Kela nu Shaak (Banana Curry)

This curry really surprised me! I've eyed the recipe several times over the years. I always had my doubts about it. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it. Curried bananas just seemed too weird! I mean, I like curry and I like bananas, but I was not convinced that those would be two great tastes that taste great together.

Just goes to show what I know! This was delicious! Sadly the Kidlet didn't care for it, but TF and I both really liked it. So much so that we'll probably make a double batch next time. Who knew that curried bananas could be so delicious?! (Well, aside from Iyer and the Gujarati people, of course.)

And, not only is this curry very good, it's also very quick and very easy! The whole thing comes together in ~15 minutes and requires only eight ingredients. And the only things that need to be chopped are the bananas and the cilantro, so there's almost no prep!

Kela nu Shaak

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, stems removed
• 2 firm-ripe bananas, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. ground Kashmiri or cayenne chilies
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin and chilies and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds.
3. Add the banana, salt, turmeric, and ground chilies, cover, and reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.