Go Back

Curry Leaves & Tamarind Rice in Banana Leaves - Gut-Friendly

Khushboo Jain Tibrewala
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Baking 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, South Indian
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Coconut Rice

  • 3 cup Boiled White Rice soak for 30 minutes before boiling
  • 1 cup Coconut grated
  • 1 cup Coriander leaves chopped
  • Salt

Curry leaves and Tamarind Curry

  • 2 inch Coconut
  • 1 cup Tamarind Juice
  • 1 tbsp Jaggery
  • 1 big Onion chopped into 1 cm cubes
  • 2 cups Curry Leaves
  • 1 tsp Methi dana or Fenugreek Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Coriader seeds
  • 3-4 Dried Red Chillies
  • 1 tbsp Urad Dal
  • 3 cups Mixed Vegetables (Carrots, bottle gourd, french beans)
  • 2 cups Water
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp Sesame Oil filtered or cold-pressed
  • Salt

Tempering

  • 2 tsp Sesame Oil filtered or cold-pressed
  • 1 sprig Curry Leaves
  • 1 tbsp Urad Dal
  • 1 tbsp Mustard Seeds

Wrapping the Rice

  • 2 whole Banana Leaves torn into big squares
  • raw thread or toothpicks

Instructions
 

Coconut Rice

  • Mix the rice with salt, coriander and coconut with light hands and keep aside.

Curry

  • Chop the vegetables, rub some oil on them and bake them at 200 degress for 20 minutes, till the edges turn golden brown
  • Dry roast red chilli, methi seed, urad dal and coriander seeds. Cool and grind along with coconut and curry leaves into a smooth paste.
  • In a kadhai, heat oil. Add chopped onion and cook on high flame till they turn slightly brown. Now add tamarind juice, salt and turmeric. Let this boil for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the spice mixture and jaggery. This needs to now boil for a good 6-8 minutes.
  • Now add the oven-roasted vegetables. Taste and adjust for salt.
  • Adjust gravy consistency with water. It needs to be slightly thinner than cake batter. Boil the curry till the aromas are all released and are strong!

Tempering

  • Heat oil, add all the ingredients and let them cook.

Assembling

  • Wash and tear the banana leaves into squares
  • Place some rice and then a layer of the curry and then some more rice. Now put a spoonful of the tempering.
  • Fold in the leaf from all four sides like a gift box and tie thread around to hold the leaves in place. You can use toothpick for this as well.
  • Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes
  • Serve hot with some curd and maybe even pappadums.
Keyword anti-inflammatory, antioxidant rich, banana leaves, gut friendly, local foods, rice, tamarind