Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Sri Lankan Fried Ash Plantain Curry (Badapu Alu Kesel Kari)! Sri Lankan cuisine is known for delicious curries. This unique Sri Lankan-style plantain curry is flavored with fragrant spices, local herbs, and coconut milk that goes well with any rice and curry meal. It is plant-based, vegan, and filling.
Sri Lankan Fried Ash Plantain Curry
(Badapu Alu Kesel Kari)
Have you ever tried green plantain curry? In this post, I’ll show you how to make Sri Lankan-style ‘Fried Ash Plantain Curry’ the easy way at home from scratch. Here you’ll find an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step instructions, helpful info plus top tips. I hope you will try the recipe and enjoy ‘Badapu Alu Kesel Kari’ as much as I do!! It is easy to make just takes around 30 minutes and goes well with any rice and curry meal.
Click Here for More Sri Lankan Recipes!
What is Fried Ash Plantain Curry
(Badapu Alu Kesel Kari)
In Sri Lanka, ash plantain, a variety of plantains, is commonly used for making curry and savory dishes.
You can make Ash Plantain Curry (Alu Kesel Kari) either with raw plantains or with deep-fried plantains. Both are cooked in a coconut milk-based gravy flavored with spices and herbs.
In this recipe, I used fried ash plantains, so it is called ‘Badapu Alu Kesel Kari’ (Fried Ash Plantain Curry) and it is a part of the famous Sri Lankan rice and curry dish known as Lamprais.
In Sinhalese, Fried = Badapu
Ash plantains = Alu Kesel
Curry = Kari, Kariya, Kariyak
Fried Ash Plantain Curry = Badapu Alu Kesel Kari
Notes: In Sinhalese, curry is also called Vanjanaya, Vyanjanaya, Maluwa, etc.
Fried Plantain Curry is a part of the famous
Sri Lankan rice and curry dish known as Lamprais!
What are Plantains?
While most of us are familiar with the banana, not many know the plantain. I was curious about ‘plantain’, so I googled it.
Are plantains and bananas the same thing? The answer is NO because they are quite different.
Sweet bananas, known as ‘dessert bananas’, are sweet, and have a soft creamy texture and a soft peel, so they are commonly eaten raw as fresh fruit when the fruit has ripened.
Plantains are members of the banana family, but, have a thicker peel, are much starchier, and are not as sweet as bananas, so they are treated more like vegetables like potatoes or yams and must be cooked (boiled, fried, baked) before eating.
In many South Asian, African, Caribbean, and Latin American cuisines, plantains are commonly used in savory recipes such as stews, soups, and fried meals.
What are Ash Plantains?
You may have heard of plantains, but have you ever heard of Ash Plantains? Ash plantains are a unique variety of plantains that are native to Southeast Asia and are typically found in Southern India and Sri Lanka.
They are shorter and have thick skin with white, starchy, and firm flesh. The dusty coating on the plantain’s surface gives it the appearance of being covered in ash, so it is called ash plantain.
Both the flesh and the raw peel of the fruit and the flower of the tree are used as a vegetable for making a variety of Sri Lankan curries and savory dishes. In addition to the fruit, the leaves of the tree are also used to wrap and cook food.
Ash Plantain Substitute
If you cannot find Ash Plantains, you can substitute some varieties of ‘Green plantains’ or ‘Cooking bananas’ for them.Here in Japan, it’s not always easy to find ‘Ash Plantains’, so I have sometimes used Cardava Bananas, or Saba bananas, two varieties of cooking bananas from the Philippines.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. For the quantities of each ingredient, check the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Fresh Ingredients
- Ash plantain (or green plantain)
- Onion or shallots
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Curry leaves (if not available, skip)
- Pandan leaves (if not available, skip)
- Green chilies (if not available, skip)
Spices
- Mustard seeds
- Turmeric
- Chili powder
- Salt
- Sri Lankan curry powder (Scroll down to read more)
- Fenugreek seeds
Other
- Cooking oil
- Coconut milk
- Lemon/lime juice (optional)
- Sugar (optional)
Sri Lankan Curry Powder
In this recipe, I used basic curry powder (Thunapaha) because I do not want the spices to be too strong when I make vegetable curries.
You can also use roasted or unroasted curry powder according to your preferences or experiment with other curry powders available other than Sri Lankan curry powders.
Here are the Sri Lankan Curry Powder recipes
- Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder (With Whole Spices)
- Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder (With Ground Spices)
- Sri Lankan Unroasted Curry Powder (With Ground Spices)
- Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder (With Whole Spices)
How Do I Make Fried Plantain Curry?
