Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti – Green Bean Plantain Dish

This Green Bean Plantain Dish is a simple side-dish commonly consumed in Kerala (South Indian state that I belong to). I know, the name Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti sounds super intimidating, but this dish is SO SIMPLE with a few ingredients. It comes together in under 20 minutes and goes great with some Sambar and rice!

What is Achinga Kaya Mezhukkupuratti?

Achinga is a the Malayalam name for Green beans and Kaya is the name for raw plantain. Plantains are very commonly found in South India and are quite widely prepared. This is a simple and quick recipe commonly made in Kerala households to add to a simple meal for lunch or dinner.

How to make Achinga Kaya Mezukkupuretti – Tips and Tricks

The Achinga Kaya Recipe is very easy and doesn’t call for a whole bunch of spices, except for turmeric powder.

Achinga: Green beans. You can use long or short green beans, also called French beans in India. You can also replace this with potatoes or beetroot or any veggie you have. Slice these to amount an inch in length:

Kaya: Raw Plantains. The star of the show. If you replace this, you will lose the essence of this recipe. But it can be replaced with any other starchy vegetable if you REALLY want to. Slice these to the same size as the green beans:

Whole Spices: Curry Leaves and mustard seeds. Curry leaves provide an earthy savoury flavour that cannot be replaced. You can find these dry or frozen or fresh in any Indian/Asian store.

Ground Spices: This recipe only calls for turmeric powder, but you can also add red chili powder if you like it extra spicy!

Why are my peeled plantains turning black?

Raw plantains oxidise easily and tend to turn black. Nothing wrong with it. But if you want to avoid it, drop them in a bowl of turmeric water. Helps keep the colour until you are ready to cook.

You can also just follow the recipe and boil them in salted turmeric water directly after slicing:

Check out other Kerala dishes from the blog: