Choiyamavu is a sweet made out of bananas. The little  brownish balls fried in ghee are sure to please your palate. Check out this Indian sweet.

The aroma from the kitchen fills the air and little Sitha, who is reading a book sniffs deeply. Little Tikku, her dog who is sleeping at her feet, lifts his ears in anticipation of the occasional sound of “Choi”, “Choi”.

Sitha hurries to the kitchen and Tikku dashes behind her. Sumithra, Sitha’s mother is busy at the stove.

SITHA: “Ma what is that you are cooking? It smells so good.”

Sumithra smiles

SUMITHRA: “That’s Choiyamavu.”

SITHA: “Choiyamavu?” What is that?

SUMITHRA: That is a sweet made out of bananas from Tamil Nadu. Here taste a few.

Ma Sumithra gives a few to Sitha and also Tikku, who makes short intermediate whines for his share. He begins to gulp them.

SUMITHRA: Your father just said that Ram Uncle and Lakshmi Aunty with her children will be visiting us shortly. So I thought I will make some more again. You can observe me from start to make them. But Ma Sumithra also warned,

But remember you are not going to try to make them in my absence. Small children should not venture to cook without elders around because working with fire is dangerous. You will have to cook with care.

Now let us join them in making “Choiyamavu”, a traditional Indian sweet.

Ingredients

3 Ripe bananas

6 spoons of sugar

7 spoons of Maida

1 spoon Rice flour

Ghee or oil for frying.

Method

• Remove the skin of the bananas and add the sugar. Mash them well until the sugar granules dissolve.
• Add the maida and the rice flour and the mix it well without any lumps.
• You can add a little cardamon powder for flavour if you like and mix well.
• Heat the Ghee/Oil.
• Take a small quantity of the banana mix with the finger tips and slowly drop it into the Ghee/or oil.
• Fry and remove them just when the colour changes to golden brown. (The balls will tend to stick together. You can separate them once they have cooled)
• Put them in a bowl or plate with tissue paper to drain the extra Ghee/oil.

Ma Sumithra is done with the cooking. Sitha helps her to transfer them into another bowl and sets it on the table.

Tikku and Sitha get their share of the simple banana sweet and are happy.