Patōl-Kancha Kalā’r Dalna and Playing Domestic Diva

I look forward to Mondays. So that I can get my home back in order. The husband has the knack of leaving things behind him. Just out of boarding school habit if not to annoy me, or so I’d like to believe.

He is not messy. He is just him.

And I consider it my domestic duty to get everything back in place, just so that we have some order for the rest of the week.

I am not finicky. I am just me.

So while I was making this easy Patōl-Kancha Kalā’r Dalna, I was also clearing up the aftermath of a weekend. And doing laundry.

Kancha Kalā is green banana. In North America, you can find it in Indian and Asian or Jamaican grocery stores. In India, specially in the eastern states of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and South India, its common to have a cluster of banana trees in the backyard of your home. Even the leaves of a banana tree are put to good use if you are cooking and dining the traditional way. Its also common to eat on banana leaves. Its a clever way not to do dishes after eating! That reminds me I am running out of dishwasher detergent.

Traditionally, this *Dalna is made with Patōl (parwal) and Alu (potato). But since I wanted to be this domestic goddess, I decided to use the green bananas!

Ingredients for Patōl-Kancha Kalā’r Dalna are:

4 parwal/patōl
2 raw/ green banana/ kancha kalā 
1 large, juicy tomato
1 knob of ginger, freshly grated
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Pinch of asafetida
1 teaspoon red chili powder
Half teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
Mustard oil
Sugar
Salt

Trim the “stem-my” edges off the parwal. With the back of a knife, scrape the surface a bit, making sure you don’t peel the beautiful dark skin of the vegetable. Cut the parwal into equal halves. Peel the green banana and cut into equal pieces. You can use potatoes cut into cubes instead of the bananas.

Heat oil in a wok release the parwal and green banana.
Get a little color on all sides, use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil.
 
In the same oil, add cumin seeds and asafetida. Let it temper for a few seconds. Now add coarsely chopped tomatoes, grated ginger, turmeric, red chili and coriander powder. Season with salt and a little pinch of sugar (I add about half a teaspoon).

Cover and cook till the ingredients start releasing their juices.

This is when its good to add the already sautéed parwal and green banana.
Mix everything well and add about a cup of water. Cover and cook till the vegetables are done.

The spices will cling on to the vegetables and you will also have ample sauce remaining in the dish. The Patōl-Kancha Kalā’r Dalna is a vegetarian main and should be eaten with rice or roti. 

A clean home smelling of aromatic spices. It sure does pay to be a domestic diva!

*Mixed vegetables or eggs, cooked in a medium thick gravy seasoned with ground spices.