Ripe Banana Gojju (sweet, sour and spicy)

Summer is here! As you all know that during this period, fruits and vegetables if not preserved properly will ripen fast and rot easily. It’s a shame to waste food under any circumstances.

Among the fruits, bananas ripen very fast. And since they are generally not preserved in the refrigerator, the best thing to do is to consume them fast or else they will over-ripe and when that happens, the peels of the banana turn black and the sight of which prevents you from eating it. But now there is a solution! You can prepare this tasty "gojju" from the over-ripened ones too!

This “gojju” is a very common dish among our GSB (Konkani speaking) community. However, there are different variations to it.  I learnt this version from my Mom.

This is served as a side dish. It also tastes good when eaten with phulkas or chapattis. The sweet, sour and spicy combo makes it very appealing. I remember one of my nephews (during his childhood days) who was so fond of this dish that he would allow the bananas to ripen so that “gojju” can be prepared and then he would relish it as a dessert !!

 

 Gojju with phulkas

Ingredients:

Banana (ripened)	1 large
Green chilies (chopped)	1or 2
Water	½ cup
Salt	As per taste
Lime juice	About 11/2 tsps
Seasoning Ingredients:
Ghee (clarified butter)	1 tsp
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig

Method:

1. In a bowl, place chopped green chilies and salt and roughly crush them.
2. Peel the banana. Cut them directly into the bowl containing the mixture of green chillies and salt.
3. Then with the help of potato masher, mash the banana well into the mixture.
4. Immediately add the lime juice. Next add salt and water and mix well and keep aside.
5. Now prepare the seasoning: In a small pan, heat the ghee on a low flame and add to it the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the curry leaves. Switch off the gas and immediately pour the entire contents onto the prepared banana mixture.
6. Mix well and serve.

  

Preparation time                          : 10 mins

Cooking (for seasoning) time      : 3 mins

Serves                                          : 2

Note:

• The addition of lime juice prevents the banana mash from discoloration and at the same time gives it a nice lemony flavour.
• For seasoning, you can use oil but Ghee is recommended as it gives a nice aroma to the dish.
• You can also use a blender to mash the bananas. Add lime juice while blending it.
• For those with a sweet tooth, can add sugar for that extra sweetness as per their taste. I would recommend jaggery (palm sugar) instead.