Pazham Nirachathu/Stuffed Plantains - Yet Another traditional snack all the way fromThalassery/Malabar

Yet another delicious snack from my own homeland, Thalassery/Malabar - commonly known as Pazham Nirachathu/Stuffed Plantains. Pazham Nirachathu is normally served as a tea time snack and is very popular during Eid/Ifthar parties. This is little bit similar to Pazham Pori/Plantain Fritters, but has sweet filling stuffed inside.

Ingredients:

1. Ripe Plantains – 3
2. Grated Coconut – ¾ Cup
3. Sugar – 4tbsp
4. Broken Cashews few
5. Raisins few(I didn’t have them handy, so used only cashews)
6. Ghee – 1 tsp
7. Cardamom powder – ¾ tsp
8. All purpose flour – ¼ Cup 
9. Rice flour – 2 tbsp
10. A pinch of salt
11. Water – ¼ cup(Just enough to make thick batter to coat the plantains)
12. Oil to deep fry

Preparation Method:
Filling:-

• Heat a frying pan, add ghee and fry the chopped cashew until golden color, drain them out on a paper towel.
• Add the raisins, saute for few seconds until puffy. Remove them and set aside with the cashews.
• Add grated coconut to the same pan and saute well till the cocnut turn golden brown and start releasing nice aroma of the coconut. Add the crushed cardamom and stir well.
• Add sugar to this and saute tell till they blend. Set aside till ready to use.

Setting plantains:-

• Peel the plantains. Make a long vertical slit on each bananas that reaches the center of the plantains(near black seeds).
• With the sharp edge of the knife remove the black seeds of the bananas. Use your finger to make a proper opening to fill in the stuffing.
• Now take the filling, stuff the filling using spoon or fingers and press them tight. Repeat the process for rest of the bananas Keep them aside.

Batter Preparation to coat the plantains:

• In a bowl mix together, Maida/All purpose plain flour, rice flour, sugar and salt. Add water little by little and mix well using a wire whisk to make a lump free thick batter

Pictorial Process Of Making Pazham Nirachathu

Final Assembling:-

• Heat a deep frying pan and fill it with oil.
• Dip the plantains in the batter completely and slowly place them in the oil using tongs or very carefully with your hands.
• When one side turns golden, turn over the plantains slowly. Fry other side also until golden brown. Drain them on kitchen towel and serve warm in slices along with tea.

Notes:

1. At many households, the sweet filling is also made using scrambled egg and sugar instead of coconut, so you swap coconut for egg and make the filling as well.
2. While coating the bananas you can either dip the stuffed bananas in the batter and deep fry or you can coat only the area where the slit was made to stuff the bananas. I prefer to dip the bananas in the batter and deep fry.