For all you banana lovers like me, I would like to share this wonderful recipe of the Pazha varatti.
Pazham means banana in Tamil/Malayalam and Varatti means cook until dry.
Usually Pazha varathi is made with Nendram pazham (the Bigger sized Bananas mostly eaten by Keralaites). Banana is an integral part of any Kerala meal and it is said to aid in digestion. No Banana leaf meal is complete without the humble banana.
In my recipe, I used the regular banana. I had 3 big size bananas which had become over ripe
I had 3 over ripe bananas lying. I would have had to throw them so decided to make this beautiful banana Halwa known as Pazhavarathi in Kerala.
Ingredients
Bananas - 3
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Jaggery - 2 cubes if grated about 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1- 2 tsps
and cashews for garnish/decoration.
Method
Peel and mash the bananas and puree it in a mixer/blender. The bananas in my recipe were over ripe so I could skip this step.
Melt the jaggery, once melted, add the mashed ripe/overripe bananas, mix well,
Add a teaspoon of ghee and keep stirring until there's no more water and the Halwa leaves the sides of the pan.
Once done, add a teaspoon of ghee for the glaze and then stir once and serve. Garnish with cashew for decoration.
Tastes yum👌
Peel and mash the bananas and puree it in a mixer/blender. The bananas in my recipe were over ripe so I could skip this step.
Melt the jaggery, once melted, add the mashed ripe/overripe bananas, mix well,
Add a teaspoon of ghee and keep stirring until there's no more water and the Halwa leaves the sides of the pan.
Once done, add a teaspoon of ghee for the glaze and then stir once and serve. Garnish with cashew for decoration.
Tastes yum👌
Serving Instructions
· Pour into a greased cake tin and allow it to set and cut to desired shape and serve
· You can serve it in a bowl.
Tips
· It’s best to make this halwa in a non-stick pan as the banana sticks to the bottom of the pan a lot.
· If using Nendram pazham you need to steam cook the banana before Mashing/ Pureeing it.
· You can either mash or Puree the banana.
· I like a bit of natural banana feel to it hence I don’t puree in the mixie.
VARIATIONS
· Pour into a greased cake tin and allow it to set and cut to desired shape and serve
· You can serve it in a bowl.
Tips
· It’s best to make this halwa in a non-stick pan as the banana sticks to the bottom of the pan a lot.
· If using Nendram pazham you need to steam cook the banana before Mashing/ Pureeing it.
· You can either mash or Puree the banana.
· I like a bit of natural banana feel to it hence I don’t puree in the mixie.
VARIATIONS
- You can add a 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut