I don’t think I have ever woken up without the aroma of the plantains simmering in palm jaggery when I had Vishu mornings with my parents. There was always nedrapazham in the fruit basket. Then there was always lots of jaggery kind of it was no surprise. Over a period of time, I moved out, new traditions came in and the pazham nuruuku slowly got forgotten about.
Of late I do think, nostalgia creeps up faster coz I know I can be crossing borders that fast. So the pazham nurukku found itself back into my kitchen
Plantains vs banana
Here we are literally talking about two different textures, flavour profiles and starchy feels. The yellow banana that we are commonly used to having as such, in smoothies or as banana bread have a thinner peel and a softer texture. The plantains are much harder, not mushy, with tougher skin. The bananas are certainly sweeter, taste more sugary. While eating the plantains you are going to taste the starchy elements more. It is this starchy feel that allows it to hold together when you steam or cook them. There is no doubt the plantain is sweet you will have to wait till the skin turns dark and then it becomes honey sweet. Nutritionally, both are excellent potassium sources and loads of healthy carbs. They have high sugar levels too as the starchy will further break down. In a nutshell, this is Plantains vs banana.
Related recipe: plantain banana chips
This year Vishu we are planning to have a bit of the pazham nurukku for breakfast. The children’s actually loved it better than the steamed plantain bananas. This had a halwa kind of sweetness so I guess that went well. You can make this with frozen ripe plantains as well. Comes out a bit softer than the fresh ones. Serve it for dessert after dinner with a dollop of ice cream. Drizzle the leftover syrup on the ice cream. Tastes better than butterscotch.
Enjoy your Vishu and share with us what makes your celebration special. Stay with us on the next post.
Pazham nurukku
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized plantain bananas
- 1/2 cup jaggery crushed
- 1/4 cup drinking water
- 1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
Instructions
- Wash and peel the plantains.
- Slice it into 1/2 inch thick slices.
- Add this to a hot frying pan ( nonstick better) and let it sear.
- Add the water to it and set this to a boil.
- As the water boils, add the crushed jaggery.
- Let it simmer till the plantain is fork tender and the jaggery coats well on it.
- Add the cardamom powder and ghee.
- Mix well. Now the jaggery coating sticks better on the plantains.
- Remove the slices into a serving dish and the dessert is ready to serve.
so yummy!! i love it! i ll definitely try it!!
Thankyou and I will love to hear your feedback.
Pazham Nurukku is quite a unique recipe to me. Will try it out. I am sure it tastes great with icecream too. The flavors of cardamom blend well with jaggery.
Please do. Traditionally icecream is not added to this recipe. It is a swap I suggested to entice the kids to try it.
Pazham Nurukku is an interesting way to enjoy plantain with jaggery. With ice cream I will never say no to this halwa like dish. Interestingly, at the Kenyan coast it is common to cook plantain in coconut with sugar and enjoy it as a dessert.
The more I read about traditional cuisines in similar climatic conditions the more I feel they are unified still their divergent styles. Share your recipe while you try mine.
Having kids who love the traditional food is just awesome. Lovely recipe. Will try for my kiddos too.
Kids may need to be shown multiple times before they try, but never give up as you never know when they will like it better. Please do try with your child, let us know if you had to tweak the recipe.
Pazham Nurukku is certainly a unique recipe that uses very less oil/ ghee/ butter. I am sure it tastes great with grated coocnut. I loved the addition of jaggery here. Super yummy.
Traditionally jaggery is the one that coats the pazham nurukku and very little ghee just to give a finish is added, unlike a halwa. Hence both these are here in teh recipe. I have never tried pazham nurukku with grated coconut, but I am sure it will taste amazing. Let me know how it goes for you.
This is one of my favorite snacks when I was a kid even now. This brings nostalgic memories.