Plantain Stem Recipe ( Kerala Style - Upperi )

In Kerala we have so many recipes with which we cook plantain stems. Most of the keralites have banana / plantain trees in their homes and so the stem is available everywhere. This is one such recipe.

Ingredients for the upperi:
1 tender bit of Plantain stem ( 2 cups chopped )
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
Coriander leaves (optional )
Salt
¼ Cup Rice ( roasted and powdered)
1 ½ tsp pepper powder
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp split black gram dal ( broken dal will be better )
handful curry leaves pinched into bits
2 tsp oil

Method:
 
Clean and remove fibre from plantain stem.  Chop them into small pieces and place in a bowl of  salted water otherwise the colour will get brownish.
Fry the rice in a pan until it turns crispy and golden. Dry Grind to a nice powder.
Boil the chopped plantain stem in 2 cups of water with turmeric powder and salt. Once it’s cooked, remove and drain the water.
Heat oil in a pan splutter mustard seeds and add black gram dal, curry leaves, pepper powder and the ground rice powder. Sauté it for 2 minutes, finally add the cooked plantain stem and mix them well.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Plantain is ready to be served as a side dish with rice and rotis.