fingers. Now cover it with the piece that you have removed from the plantain.Seal the gap with the maida paste.
• Repeat the same with the other plantains.
• Heat oil in a kadai/ non-stick pan for frying on a medium flame.
• Fry the stuffed plantains, until golden brown. 
• Carefully flip the sides in between.
• Drain them on a kitchen towel.
• Sere it hot with a cup of tea / coffee..

Notes :

• Do not use too ripe plantains, as it will absorb too much oil and hard to hold.
• Instead of coconut, we also use a mix of scrambled eggs, sugar, cardamom and nuts-raisins 

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