Vazhaipoo Paruppu Usili

Paruppu usili is a South Indian dish which is a vegetable-lentil combo and goes as a side dish with steamed rice and a gravy like sambar / rasam.Vegetable and lentils together make an interesting and healthy combo.The one that I am going to post today is made with banana blossoms and lentils.These two together will impart a new taste to your palette.

This is mom’s recipe and she had prepared this for us,so the credit goes to her.Lil angel enjoyed this dish and it was the first time she ate banana blossoms so I can assure you that kids will love this healthy stir-fry.

You need:

Banana blossom-2 cups,prepared and drained. [Click the link to see how to prepare the blossoms for cooking]
Toor dhal-less than ½ a cup
Channa dhal- less than ¼ cup
Red chillies – 2
Coconut- 2 tablespoons grated
Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Mustard- 1 teaspoon
Channa dhal/-1 teaspoon
Urad dhal-1/2 a teaspoon
Red chillies – 2
Curry leaves a few
Oil-2 teaspoons

1. Soak chaana dhal and toor dhal for an hour along with red chillies.
2. Drain and grind to a coarse batter. Sprinkle very little water if required.
3. Make small balls of this batter and steam them in a idli steamer [or any any steamer that you have / use] for 10-15 minutes
4. Cool ,crumble them and keep aside.

5. Heat oil in a pan and put in all the ingredients listed underseasonings.
6. When they crackle and dhal turns brown, add the banana blossoms.[Be sure to squeeze out the buttermilk thoughly before adding the blossom to the pan,else the dish will turn soggy.]
7.Saute for a few minutes till the blossoms are soft.Sprinkle very little water if required.Else cover and cook on low flame.Stir in between.
8.When the blossom are soft,add crumbled dhal, coconut and salt.Mix well.
9. Cook for a few minutes and remove from heat.Serve with steamed rice.

Here are some more recipes using banana blossoms

Banana blossom-Lentil snack – A crispy snack that masks the blossoms and it is an easy way to make the kids eat the goodness.
Banana blossom stir-fry – A simple stir-fry to go with steamed rice.

Bon Appetit…