In Sri Lanka, curries are traditionally cooked in clay pots, and curries cooked in clay pots taste so good. So, I usually cook all my curries in clay pots and highly recommend using clay pots for cooking curries.
I made this curry as a part of Lampraise, a Sri Lankan special rice & curry dish, so I cooked the curry over low heat until there was less gravy. However, feel free to adjust the thickness of curry gravy as you like.
The dish comes together in three stages. First, you need to deep-fry the sliced ash plantains until cooked through and lightly browned not crisp. You can also bake them to make a bit healthier version if you like it that way.
Next, you make the coconut-based curry gravy flavoring it with local spices and herbs, and then cook the fried plantains in the gravy.
When preparing Ash plantains, you need to peel the outer skin from the flesh. Plantains have thick skins which is a bit difficult to remove and it can be intimidating if you haven’t cooked with green plantains before. It takes a bit of practice.
Useful Tips
Preparation
- Unripe plantains are the best to make Sri Lankan-style plantain curry as they have the lowest sugar content. However, you can also use plantains that just start ripening with a bit of sweetness.
- Plantains tend to get brown when cut or peeled. One of the easiest things you can do to prevent browning is to submerge the cut or peeled plantain in salted water.
- I usually cut them into thick slices diagonally around 2 cm. Cutting them to the same size will help all the eggplant slices to fry evenly.
- Mixing the cut slices with turmeric powder and salt avoids the browning while giving a nice flavor.
Deep-frying
- Deep fry the plantains until cooked through, lightly brown but not crisp.
- Make sure to adjust the oil heat throughout the cooking process.
- Fry them in smaller batches or else they take longer to cook and absorb too much oil as a result make them soggy.
Cooking
- How spicy or mild you want your curry is completely up to you. If you want it to be less spicy, simply reduce chili powder and skip the green chilies.
- Make sure to stir the curry occasionally throughout the cooking process.
- Adding some fresh lime juice at the end of cooking adds nice flavor and sourness but is optional.
- Adding some sugar to the gravy adds nice sweetness but is optional.
- After cooking, let the curry sit for a while as it helps the fish to absorb the flavors and thicken the gravy.
Serving Suggestions
It’s a great accompaniment to have with Sri Lankan-style rice and curry meal. However, it also goes well with just plain rice or a piece of bread.
Make Lamprais
Badapu Alu Kesel Curry is also a part of Lamprais, a Sri Lankan special rice & curry dish.
Lamprais consist of Dunthel Bath (Ghee Rice) or Kaha Bath (Yellow Rice), Chicken Curry (Kukul Mas Kari), Fish Cutlets (Fish Croquettes), Bata Moju (Eggplant Pickle), Seeni Sambol (Onion Relish), Badapu Alu Kesel Curry (Fried Ash Plantain Curry), and Fried boiled eggs.
Click Here for More Sri Lankan Recipes!
Storage Suggestions
Your curry needs to cool down to room temperature before placing it in the fridge. Store leftover it in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. If you like to freeze it, put it in a zip lock bag and then in the freezer for about 3 months. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Sri Lankan Recipes
Seeni Sambol (Sri Lankan Onion Relish)
Pol Sambol (Sri Lankan Spicy Coconut Relish)
Chicken Curry Without Coconut Milk
Click Here for More Sri Lankan Recipes!
Badapu Alu Kesel Kari (Sri Lankan Fried Plantain Curry) Step-by-Step Recipe
(Check out the printable recipe card at the end of the post)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serving: 4
Ingredients
To Fry the Plantains
300g of ash plantain (after peeled)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp of chili powder (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
Cooking oil for frying, as needed
To make the gravy
2 tbsp oil, preferably coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
6 curry leaves
2-inch piece of pandan leaves
2 green chilies, split in the middle
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp of Sri Lankan curry powder (see the notes)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
200 ml thin coconut milk (see the notes)
200 ml water
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
1 tbsp lemon/lime juice (optional)
Notes: I used basic curry powder (Thunapaha). You can also use roasted curry powder (Badapu Thunapaha) or unroasted curry powder (Amu Thunapaha) if you like it that way. You can also use 400ml of thin coconut milk without water.
Instructions
Use ash plantain or sub with green plantain or cooking bananas (read the post for more details).
Preparation
Have a bowl of water seasoned with salt ready to stop the ash plantain from discoloring.
Place the plantain horizontally on a cutting board. Then cut off each of the ends from the plantain and discard. Peel the skin. Make sure to remove all traces of green skin.
