Vaazhapoo Porriyal | Banana Blossom Stir fry

I nearly jumped with joy when I saw this month’s ingredient for JFI!!

Flower power – What a beautiful and innovative theme!!!!Soooo many flowers danced in my mind all except the humble banana blossom.It was not until the local veggie vendor called out “Vaazhapoo” did i realise that I had a very easy recipe to share.

The banana plant is so full of goodness that each and every part of it is used in all walks of life. The Leaves are used to serve food and also as a packing material for take-aways. The stem and the flower find various culinary uses and the banana needs no introduction! Even the dry outer covering of the stem is soaked in water and made into very thin strips and used to tie flowers [like jasmine] to a strand.

This a simple recipe that guarantees a tasty dish at the end of a little bit of hard work. Yes, cleaning the blossoms certainly requires patience.

PREPARING THE BLOSSOM FOR COOKING

The stamen is non-edible and has to be removed from each flower. This definitely takes time.[This photograph shows the non-edible portion to be removed before cooking-for those who are going to try out this recipe for the first time].

Cut the blossoms and keep them soaked in thin buttermilk till it is ready to go into any dish of your choice.

You need:

Banana blossoms{chopped} – 1 cup, loosely packed
Coconut ,grated – 5 teaspoons
Onion – 1 finely chopped
Curry leaves – a few
Green chilies – 3 slit
Mustard – 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds / Jeera – ½ teaspoon
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Salt – to taste

Coriander leaves – to garnish[Optional]

1.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds.
2.When they crackle,add the curry leaves,green chillies and onion and cook till onions turn a light shade of brown.
3.Drain the cut blossoms from the buttermilk and add to the onion and sprinkle water and cook till it turns soft.
4.Add the grated coconut and salt,mix well and remove from heat.

Garnish with Coriander and serve hot.