South Indian Plantain Coconut Curry

I've been wanting to make something new and interesting (to me) with an Indian vegetable that I haven't cooked with before. And having never cooked with plantains, and coming across various plantain recipes in my Indian cookbooks lately, I knew it was time for me to try my hands at them. I've eaten them on various occasions in Kerala, India, when I was visiting. In fact, I kind of went nuts for the whole thali concept there and had a gigantic thali meal everyday with SO MANY vegetables that it was a little ridiculous how much produce I was consuming everyday. If you've never heard of thali, it's basically a large round stainless steel plate filled with little katoris (aka stainless steel bowls) that have various stir fries, dals, rasams(soups) and curries along with yogurt, pickle, papad (rice/lentil crackers) and a little dessert, which is strangely enough eaten first....a concept I completely approve of, lol!

That trip to Kerala was my husband's first trip to India and I think he fared very well eating like a local with his hands, drinking tons of coconut water and eating fresh tropical fruit at every chance. That trip to India, for me, was by far the best since I felt like I got to see the country from a different perspective showing my husband around. I was able to see both the good and the bad whereas before I was more liable to only see the bad. It made me appreciate India even more and these days I get home sick pretty often knowing what all I'm missing.
This plantain curry is fragrant with curry leaves tempered oil and creamy from the coconut milk. The tomatoes add a nice sourness to balance out the richness of the coconut milk and the toothsome plantain pieces offer the perfect texture against this creamy sauce backdrop. Try it with some rice, yogurt and pickle for a truly authentic south Indian experience.

Recipe adapted from Fresh India, Meera Sodha
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3  tbsp desiccated dry coconut
3 tbsp coconut oil, divided use
1.5 tsp black mustard seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves, divided use
12 oz (or 3/4 lb) shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2.5 tsp sea salt
4 large cloves garlic, grated
1.5 lbs red tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges
1.5 tsp red chile powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 plantains (about 2.5 lbs weight total), washed with peel on
1 15 oz can coconut milk
1 cup water

Procedure:
Heat a large saucepan 9about 5-6 quarts) on medium high and add coriander and cumin seeds. Taste stirring often, until the seeds start turning brown. Lower the heat to medium low and add desiccated coconut and stir continuously until it turns a light brown. Immediately remove this spice mixture to another container and grind to a fine powder once cool. Set aside. Heat 2 tbsp oil int the same on medium high heat and add mustard seeds and one rig of curry leaf. Once the mustard seeds start popping, add the shallots and cook stirring frequently till a light brown, about 6 minutes. Add salt and garlic and cook for 2 minute more mixing it in thoroughly. Add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium. Scrape the pan bottom so all the burnt bits are incorporated and cook the tomatoes until they become jammu and collapse, about 6 minutes. In the meantime, cut the ends of the plantains and cut each plantain into four equal pieces. Cut each of this piece into half lengthwise. Once the tomatoes are done, add the ground spice mixture along with the red chile powder and turmeric and mix it in. Peel the plantains and add them quickly to the tomatoes along with the coconut milk and water. Mix it throughly and cover and cook on medium low for 25-30 minutes or until the plantains are tender enough for a knife to pierce them easily. It might take 10 to 30 minutes depending on the ripeness of the plantain, so keep checking. Once done, take the pot off the stove. In a small pot, heat 1 tbsp of the coconut oil on high and once hot, add the other curry leaf sprig and cover with a lid. Start shaking the pan constantly so the curry leaves get the oil all over the leaves. Once the popping/sputtering of the leaves attars to die down, pour this oil over the plantain curry. Mix before you serve. Best served with rice, yogurt and an Indian pickle.