Recipe for banana flower fritters | Vazhaipoo vada
- VJ
- Jun 3, 2022
- 3 min read
A fried delicacy using a rare ingredient, that's also very healthy.
Banana flowers or blossoms are popular mainly in the southern part of India. These flowers are extremely beneficial for relieving menstrual problems, kidney problems, diabetes, anxiety and much more. This fibre rich food is however, not very popular these days due to its scarce availability and a bitter or pungent taste when cooked normally. But when made into a vada (fritter), even kids will love eating it. and it comes with the added benefits of various spices. Before we move on with the recipe, you can check out my Youtube channel for healthful content (both in English and Hindi).
CONTENTS
INGREDIENTS
The ingredients needed for this recipe are
3/4 cup - chana dal / Bengal gram
2 handfuls - banana flowers / vazhaipoo / kele ke phool
3 no.s - lal mirch / red chillies
2 no.s - laung / cloves
1 inch - dalchini / cinnamon
1 tsp - jeera / cumin seeds
1 tsp - saunf / fennel seeds
3 no.s - lehsun / garlic cloves
1 inch - adrak / ginger
1/4 cup - roasted bengal gram
PROCEDURE
First, wash the chana dal once or twice, and soak it in enough water for around 1 hr.
In a bowl of water mix some turmeric powder, salt and curd.
Clean the banana flowers by removing pistil (the hard stick like thing in the middle) and calyx (the outer transparent layer from the banana flowers). Immediately after cleaning the banana flowers, put them in the bowl of water that you prepared earlier.
To a mixer grinder, add red chillies, jeera, saunf, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, garlic and roasted bengal gram. Grind them for a minute or till they are powdered.
Meanwhile, drain the soaked chana dal using a colander. Let the chana dal sit in the colander till all the water has drained. Then, coarsely grind this chana dal along with some salt using a mixer grinder.
To the coarsely ground chana dal, add the banana flowers and the powdered ingredients. Grind all the ingredients together till you get a coarse mixture.
Transfer this mixture to a bowl and mix it well using your hand. Add some chopped onions and coriander leaves and mix it again.
Your vada dough is now ready. Divide this dough into 10 - 12 equal sized portions. Roll and lightly flatten them between your palms.
Heat oil in a deep pan / kadhai. Slowly slip the flattened dough balls into the hot oil. Fry them on a medium flame till both sides are slightly golden and then remove them from the oil. Once they are slightly cooled down, fry them again till they are completely cooked and golden brown in colour. Repeat this process with rest of the vada mixture.
This recipe makes around 12 vadas. Serve this as a side dish with rice or eat it as it is for snack.
TIPS
Don't soak chana dal for more than 1 1/2 hrs, as it may turn sour.
Cooking with the calyx and pistil intact makes the banana flowers indigestible and can lead to stomach ache or even mild food poisoning. Additionally, these parts don't really soften upon cooking.
Putting cleaned banana flowers in turmeric-salt-curd water prevents the banana flowers from turning black and bitter.
To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a tiny piece of the dough into the oil. If the ball starts floating on top almost instantly, then your oil is ready for frying.
Frying them twice ensures they become crispy, crunchy and nicely golden.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
1 Vada (about 40g) | 94 calories |
Carbohydrates | 7.6 g |
Proteins | 2.4 g |
Fiber | 2.4 g |
Fats | 6.1 g |
That's all for today. Share this article with your loved ones, so they can relish this yummy healthy snack. See you next time with another delicious recipe. Eat healthy. Stay happy. Bye.
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