BANANA FLOWER / VAZHAIPOO KOOTU (WITHOUT DAL)

Vazhaipoo Kootu Is a very traditional recipe. This is made without any dal. This will be very tasty and delicious to have with plain rice along with some spicy poriyal or appalam.

The major work to make this Kootu is to clean vazhaipoo . Check out my detailed post on how to clean plantain flower. This is a rich in fiber diet food. Lets look at the steps to make this Kootu.

Preparation Time : 15 mints | Cooking Time : 30 mints | Serves : 3 - 4

Ingredients :

Plantain flower - 1cup ( cleaned and chopped )

Tamarind - small gooseberry sized ball Turmeric Powder -1/4 tsp Black Channa (chick peas) - 1/4 cup Salt - to taste

For Tempering :

Oil - 2 tspn Mustard - 1/2 tspn

Urad dal - 1 tspn Asafetida / Hing - a pinch Curry leaves - little

To Roast & Grind :

Channa dal or Bengal gram dal - 1 tbspn Coriander seeds -1.5 tbspn Red chilies - 5 Pepper - 1/4 tspn

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tspn Coconut - 3 tbspn

Steps :

1. Soak Channa overnight. Chop the banana flower finely. Soak it in diluted buttermilk to avoid discoloration. Soak tamarind in hot water, extract the juice and discard the pulp. (around 1 cup).

2. Fry the ingredients mentioned under “roast and grind” in a tspn of oil, adding coconut at the end. Then grind it to a smooth paste adding little water.

3. Pressure cook channa with a little salt for 5 whistles. Remove the banana flower from buttermilk, rinse with water and pressure cook for 3 whistles adding turmeric powder, little water and salt as needed. Open the pressure cooker add the channa and tamarind water to it. Boil well until the raw flavor of the tamarind goes.

4. Then add the ground paste and mix well. Boil for a few more minutes on medium flame till raw smell goes off and cooked well. Turn off the stove.

5. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal, hing and curry leaves. Once its turns golden turn off and add the tempering to the kootu. Vazhaipoo kootu is ready.

Serve hot with rice.

My Notes :

There is a other version of vazhaipoo kootu with tur dal. Please Check it out too.