When it comes to food, Malayali’s obsession with coconut is world-famous. However, plantain or simply banana, also a favourite in Kerala, is often overshadowed amid the coconut hype. The fruit takes the form of sumptuous dishes, including fritters, payasam, chips, stuffed bananas and what not! However, banana figs or ‘Ethapazham Onakkiyathu’, pushed to the fore by Ernakulam-native Neenamma Kurien could be a new treat for many. Well, the dish has been a prominent one back in the ‘60s.
Bananas sourced with geographical index from local farmers in Kerala is dehydrated in hot air oven with some modifications. “The snack was a common affair in every Christian household in Kottayam. The elderly of the house always kept it in air-tight Bharanis. The taste of the sun-dried bananas, which I had tasted decades back, still lingers in my mouth. Surprisingly, I was able to find a more or less alternative at a shop here. Unfortunately, the production got stopped. And finally started my venture Trader J,” says Neenamma, who also works as a structural engineer.
Her quest to revive the old dish made her prepare her own banana figs. She learnt the basic lessons from ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana in Trichy. “The inclusion of the word fig often gets people confused. Any dried fruit can be called as a fig,” adds Neenamma.
After coming back to Kochi, she began her expedition with varied kinds of bananas. “It took me two years to get the required flavour and texture. After several trials and errors and heating bananas at varying temperatures, I finally found the right one. I am satisfied to have brought back something that was lost to many,” she says. In 2017, she kick-started her business.
Neenamma runs Trader J along with her children, Jose George and Anna George. The venture deals just with banana figs. They are made in varied forms — dried banana energy bar, banana vilayichathu, banana fig and banana bits. She produces them at a manufacturing unit set in the upstairs of her house. Neenamma says the products which were closely associated with her childhood have zero fat and cholesterol. “It has a shelf-life of one year. There are no added preservatives or sugar,” she says.
The banana figs can be paired with red meat and barbecue. “There is also another combination — banana fig, mint leaves and chocolate flakes as filling in samosa. Dipping it in ice cream gives a lip-smacking combination,” she adds. Compared to the traditional figs, which are hard as they are sun-dried for days, Neenamma claims her figs are soft. The entrepreneur has plans to deliver the healthy snack to the army personnel on the border. “The organic treat can stay afresh for over one year,” she says.
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