Raw banana fry or Vazhakkai fry is a easy and simple side dish recipe made in Tamilnadu with raw bananas. This is a crispy and delicious raw banana fry made with very less oil. It is a moderately spiced and tastes very delicious with sambar or rasam rice. Here is how to make best raw banana fry or vazhakkai fry recipe.
Raw banana or vazhakkai or plantain is a very widely used vegetable in Indian cooking. In Tamilnadu we use it for making poriyal, podimas, kootu, chips. Raw banana is also used for making kofta, korma, undhiyu, bajji. Raw bananas are very nutritious and wholesome so we do include it in our diet often.
This crispy raw banana fry is a delicious side dish from Tamilnadu cuisine. This spicy, flavorful and crispy side dish goes very well sambar rice, rasam rice or curd rice. We call it vazhakkai fry here in south India.
What Is Raw Banana Fry Or Vazhakkai Fry?
Raw banana fry recipe or vazhakkai fry is a traditional Tamilnadu recipe made with raw banana. This is a easy preparation where raw banana is cut into thin rounds, tossed with salt and spice powders. They are cooked in low flame till golden and crispy. This vazhakkai fry is tasty, addictive and will be a hit with toddlers and kids especially.
The delicious raw banana fry recipe is a vegan, no onion garlic recipe. You can make this simple recipe in 30 minutes. It tastes delicious with any south Indian meal.
This recipe does not require much oil at all, with very less oil you can make crispy raw banana fry, just make sure to cook in lowest flame and stir occasionally. This easy Brahmin style vazhakkai fry recipe is from my mom that we grew up eating.
On Sundays mostly we will have vengaya sambar with potato fry or this raw banana fry paired with dal fry and a raita or keerai masaiyal. Simple, satiating and healthy meal that nourishes so well.
This banana fry will also take very good with dal rice, sambar rice, coconut rice.
This Raw Banana Fry Recipe Is
Crispy, delicious & flavorful
Versatile side dish
Vegan & gluten free
Simple and quick recipe
Absolutely kids friendly
If you are looking for quick side dish recipes for south India meal, do give this plantain fry as go and you will love it. Read on for ingredients breakdown and detailed recipe.
Ingredients For Raw Banana Fry or Vazhakkai Fry
Raw banana or plantain.
Use well grown firm unripe banana for this recipe. It should be long and completely green without yellow spots. Peel the raw banana and slice them into roundels. It is important to keep the sliced raw banana in water until use. Vazhakkai gets oxidized very quickly and turns black. So keep them in water until use.
Spice Powders
You will need the basic spice powders used in Tamil recipes like chili powder, turmeric powder. If not gluten free add a pinch of asafoetida too.
Other ingredients you need for making vazhakkai fry are oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves and salt.
How To Raw Banana Fry Step by Step
1. Select firm raw bananas and peel the skin.
2. Slice into thin rounds.
3. Take the cut raw banana in a mixing bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, oil and toss well. Set aside for 15 minutes.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds, urad dal. Add curry leaves and saute well.
5. Add the marinated raw banana slices and mix well.
6. Lower the flame and cook, stir every now and then.
7. Continue to cook till the raw banana pieces turn crispy and golden brown (for about 12-15 minutes).
8. Serve raw banana fry hot with rice.
How To Make Plantain With Rice Flour?
To make this raw banana fry extra crispy you can add flour. You can either add rice flour while marinating the raw banana with spice powders or just sprinkle some while cooking.
How To Make Plantain With Besan?
Instead of rice powder you can add besan or chickpea flour. Besan makes the fry very crispy and also add amazing flavor.
What Goes Well With vazhakkai Fry?
This simple south Indian raw banana fry goes very well with all south Indian meals. We love it with sambar rice, rasam rice, curd rice, lemon rice, tomato rice.
You can also pack this vazhakkai fry in tiffin after cooling to room temperature.
More side dish recipes for rice:
Potato fry, okra fry, cauliflower poriyal, carrot curry recipes.
Raw Banana Fry Recipe

Raw banana fry recipe | Vazhakkai fry recipe
1 CUP = 250 ml
Ingredients
- 2 raw bananas firm
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
- Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Oil
To Temper Raw Banana Fry
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 6-7 curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Select firm raw bananas and peel the skin.
- Slice into thin rounds.
- Take the cut raw banana in a mixing bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, oil and toss well. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds, urad dal. Add curry leaves and saute well.
- Add the marinated raw banana slices and mix well.
- Lower the flame and cook, stir every now and then.
- Continue to cook till the raw banana pieces turn crispy and golden brown (for about 12-15 minutes). Serve raw banana fry hot with rice.
Notes
2. You can add finely chopped onions while tempering.
3. Make sure you slice the raw banana of same size.
Nutrition
manjula says
Yummy crispy raw banana fry.