Fresh Raw Green Banana 400-500g (Plantain)

Fresh raw green banana, 400–500g — the cooking banana, known as plantain, kaccha kela, vaazhai kai or aratikaya, and in German as Kochbanane or grüne Banane.

Picked unripe, it is starchy rather than sweet and behaves much more like a potato than like fruit. South Indian kitchens use it for vazhakkai poriyal and fry, for Kerala thoran and avial, for Andhra aratikaya curry and for crisp banana chips; Bengali cooking turns it into kanchkola kofta.

Peel under running water or with oiled hands — the raw skin gives off a sticky sap — and drop the cut pieces into water with a little turmeric to stop them darkening. Store at room temperature or in the fridge and use within a few days, before the skin starts to yellow.