During my trip to Orissa, I was advised by a friend to spend a day at a place which is interestingly called Gopalpur-on-Sea. As is evident from the name, Gopalpur is a beach resort. It is a peaceful place where you can just sit on the beach and gaze at the great blue waves for ever.
I took the advice, got on to a bus to Gopalpur and thanked my friend all day long for suggesting this little detour. The sea, the sun, the sand, I loved it all. To top it, I had some superb food there. The very first dish was this green banana brarata, which simply blew me away. Brarata, or what is commonly called bharta, is generally made with aubergine in India. But Gopalpur gave a whole new dimension to my perception of bharta.
4 raw green bananas
1 (large) potato
2 tsp mustard oil
1 (small) sprig fresh curry leaves
1 (medium) onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 (medium) tomato, finely chopped
1 tsp tamarind pulp (p. 13)
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp almond slivers, roasted
Boil bananas and potato separately, without peeling, till tender. Peel and mash separately. Set aside. Put oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add curry leaves. When they crackle, add onion, garlic and green chillies. Sauté till onion turns golden. Mix in tomato, tamarind pulp and salt and cook till tomato becomes mushy. Stir in ¼ cup of water with salt, almonds, mashed bananas and mashed potato. Simmer till the moisture dries up. Remove from heat and serve hot.