Banana Curry (Kela ki Kari) à la Santa Maria
This is a simple, slightly surprising curry, learned young and cooked often. It was one of the first vegetarian recipes I embraced and I picked it up from a Jack Santa-Maria cookbooks of John's. It comes together quickly, uses few ingredients, and tastes better than it has any right to. I frequently cooked it at university, at a time when I was learning to feed vegetarian flatmates.
Servings 4
Equipment
- Pestle and Mortar
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp chilli or paprika
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 3 Tbsp ghee
- 2 onions chopped
- 6 bananas sliced
- 2 Tbsp yoghurt
- 1 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Grind the garlic, salt, chilli or paprika, coriander seeds and turmeric to a paste.4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp chilli, 2 tsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp turmeric
- Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the onions until golden. Stir in the spice paste and fry for a few minutes, letting it lose its raw edge.3 Tbsp ghee, 2 onions
- Add the bananas and cook gently until they begin to brown. Stir in the yoghurt and garam masala, and continue cooking until the bananas are soft. Add a little hot water if necessary.6 bananas, 2 Tbsp yoghurt, 1 tsp garam masala
- Serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves, with rice.