Banana Flower(Vazhaipoo) and Potato poriyal

Let banana flower bloom away to appease your tummy and satisfy your cravings for a different meal. The cleaning process is a tad lengthy but once you tackle that, cooking is actually easy, and taste, simply awesome! Stir fried Banana Florets is a North Indian Recipe. The banana flower is the flower of the banana. If you open the inside, you can see small flowers that would turn into bananas. The flavor is a little starchy and bitter, and is normally eaten as a complement to a dish as a side vegetable. You can also fry or boil it. The process of making recipes with banana flower takes long time.

Prep time        :        15 mins              Cook time   :        20 mins            Serves            :2

Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients	Quantity
Banana flower	1
Baby Potatoes	5 nos
Turmeric powder	½ tsp.
Garam masala	¼ tsp.
Jeera powder	1 tsp.
Grated coconut	1.5 tbsp
Cilantro	1 tbsp.

 To temper

Oil	3 tbsp.
Dry red chilly	1
Mustard seeds	1 tsp.
Fennel seeds	¼ tsp.
Urad dal	1 tbsp.
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Onion	1 no
Hing	pinch

 Method

1. Get ready to clean banana flower by first rubbing your hands with oil, this is to avoid staining. Discard the first few layers of sepals, when you do that, it reveals small, elongated white flowers. Chop off the flowers from the base and from each of them, remove the stamen (a thick, black stem). Repeat the process for the remaining sepals and the flowers attached to them. Chop the flowers and boil with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt for 15 minutes. This will remove the bitterness. Squeeze and transfer the flowers in a plate. 2. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, urad dal and finely dry red chiiy..Then add onion and curry leaves. After onion becomes translucent add salt, jeera powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. 3. Add the diced potatoes and banana flowers and stir well.Adjust salt.
Cook covered in low flame till the vegetable is cooked. 4. Now add grated coconut  in the curry. Mix it with all overt he curry. Turn off the gas.  5. Sprinkle coriander leaves before eating and what else but relish every bite!Serve with rice or roti or paratha.

Notes

*Cleaning of the banana flower. (Remove the outer maroonish layer, take the small flowerets, and remove the thick hard stick inside the flower)

Boiled Black channa can also be added to enhance the taste and flavor/..

Cut and soak the banana flower in water, mixed with buttermilk to avoid bitterness.

When you cut the flower open, rub it with lime or lemon juice and wrap with plastic to prevent oxidization.