MahaSpice

Raw Banana Stew- Saraswat Style

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The “Saraswat” community is believed to have descended from the Hindu Brahmin caste. The name “Saraswat” is derived from the river “Sarasvati”, which is now thought to have vanished. The people who lived on the banks of the river ‘Sarasvati’ later migrated to different parts of India. The majority of them speak ‘Konkani’ with dialects being Goan Konkani or Maharashtrian Konkani. In the past 5-6 decades, majority of Saraswats from Goa, Karnataka or Konkan have settled in Mumbai and hence, today, quite a lot of them speak the regular Marathi language.

The Saraswat cuisine stems from the coastal region including some regions from Karnataka, Goa, Daman, etc. The GSB love fish and other seafood in their diet, which they call sea vegetables or even fruits of the sea. Some of them are pure vegetarians and do not eat fish or meat. The prominent ingredient used in their meals is coconut. Apart from that, they have their own variant of masala- “Saraswat Masala” which is prepared by using ingredients like black pepper, red chilies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon, etc. This masala or spice blend is used in day-to-day recipes.

Here’s one of my favourite recipes from the Saraswat cuisine-

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 raw bananas
  • ½ cup grated coconut
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 inch tamarind
  • Curry leaves
  • 2-3 dried red chillies
  • 1-2 teaspoon Maha Saraswat Masala
  • Salt as required
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (optional)
  • 1-2 tablespoon coconut oil
  • Coriander to garnish
  • Water for gravy.

Process:

  1. Wash and roughly chop the raw bananas without peeling off the skin. (medium chops)
  2. Pressure-cook them for 3-4 whistles. Take it out, let it cool down, and then, peel off the skin.
  3. Meanwhile, in a mixer jar add grated coconut, coriander-cumin seeds, tamarind and red chillies and blend to make a fine and smooth paste.
  4. Heat the coconut oil in an earthen pot (optional); fry curry leaves then add the prepared paste and ‘Maha Saraswat Masala’ and sauté for 5-8 mins on medium-low flame. Stir occasionally.
  5. Add the chopped bananas and cover with a lid and let it simmer for a while on a low flame.
  6. Towards the end, you may add coconut milk (optional). Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
  7. Serve hot with steamed rice or rice bhakri/ chapatti/ bread.