''/> VazhaChundu Payarum- Banana Flower Sabji Skip to main content

Latest on the Blog

Vegetable Tahiri - One Pot Meal

VazhaChundu Payarum- Banana Flower Sabji

This one was introduced to me by my mother. I never thought we could make something from the banana flower. She used to make it with just coconut and some shallots mixed with the banana flower. But at my in laws place I got a different versions of this, in which they add the cooked green gram or the vanpayar to it. It does have a distinct flavour and well, like I always say what will go wrong in a dish when there is coconuts. Lets try out this traditional kerala dish.

Ingredients:
  • Banana Flower (Vazha Chundu) – 1
  • Green Gram – 3/4 cup
  • Grated Coconut – 1 cup
  • Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Green Chillies – 2 or 3
  • Garlic – 2 pods 
  • Shallots- 3 
  • Salt- to taste
For tempering
  • Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
  • Shallots- 3
  • Garlic - 3 pods
  • Curry Leaves- a spring
  • Coconut Oil – 3 tbsp 
Method:
  1. Wash the green gram  and pressure cook it with water and a little salt for (Takes about 10 mins or until done)
  2. Drain these and keep aside 
  3. Wash the banana flower thoroughly. You need to discard a few of the outer layers of the flower. This is essential to make sure the dish is not bitter. I usually discard about 4 layers. 
  4. Chop the remaining banana flower into very small pieces. You can also grate the banana flower or pulse it in a food processor.
  5. Rub a tablespoon of oil on the chopped banana flower. 
  6. Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes. 
  7. Add the coconut, 2 garlic pods, Cumin seeds, Shallots, Green chili's, little salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and pulse it in a mixer
  8. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
  9. Throw in the cut shallots, garlic, and curry leaves. Stir fry for a few minutes.
  10. Add the vazhachundu/banana flower and the coconut mixture to the pan. 
  11. Cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  12. Add the cooked green gram and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes until all water has evaporated and the dish is dry.

Note:
  • Always smear your hands with a little oil before handling the banana flower to avoid stains on your hands. 
  • You can make the banana flower without the  green gram also. Just follow the same recipe and avoid the green gram totally. 
  • Make sure the green gram is not cooked for a long time which will end up it being mushy
Do try this and let us know in comment section how it turned out for you. Follow us on Instagram for more updates. 




Comments

Most Popular Ones

Super Moist Chocolate cake with Frosting

If you are looking for a super moist cake which is easy and can be made in one bowl, well look no further -this is the one. Its extremely moist, melts in your mouth chocolate cake. And to have these super moist cake with a drizzle of creamy chocolate frosting is just divine. Another great thing about this cake recipe is that it calls for simple ingredients that I always have on hand. Nothing beats being able to make one of your favorite cakes without having to run to the store for ingredients. In short this recipe is perfect for all the chocolate lovers out there. With the measurements given below you will yield a 1 cake made in 8 * 8 inch cake tin. You can double the amount and make it as 2 cakes for a layered 2 tier cake with frosting. Also these can be baked as a loaf cake. PS: For all those who want to have the measurements to be reduced into half the quantity or want to double the quantity (specially for baking) I recommend using a recipe calculator. I usually use this Recipe Cal

Easy Sambar (without tamarind)

Sambar is a must in most south Indian families and like others even I have grown up having dosa- sambhar and chutney's. A Sambar is a lentil based vegetable stew or curry cooked with dal/lentils along with some veggies and some tamarind pulp. There are coconut based sambar as well and each region has its own sambar variation. In my house, we all prefer quick meals, but yet tasty. My mother who was a working lady would make elaborate meals only during holidays or special occasions. Rest all the meals would be quick yet very very tasty. This is one such sambar which my mom has taught me and is super quick.  This doesn't use tamarind like in a traditional sambar and gets its tangy flavour from tomatoes. Its quick, one pot sambar recipe. Lets dive in and see how its done: Ingredients: Serves 3 1/2 to 1 cup Tur Dal/ Yellow Lentils 2-3 tomatoes chopped (depending on size) 1/2 cup Veggies each of your choice cubed Turmeric powder A pinch of Asafoetida/ Hing 1/2 tsp chilli powder Salt

Chicken Stew- Kerala chicken curry (Video Recipe)

This simple recipe is every Malayalee's favorite and if you have Appams along with it, its heavenly. It is lightly spiced coconut milk flavoured curry with just a hint of spices. You can make it a vegetable stew by just adding some carrots, beans, peas etc or a chicken stew. You can also combine both veggies and chicken to it and make a delicious kerala style stew. It is mostly combined with appam (thin lacey pancakes) or idiyappam (string hoppers / steamed rice noodles). We also have it with breads and with dosa some times. The addition of vegetables along with chicken gives it a different texture as well. Many recipes add cashew paste to the curry to make it thicker. I usually make them without the cashew paste  and only add coconut milk with the veggies and chicken/ mutton. Kerala is famous for its usage of coconut, and this dish is no different to all the other kerala dishes where coconut milk and coconut oil is used to give that authentic flavour. Let's see how its