Bengali Raw Banana & Papaya Curry

I grew up eating Kaancha Kola aar Peper (pey-pey- eir) dalna (Raw Banana and Papaya Curry). We had Banana and Papaya trees in the garden and my mom would cook this curry regularly much to our protest. With "it's good for you" our protests were overruled by my mother. When I came to the US, I didn't make it for the longest time, and just recently, during my conversation with my mother, she mentioned that she made it for lunch. And all of a sudden, I longed for that taste again!

And to my surprise, I took down the recipe and decided to make it soon. My dad suggested mushuri daler bora (masoor dal pakoda) in the curry. "Too much work, dad," I protested. He said "put it in the curry and tell everyone it was my suggestion." I'm glad I took his suggestion! So for JFI:Banana, here is my final entry - a simple, regular lunch item from my mother's kitchen Kaach Kola aar Peper Dalna. It is delicious. I cooked the banana with the skin on because of the nutrients in the skin. Raw Banana is usually skinned for this curry.

Ingredients: (for 3-4 servings)
For Curry
2 raw bananas
1/2 medium raw papaya
2-3 small potatoes
1 small tomato
1" ginger
2 green chillies
1 tspoon cumin seeds
1/2 tspoon turmeric
1/4 tspoon sugar
1/2 tspoon coriander powder
2 tbspoon Oil
1/2 tspoon ghee
Salt to taste

For Dal Bora
1 handful masoor dal
1 big clove Garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbspoon Oil

Method:
For Dal Bora
Soak the dal in warm water for 30-45 min. Then grind it finely with garlic, salt and pepper. Traditionally, the batter is then deep fried as small round balls (bora) and then added to the curry. I shallow fried it in a medium deep pan, hence using only 2 tablespoons oil.
Set it on a paper towel to soak excess oil.

For Curry:
Chop raw banana, papaya, potatoes into medium cubes and saute them. Set them aside. Grind the ginger and green chillies to a paste.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and temper it with cumin seeds. Then add the ginger and chilli paste. Then add the small tomato and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Add the banana and potato cubes and let cook together on medium low heat for 4-5 minutes. Then add the raw papaya, turmeric, coriander powder, 1 1/4 cup water and let it cook 6-7 minutes on closed lid. When the curry is boiling add the bora/padoas in. Add salt and let it cook for 2-3 minutes or till the veggies are cooked but not mushy.

Add the sugar and 1/2 tspoon ghee and take it off the heat. Serve warm with roti or chapptis.