Government of India
Manja Rai
Manja Rai is a typical Odia dish prepared out of manja (banana stem) and rai (mustard paste). It is one of the many simple yet highly nutritious dishes that reflect the nature of the cuisine of this region. The stem of the banana plant here refers to the tender core of the tree. Banana stem is rich in Vitamin B6 and potassium and considered beneficial for the kidneys.
| Cuisine: | Odia |
| Total time: | 45 mins |
| Preparation time: | 25 mins |
| Cooking time: | 20 mins |
| Serves: | 3 to 4 |
Ingredients
Base ingredients
| 6 to 8 inches: | Banana Stem |
| 1 medium: | Potato |
| 1 medium: | Tomato |
| 1 medium: | Colocasia |
For paste
| 2 teaspoons: | Mustard seeds |
| 1 teaspoon: | Jeera or cumin seeds |
| 2 cloves: | Garlic |
| 1: | Green Chilli (chopped) |
For tempering
| 1 teaspoon: | Pancha phutana (a combination of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, aniseed and kalonji) |
| 2 teaspoons: | Mustard oil |
| 2: | Whole red chillies |
Other ingredients
| 1 teaspoon: | Turmeric Powder |
| Water: | As needed |
| Salt: | As per taste |
For garnishing
| 1 teaspoon: | Coriander leaves (chopped) |
Directions
Preparing the vegetables
- Cut the banana stem into circles first. Gently remove the thin threads that appear. Then chop them into small cubes.
- Chop the potato, tomato and Colocasia into small cubes too.
- Mix the chopped banana stem cubes with ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt and keep aside for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, squeeze the extra water out of the chopped banana stem cubes and set aside.
Preparing the paste
- Make a fine paste out of the mustard seeds, jeera, green chillies, cloves and a small amount of water. You can either use an electric grinder or a sil batta (grinding stone, for a more traditional touch).
Tempering and cooking
- Heat mustard oil in a kadhai (pan).
- Add pancha phutana and whole red chillies.
- Wait for the mustard seeds (in the pancha phutana) to crackle.
- Add the chopped tomato and cook till it softens.
- Add the banana stem, chopped potato and Colocasia and lightly fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add turmeric powder (half teaspoon) and a little salt (as required).
- Add the mustard paste. Mix well.
- Add some more water if required.
- Cover the lid of the pan and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
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