Immediately, Place the peeled plantains in the bowl of saltwater. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Remove them from the water and cut them into diagonal pieces.
Once you have cut them all, pat dry them on kitchen paper.
Add turmeric powder, salt, and, red chili powder and mix well to coat the slices of plantains with the seasoning. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Deep-frying
Heat enough oil in a pot and fry the plantains in small batches until cooked through and slightly golden not crisp.Transfer the fried banana slices onto paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Make the gravy
Heat the oil in a clay pot or nonstick casserole pot on medium heat. When hot, add mustard seeds, and fry for a few seconds until they crackle. Saute the ginger and garlic until fragrant and then onion until soft and translucent. Add all other ingredients (except plantains, coconut milk, water, lemon juice, and sugar) and saute for about 2 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined.
Pour in the coconut milk and water. Add sugar if using. Mix well. Bring the pot to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes, not covering, occasionally stirring, over medium heat until the gravy becomes slightly thick.
Assemble
Once the gravy is slightly reduced, add the fried plantains, and swirl to mix the gravy with them.
Reduce the flame to low and cook. When the gravy has reduced to your preferred level, turn off the heat and squeeze 1/4 of a wedge of lime or lemon. Let the curry sit for a while as it helps the fish to absorb the flavors and thicken the gravy.
Thank you for being here, I appreciate it!
I love hearing from you so feel free to leave a comment on the post.
If you make any of my recipes, I’d love to see pics of your creations
#joyofeatingtheworldor @joyofeatingtheworld
Print Recipe
Sri Lankan Fried Ash Plantain Curry (Badapu Alu Kesel Kari)
This unique Sri Lankan-style plantain curry is flavored with fragrant spices, local herbs, and coconut milk that goes well with any rice and curry meal.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Course: Curry Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Keyword: Alu Kesel Curry, Fried Alu Kesel Curry, Sri Lankan Ash Plantain Curry, Sri Lankan Fried Ash Plantain Curry
Servings: 4
Author: kanthi
Ingredients
To Fry the Plantains
- 300 g ash plantain peeled
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- Coconut oil for frying as needed
To make the gravy
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
- 6 curry leaves
- 2- inch piece of pandan leaves
- 2 green chilies split in the middle
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder see the notes
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 200 ml thick coconut milk see the notes
- 200 ml water
- 1 tbsp sugar optional
- 1 tbsp lemon/lime juice optional
Instructions
Prepare the Plantain
Use ash plantain or sub with green plantain or cooking bananas (read the post for more details).
Have a bowl of water seasoned with salt ready to stop the ash plantain from discoloring.
Place the plantain horizontally on a cutting board. Then cut off each of the ends from the plantain and discard. Peel the skin. Make sure to remove all traces of green skin. Immediately, Place the peeled plantains in the bowl of saltwater.
Remove them from the water and cut them into diagonal pieces. Once you have cut them all, pat dry them on kitchen paper.
Add turmeric, salt, and, chili powder and mix well to coat the slices of plantains with the seasoning. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Deep-frying
Heat enough oil in a pot and fry the plantains in small batches until cooked through and slightly golden. Transfer the fried banana slices onto paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Make the gravy
Heat the oil in a clay pot or nonstick casserole pot on medium heat. Saute the ginger, and garlic until fragrant and then onion until soft and translucent.
Add all other ingredients (except plantains, coconut milk, water, lemon juice, and sugar). Stir-fry for about 2 to 3 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined.
Pour in the coconut milk/water and mix well. Add sugar if using. Bring the pot to a boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes, without covering, occasionally stirring, over medium heat until the gravy becomes slightly thick.
Assemble
Once the gravy slightly reduced, add the fried plantains, and swirl to mix the gravy with them.
Reduce the flame to low and cook. When the gravy has reduced to your preferred level, turn off the heat and squeeze 1/4 of a wedge of lime or lemon.
Let the curry sit for a while as it helps the fish to absorb the flavors and thicken the gravy.
Notes
I used basic curry powder (Thunapaha). You can also use roasted curry powder (Badapu Thunapaha) or unroasted curry powder (Amu Thunapaha) if you like it that way. You can also use 400ml of thin coconut milk without water.
Hungry For More?
Please enter your email address to subscribe to this blog
and receive notifications of new posts by email
(Your email address will not be published)
More Sri Lankan Recipes
Click Here for More Sri Lankan Recipes!
Sri LankanCanned Fish Curry (Mackerel)
Sri Lankan Devilled Potato (Ala Thel Dala)
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry (Kukul Mas Kari)
Sri Lankan Coconut Fish Curry (Malu Kirata)
