Vazhaipoo Poriyal/Banana Blossom Dry Curry

In India, we never waste any part of a banana tree, the stem, flowers and even the leaves and they are much seen in any festivals celebrated at home. Rite from packing foods, the leaves are used in cooking foods and serving food too. If you find some one’s house gate is tied in India with banana trees it’s a sign of celebration there. I would call the banana tree as one of the God’s most precious creature. Even in Caribbean,Mexican Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean cuisines they use the banana leaves in cooking.

 

Few Nutritious Factors:

• Dietary fibers
• Unsaturated fatty acids
• Proteins
• Rich in vitamin E(Skin and health care)
• Flavonoids (can also referred as Vitamin P)- flavonoids are reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and stroke.

The most vital part in a banana tree used in cooking is the flowers the banana blossom. We can make use of vazhaipoo to cook different dishes. Many of the adults doesn’t like this recipe as they think that it taste bitter but if you cook it in rite way and if all the bitter taste goes off, it really tastes so good. The tedious process in this is the cleaning part, as it takes long time. Use the water used while washing the rice to wash the banana flowers too as it will take off all the impurities and leaves the flowers fresh.

Ingredients:

• Banana Flowers-a Bunch
• Shredded coconut-Half Cup
• Turmeric powder-1/4 Tspn
• Sambar Powder-1/2 Tspn
• Salt-To Taste

To Temper:

• Oil-1 Tspn
• Mustard-few
• Urud dal-few
• Curry Leaves

 

Method:

• Remove the stamen and the sheath from the flower (the black head and the outer thin cover).

• Immense the flowers into curd or buttermilk overnight to remove the bitter taste and also to minimize the blackening effect and cut into small pieces.
• In a pan, pour little oil and add all the items under To Temper list followed by onion and sauté for few minutes.
• Add the banana flowers, salt into this and sauté again for few seconds with low flame and pour water into this and cook covered with a lid.
• After the flower baked well, add turmeric, sambar powder, and asafetida and sauté for few more minutes so that the bitter taste will go off completely.
• Mix coconut to this and sauté for few more minutes.

Tips:

"You can replace with a bit of chili and coriander powder for using sambar powder

You can immense the flowers for 2 hours also, but by doing overnight gives a complete relief from bitterness."