Kanch Kola Kofta r Dalna ( Plantain Balls Curry)

I love banana in all its form.. whether its banana, mocha (not coffee 😜),thor, or kanch kola. Mocha is the banana blossom which is very delicious when cooked with coconut or prawns. Thor (tho-o-r) is the banana tree stem. Finally, the kanch kola is the raw green banana. Green plantain is rich in iron. Its very nutritional. I try to include the kanchkola in my weekly meal plans. 

           Today I made this kanch kolar kofta r dalna. Kanch kola is also used to make "Shukto". The recipe for this delicious kofta recipe is very simple. This recipe has 2 parts.First you have to make the kofta balls and then you make the gravy to drop the fried kofta balls into it. The fried kofta balls can be freezed and can be used later. You can also eat the fried kofta balls as a starter as its yummy on its own.

Ingredients - 

For the koftas -

 Kanch Kola (Green Plantain) -  1 around 300 gm

 Potato (Boiled) -  2 medium sized

 Make a paste of Onion, Ginger, Coconut and Green Chilli.

 Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

 Coriander Powder -  1/2 tsp

 Salt

 Sugar

 Moida (Flour) - 2 tbsp

 Oil for frying

For the Dalna - 

 Ginger paste-1 tbsp

 Cumin Powder-1 tsp

 Coriander Powder -1 1tsp

 Kashmiri Chilli Powder-1/2 tsp

 Tomato  -  1 medium size turned to paste

 Green Chilli - 2

 Whole Garam Masala

 Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

 Salt 

 Sugar

 Ghee

Preparation of the Koftas - 

Cut the Kanch kola in 1.5 inch pieces and cut the potato into halves. In a pan add boiling water. Mix Salt and turmeric powder to the water. Then add the Kanch kola and potatoes in the water to boil. The turmeric powder is added to the kanch kola because kanch kola tends to become black in color.

You can use the pressure cooker to cook these kanch kola. If you are using pressure cooker 1 whistle will be sufficient to soften the veggies. Remember not to leave the kanch kola in the hot water for long as it will absorb moisture and will become too soft for koftas.

Take the kanch kola out in the plate and soak the excess water. Let it cool down a bit so that you can mash it. 

When the kanch kola and potatoes are cooling off , lets make the onion, coconut, ginger and chilli paste. Many avoid onions as it releases water but I think this paste increases the flavour of the koftas.

Peel the skin of the Kanch kola and potatoes. These are ready to be mashed. Add the powdered spices to the boiled kanch kola.

I prefer to use the hands for mashing.  After mashing the kanch kola first then I add the boiled potatoes to it. Mash the potatoes and mix well with kanch kola.

Now mix the masala paste with the mashed veggies. Add the flour and mix well. Flour acts as a binder and allow the kofta to retain its shape while frying.

Make all the balls and keep it in a plate. Heat oil and fry the kofta balls in batches. Fry the balls till they are dark brown on all sides.

The Kofta balls are ready. Now its time for the gravy. Heat the oil in the pan temper it with cumin seeds. Add the whole garam masala and wait till they splutter. Now add the tomato puree in the oil. Add the powder spices and ginger to the pan.

Sauté it on medium heat. Whenever the mixture dries out, add a splash of hot water and continue frying. Add the salt and 2 slit green green chillies, and after a couple of minutes add the sugar. Cover the pan and keep cooking the spices until oil separates.

       Now, you can add the hot water to the spices and form the gravy. Let the gravy boil for 5 min in medium heat. Then drop the kofta balls and simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn of the heat. Garnish with ghee, garam masala powder and coriander leaves.

      You can also add potatoes cubed to the gravy. I had aloo bhaate so I avoided adding any more potatoes to the gravy.  Serve hot with rice.